Are You Drinking Enough?
This post was written by Coach Erica Knighton (aka Mrs. Knighton Runs).
Are you drinking enough? No, not beer. Or coffee. Or even your fancy green smoothie. I mean water!
When I was 18, I decided to consciously consume more water. My high school cross country coach suggested all the girls on my Cross Country team carry a water bottle with us all day. So from class to class, I carried my trusty Nalgene adorned with Grateful Dead dancing bear stickers.
I tasked myself with drinking one whole liter a day (a mere 33 ounces). Like any habit, it took a lot of conscious effort to remember to drink my water, but eventually, I got used to it. I actually started to crave it. Over a period of a few weeks, I upped my consumption to three liters each day––and it was life-changing. Of course, this consumption meant numerous trips to the restroom, but my coach assured me that my bladder just needed to be trained. She was right.
I remember feeling such energy and clarity! My running teammates and I all agreed we’d probably been dehydrated for a long time. We felt amazing. Our joints were lubricated and it showed in our workouts. We were getting fast! That year the team placed 7th at the Rhode Island State Championship and went on to compete at the New England Championship. Did hydration have something to do with it? I think so!
In the years since I’ve realized that listening to your body’s thirst signals is a true practice in mindfulness. Many of us are in the habit of ignoring our thirst. We’re too busy to be bothered, or we misinterpret the signals and reach for a salty snack instead. A mild state of dehydration is the norm for many of us runners, and it’s easy to forget just how glorious it feels to simply drink enough water.
Thanks to my high school running coach, I always start my day with a big glass of room temperature water, and I encourage you to try it too! Add lemon or drink it straight from the tap. You might find that a little more H2O is all it takes to center you and improve your outlook for the day.
Here’s a quick tip to make it easy to drink more water
Keep a few filled water bottles stationed around your home where you will see them and drink from them throughout the day. Put one on your coffee table, on your bedstand, and on your work desk. That way water is always within arm’s reach. One of the biggest things you can do to build good habits is to “make them easy and unavoidable.”
Hydration, Hydration, Hydration – SOS Hydration
I put a packet of SOS Hydration in my water bottle for all of my summer runs. This electrolyte replacement powder has 3x more electrolytes, 6x less sugar, and 6x fewer calories than other sports drinks. Electrolytes are essential in the summer months to help regulate nerve and muscle function and maintain your water balance. Unfortunately, most sports drinks are full of sugar and while Gatorade and other similar sports drinks still provide electrolytes, they can wreck your gut and cause cramping. SOS gives the benefit of a traditional sports drink but isn’t loaded with sugar.
I’m a big fan of the watermelon flavor.
Join the Conversation
How have you found hydration to affect your own running journey?
