It's HOT! How to Hydrate for your Fitness Pursuits...

Water is an essential ingredient to a healthy life. Water has important functions in the body, such as transportation of nutrients, lubricating joints and tissues, eliminating waste products, temperature regulation, facilitating digestion and many more.

Staying hydrated is fundamentally important to a successful summer exercise regimen. In order to have balanced hydration, it is a good idea to start with prepping for exercising in the heat. You should take 10 days to two weeks to get used to hot weather, building workout intensity and duration gradually. Also, it is wise to engage in higher-intensity activities during cooler morning or later evening hours. If you do need to workout in the heat of the afternoon try to do it on one of your easier days.

The longer and more intensely you exercise, the more important it is to drink the right kind of fluids. In the heat, it is easy to get dehydrated and not know it. If you are dehydrated, your body can't cool itself down because there is not enough fluid to produce sweat. You will find yourself tired, having cramps, a headache or not able to move as quickly as you'd like.

Unfortunately, thirst is not a good reminder to drink. By the time you feel thirsty, you are already getting dehydrated. So, it's important to drink a little even if you aren't thirsty. No need to overdo it, listen to your body, do not OVERHYDRATE, it's better to drink to thrist than guzzle 20oz of water every 15 minutes because some book said you should.