Warmer Weather and Dehydration. What to Know….

Warmer Weather and Dehydration. What to Know….

After several gloomy gray days, I think the beautiful sunny warm weather took a few of us by surprise and caused a little good ole dehydration. 

I myself was one of the people caught off guard and was taken down by a dehydration headache. No bueno.
Over the years, I’ve noticed that even a slight rise in temperature, especially when it’s paired with humidity, can lead to dehydration and derail your workout and your whole day if you end up with a pounding headache from lack of fluids.

What are the signs of dehydration?

  • Not having to pee much
  • Dark colored urine
  • Headache
  • Muscle cramps
  • Dizziness
  • Thirst – sometimes you won’t even be thirsty, just dehydrated
  • Feeling lethargic
  • Nausea

What’s the best strategy to avoid becoming dehydrated?  

Preemptive hydration! Hydration should really be a daily thing, but when the temperatures are set to rise you do yourself a favor by bumping up your water intake the day before and then keeping your fluids up all day and especially while exercising.

How much water should you drink while exercising?

You loose water through your breath and sweat when you exercise. The more you sweat and the harder you breathe the more fluid that’s lost. For your muscles to work properly it’s important to be adequately hydrated. The standard suggestion is to aim for 8 ounces of water pre-workout and for 8-14 ounces for every 15 minutes of exercise depending on the intensity of your workout.

And just for fun did you know that?

  • Your brain is made up of 75% water
  • Your blood contains 83% water
  • Your muscles are made up of 75% water

And that water helps to:

  • regulate your body temperature
  • remove waste
  • cushion your joints
  • carry nutrients to your cells
  • protect your organs

Hmm, suddenly water seems a lot more important. So don’t forget to drink your H20 on these warmer days and all days!