24 February, 2011

A-Z Fitness - Water

One of the most important things we can do for our body is make sure it gets the proper amount of water. Of course, that's not likely a news flash to anyone. But sometimes people forget how important it can really be, especially when working out. The more we work out, the more we sweat, the more we dehydrate ourselves. We really don't want to dehydrate ourselves, it can lead to serious affects to the body including fatigue, cramps, headaches and even nausea. As you can see, a lack of water can be detrimental to our health, and thus our fitness.

Tips: Do you find drinking water to be bland? Try to zip it up with a twist of lemon or lime. Nicely chilled water can also be more palatable. Do you drink bottled water? It can be a fast and convenient way to enjoy your water. There are many low calorie water mix-ins to flavor your water.

Remember: As you work out, keep water close at hand. You'll need to continually replenish your water as you work out. Do you drink a lot of coffee in the morning? Keep in mind, coffee can be a dehydrator so you might want to drink more water to compensate. Be alert to the signs of dehydration, and if you feel a headache or other symptom, rest for a bit, and have a drink of water.

Goal: Do you drink soda? My challenge this week is to cut out soda and replace it with water. Even if you drink diet soda, there's really no benefit to it. So why not switch to water this week? You might find you'll start craving it more than soda. Trust me, it's been 14 months now since I've given up soda.

Last Weeks Goal: What vegetables did you try this week? Were you able to incorporate more vegetables into your snacking? How about making a simple substitute like instead of chips, eat carrots? Just a little change make all the difference.

What fitness words starting with the letter "W" inspire you?

2 comments:

  1. So true! I start every morning with a 24oz bottle of water...must be cold for me! When I quit drinking soda I found that my lung capacity was better so my workouts were better. Through research learned that carbonation really has an affect on endurance, etc.

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  2. Yea, I've always thought that, but never did any research on it.

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