My training diet requires that I drink a ton of water–basically as much as I possibly can. Water is important for so many things–muscle recovery and development, weight loss, joint health, etc., but drinking enough is always a challenge for me. I’m not a fan of its non-taste, and as some of you may recall, most of my liquid consumption used to consist of Diet Pepsi.
A funny thing about water, though. If it’s in front of me, I’ll drink it. So as long as I keep my water bottle full at work, I’ll drink close to or more than my required amount. But guess what happens when you’re drinking liters of water everyday?
Yep, you spend a lot of time running for the bathroom.
Training for a fight when you have a day job isn’t easy. Yesterday was a marathon meeting day for me at work–I had a three hour meeting in the morning (which actually went into overtime) and a two hour one in the afternoon. Yikes! In spite of the ten minute “health break” during the morning meeting, I still needed to excuse myself twice. Embarrassing, and very inconvenient. Damn that water! According to those in the know, this reaction should lessen once my body grows accustomed to all the extra fluid. I certainly hope so, because right now it’s a pain in the…well, you get the idea.
To my horror, I suddenly came down with a nasty cough and sore throat as well. The last thing I need right now is a cold! But after getting a lot of rest, bending my training diet to include chicken soup, and overdosing on Cold-FX, I feel 100% better. That’s a relief, because today is sparring day, and if you ever want to feel your best, it’s when your personal safety is on the line.
Do you drink a lot of water, Dear Readers? If so, do you do anything to make it more interesting? I had a personal trainer recommend a “water mojito” to me–she basically just adds lime slices and mint to her water. This sounded like a great idea, because I love lime, but all the additions soon turned into a slimy mess in the bottom of the pitcher. I was afraid to go near it, lest it walk out of the fridge on its own.
Water is one of those things that’s been debated quite a bit in the media. I’ve seen articles warning us against drinking too much water, but I don’t think that’s ever going to be an issue for me. Since we rarely get water breaks while we’re training, the water I drink beforehand helps keep me from getting dehydrated during the long hours at the gym.
Have an awesome weekend!
I think drinking lots of water is a good thing. When we don’t get many water breaks in class it really helps if I’ve hydrated properly earlier. I also know all too well about the problems. I too have to constantly “take breaks”. Sadly my body has never become accustomed. The only solution is too drink less. However I feel the benefits during a workout out weight the downfalls.
P.S: I am loving you fight camp posts. Not being involved, these posts allow me insight which I find extremely interesting. Thank you. 🙂
Hi Chris,
Thank you for commenting! The last comment I got on this post was fairly nasty, so I’m glad it’s helpful for someone. 🙂
I’m sorry to hear your body has never adjusted. That must be very annoying! I’m still hoping mine does, but I find it very difficult to get enough water on the weekend. Much easier when one is trapped at a desk all day!
Thanks for your kind words and support.
The whole water thing is no more than a myth, dreamt up by “nutritionists” who are trying to sell you something. Taken to excess it can even kill you.
If you are thirsty you’ll drink, There is no need to give it a moment’s thought.
I guess that nutritional myths (like this one) are specially common among athletes, because they are always looking for something that will give them a slight edge. The difference between winning and losing is so small that it’s impossible to know what works and what doesn’t. But the bit that usually gets forgotten is that the diet fads are just as likely to reduce your performance as improve them. There are no short cuts -you just have to train hard.
Hi David,
Once again I was following the orders of my kru. The extra water was designed to keep me hydrated through four hours of daily workouts. You sweat a lot over four hours!
I have heard that too much water can be dangerous, but trust me that I never got close to that point. If anything, I never drink enough water. It’s something that I continually struggle with.
Thanks for your comment and concern! I did respond to your Linked In message as well. 🙂