I know this sounds like an odd question, but several students have asked me this before: "When should I be drinking water?" Seems obvious, right? Like, how about when you're thirsty? Or when you feel like it?
Now that I am trying valiantly to get a handle on my own dehydration issues, which I believe have been an on-going and underlying cause of muscle spasms, knots, aches and pains, and even some more serious injuries, like that pulled psoas problem I was whining about a few weeks ago, I no longer feel like being so flippant! When to drink water, when you are planning to drink the amount that you actually need to replenish your lost fluids in this summer heat, demands some forethought!
Those of us with small bladders know that drinking more water means many more visits to the restroom than might always be convenient. So if you have things to do, things like Zumba class or a meeting or bootcamp or a conference call, it might become necessary to schedule your water drinking carefully.
Keep in mind that water passes through and out of the stomach very quickly if there is no food in there to slow it down. So drinking on an empty stomach means the water will be absorbed quickly into your bloodstream and sent straight to the areas of the body that need it. Whenever possible, drink water on an empty stomach. First thing in the morning is the most important time to drink water. Your body is dehydrated after 8 hours of sleep, during which you are constantly losing moisture just through respiration! I have a student who shared her brilliant idea this morning at bootcamp: she sets her alarm for an hour or so earlier than she wants to get up (90 minutes would be perfect, as this is the length of our typical sleep cycle) drinks her liter of water, and then goes back to sleep! She wakes up the second time already hydrated! This is a great idea for those early morning workouts, especially outdoors in the heat. You never want to begin a workout already dehydrated. That is a recipe for disaster.
For the remainder of the day, you want to try to drink your water during the times when your stomach is the most empty. So before breakfast, before lunch, and before dinner. If you eat snacks in between those meals, drink before the snacks as well. Divide your water up into as many servings as needed and drink each serving about 30 minutes before a meal or snack. There are many benefits to this plan. For one thing, the water will be absorbed more quickly and effectively by those cells that need it. And digestive enzymes will not be diluted by drinking water with your meal, so nutrients in your food will be broken down more thoroughly and absorbed optimally. AND, if you are attempting to lose weight, filling your belly with water before a meal will help you feel fuller and less hungry by the time you start to eat. Often, when we are actually thirsty, our body will send out a hunger signal instead.
Drinking before your meal will satisfy that thirst first, and thereby ease those hunger pangs as well.
Many of these tips and insights were gained by reading The Permanent Pain Cure by Ming Chew. As I have mentioned before, hydration is one of the keys to becoming pain-free. If you haven't started yet, go and grab yourself a nice big glass of water right now! It's never to late to start drinking!
Now that I am trying valiantly to get a handle on my own dehydration issues, which I believe have been an on-going and underlying cause of muscle spasms, knots, aches and pains, and even some more serious injuries, like that pulled psoas problem I was whining about a few weeks ago, I no longer feel like being so flippant! When to drink water, when you are planning to drink the amount that you actually need to replenish your lost fluids in this summer heat, demands some forethought!
Those of us with small bladders know that drinking more water means many more visits to the restroom than might always be convenient. So if you have things to do, things like Zumba class or a meeting or bootcamp or a conference call, it might become necessary to schedule your water drinking carefully.
Keep in mind that water passes through and out of the stomach very quickly if there is no food in there to slow it down. So drinking on an empty stomach means the water will be absorbed quickly into your bloodstream and sent straight to the areas of the body that need it. Whenever possible, drink water on an empty stomach. First thing in the morning is the most important time to drink water. Your body is dehydrated after 8 hours of sleep, during which you are constantly losing moisture just through respiration! I have a student who shared her brilliant idea this morning at bootcamp: she sets her alarm for an hour or so earlier than she wants to get up (90 minutes would be perfect, as this is the length of our typical sleep cycle) drinks her liter of water, and then goes back to sleep! She wakes up the second time already hydrated! This is a great idea for those early morning workouts, especially outdoors in the heat. You never want to begin a workout already dehydrated. That is a recipe for disaster.
For the remainder of the day, you want to try to drink your water during the times when your stomach is the most empty. So before breakfast, before lunch, and before dinner. If you eat snacks in between those meals, drink before the snacks as well. Divide your water up into as many servings as needed and drink each serving about 30 minutes before a meal or snack. There are many benefits to this plan. For one thing, the water will be absorbed more quickly and effectively by those cells that need it. And digestive enzymes will not be diluted by drinking water with your meal, so nutrients in your food will be broken down more thoroughly and absorbed optimally. AND, if you are attempting to lose weight, filling your belly with water before a meal will help you feel fuller and less hungry by the time you start to eat. Often, when we are actually thirsty, our body will send out a hunger signal instead.
Drinking before your meal will satisfy that thirst first, and thereby ease those hunger pangs as well.
Many of these tips and insights were gained by reading The Permanent Pain Cure by Ming Chew. As I have mentioned before, hydration is one of the keys to becoming pain-free. If you haven't started yet, go and grab yourself a nice big glass of water right now! It's never to late to start drinking!
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