H 2 the izz-O!

I just want to start off this post/entry by saying you are awesome! If you're reading this you're awesome! If you're not, then you're still awesome! Being great, wonderful and awesome is not determined by what you do, but by who you are. Each one of us has inside of us the potential to be great in unique ways. We each possess talents and abilities unique to us which should tell us that we have the ability to succeed and be great with what we have. Anyways, I just felt like writing that!

Today class I want to talk to you about a very important molecule called H2O. I really am not a scientist (yet) and I don't know everything, but I do love water and it is very important for runners, athletes and pretty much everyone on the face of planet earth who possesses a body. You could read a lot of scholarly articles on why water is important and if that interests you please do, but here are some things I've learned according to articles I've read and an Exercise Physiology class I took:

1. Fluid replacement affects heart rate. There was a study done and they found that as people did physical activity obviously their heart rate went up, but those who did NOT drink water their heart rate went up more than those who DID drink water. The more your heart beats, the more work you're doing and more tired you will become so if you want to be able to do more work for a longer period of time then drink water!
2. Stroke volume is the amount of blood ejected with each beat of your heart. The more blood an athlete can eject per beat the better. Those who are highly trained have low heart rates and high stroke volumes. Studies show that those who hydrate are able to maintain and improve stroke volume whereas those who do NOT, their stroke volume decreases. If you want to be able to eject more blood from your heart per beat (which is a good thing) then drink water!
3. If you want to ensure that your VO2 max or maximum oxygen uptake (or in other words your ability to effectively use oxygen as you do intense exercise) is optimum then drink water.
4. Water in the body helps control heat. A heat illness is a good way to earn a vacation AWAY from exercise.
5. Water helps prevent circulatory collapse.

How can we know if we're hydrated?

1. Look at the color of your urine and make sure it's consistently a lemonade-like color. (An apple-cider-like color is a bad sign p.s.)
2. Weigh before you exercise.
3. Weigh after you exercise.
4. And for every pound of body weight lost, replace with 1.5 pints of fluid. For example I weigh about 136 lbs. I go running and I weigh myself before (136) and after (134). I lost 2 lbs so I need to replace that loss with 3 pints or 48 oz (8 oz is a cup, 16 oz is a pint and so on).

I find it helpful to carry a large water bottle around wherever I go and drink often. What have you found to be helpful in remembering to drink water? Share you ideas in the comments below. Thank you and run fearless!