Dylan Spina – @DylanSpina61
“Hydrate or Die” is something I’ve personally heard WAY too much in the military. And I’m sure every person under the age of 28 who was any sort of athlete heard some similar while playing competitive sports. Its even the company Camelbaks slogan! “Hydration is Key”, but do you truly know why?
Your body is primarily 60% water. Meaning for an average male weighing in at 185lbs, 111lbs of that is water. Let that settle in your head for just a moment. More then half, and just damn near Two-Thirds, of your body is H2O. Something that makes up that much of what you are should be held at the highest importance for any breathing human.
Dangers of Dehydration:
- Water regulates body temperature. The hotter your internal temperature raises the more you will perspire. This is body self-regulating system to help return the body to the normal 98.6*F. For example, during exercise, if you are not properly hydrated, the body will fail to cool itself down. Some major damage can occur such as heat stroke or heat exhaustion. The fail-safe way for your body to cool itself down is by causing you to “drop” during the activity. If the body reaches a certain temperature, somewhere in the neighborhood of 102.5*F brain damage can ensue.
- Clearing toxins out of your body. This may be the gross section in the article but being properly hydrated will help keep your kidneys and bowels moving and lubricated. If your kidneys fail to work, kidney stones will form, and toxins will start building up in your body causing an array of health issues, most of which will kill you.
- Cardiovascular health. Being hydrated keeps your blood volume levels regulated. If you are not properly hydrated those levels will fall, making it hard to pump blood to the heart, making daily tasks hard to accomplish. You will be short of breath and your training sessions might suck because not enough oxygen is being delivered throughout the body.
These are just the some of the potential dangers of not being adequately hydrated. For the general athlete and person anywhere between 1-2 gallons of plain water a day will keep the person properly hydrated. Like our “Doc’s” used to say if you were hurting, “Change your socks, take some Motrin, drink water.”
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