Water is also extremely important for us humans, and even more so for those who are hoping to lose weight or perform well athletically.

Here are some water facts:

• Water makes up about 60% of the adult human body by weight.
• The average person should drink about 96 ounces of water per day, plus
  • Those wanting to lose weight should consume an additional 8 oz glass for every 25 lbs above ideal weight; and
  • (Of course) additional water is needed with exercise or in a hot environment
• For exercising < 60 minutes, water is the best fluid replacement drink (although a sport drink can be beneficial for exercise > 60 min).
• Fluid loss of only 2% has an adverse effect on circulatory functions and will decrease an athlete’s performance level.
• Water has an effect on many bodily functions, such as endocrine gland function, metabolic function, body temperature regulation, and maintenance of proper blood volume.
• Drinking the right amount of water helps the body use more fat for energy, and it can also decrease appetite.
• Drinking water (ironically) helps reduce water retention in the body.

Make sure you are drinking the proper amount of water every day so that your body can function at its best. 

I think I’ll go get a glass of water now.  Cheers!

Yes, an athlete-friend is sidelined, just as the spring sun was starting to appear and training was about to begin in earnest. 

Frustration. Disappointment. Anger. Depression.  And let’s not forget Fear – specifically fear of gaining weight and losing fitness!  Any athlete who has experienced an injury knows how easy it is to have all of these feelings when the training plan goes down the toilet. 

The reality is you are injured — and that cannot be changed. Of course it is important to do the icing and the rehab exercises on the schedule recommended by your doctor or physical therapist.  But the real key is to change the way you think about the injury! An injury can be an opportunity.  For example, I decided to learn how to swim when I could not run for more than a month.  I might not be a triathlete at all, if it weren’t for that opportunity. 

Don’t get me wrong, injuries are a pain both literally and figuratively. But, in most cases, there is still training that can be done.  For example, my friend with the ankle injury can still do core and upper body strength training exercises.    This is the positive way to look at this injury.  We can delay swim/bike/run training for a month, and by then, she will have developed a killer core.  And we all know that a killer core is critical to peak triathlon performance, eh?

Let’s get training now, shall we?