Hydration Station Tips

True story, I got severely dehydrated earlier this summer to the point where I nearly passed out after my workout. I was so dehydrated, I threw up my entire dinner, and luckily my boyfriend drove to Walgreens at 9pm to get my Gatorade Zero so I didn’t have to go to urgent care or worst call 911. Now I would like to say that this only happened to me once this summer, however the truth is this happened to me multiple times during the month of June and only recently have I been making positive steps towards staying fully hydrated.

So how did I, a 24-year-old adult female, forget to stay hydrated on a 100-degree day during a dry Colorado summer? Simple, I was not setting myself up for hydration success. I was not being mindful of how much water I was drinking throughout the day and was barely hitting 50 ounces of water because I was forgetting to sip throughout my workday. By the time my 5 or 6pm workout rolled around I was already too dehydrated to be completing my WOD outside, yet I was still pushing myself to work out because I didn’t want to miss the WOD or change my workout schedule for the week.

What changes have I made to my hydration schedule to avoid severe summer dehydration?

• I bought a gallon water jug for days I plan to exercise outside. Now I make sure I drink at least 2-3 gallons BEFORE I even think about exercising.
• I check in with myself before I drive to the box. I take a moment now to reflect and assess whether I am properly fed and hydrated before I hit up the WOD. If I am already feeling dehydrated or hangry before my workout, I adapt my schedule and sit that day out. No workout is worth going to the hospital for especially when we are in the midst of a public health crisis.
• More water = Better skin, better workout and better life. I have recently re-framed the importance of water in my daily life and make hitting my water goals a non-negotiable for me. No amount of soda water or Gatorade can make up for importance of water in your daily life so stop seeing water as the “boring” drink option and instead view it as a vital piece in your wellness and life tool kit!

Hydration is so important and while it is not as sexy of topic to discuss as deadlifts or macro tracking, it still is a valuable topic that deserves to be talked about! Go forth and get hydrated this summer my friends, your skin and your stomach with thank you later.