10 Things You Didn't Know Proper Hydration Could Do For You

10 Things You Didn’t Know Proper Hydration Could Do For You

•Hydration
•Spartan Training
•Spartan Race

We all know that it is important to drink plenty of water, but do you know why? I’ll be honest; I didn’t know until recently, but I was amazed at how much it made sense.

By SGX Coach Kris Perry-Tedesco
We all know that it is important to drink plenty of water, but do you know why? I’ll be honest: I didn’t know until recently, when I started doing some research to answer some of the questions that came up in my SGX classes. (I’m the coach.) Believe me when I say that I was amazed at the reasons why hydration helps us. Here’s what I found.

-1- Water promotes brain function.
Your brain consists of about 85% water. It makes sense, then, that if the body becomes dehydrated, the brain is going to suffer. Dehydration affects memory, concentration and coordination. The lack of water actually causes the neurons to shrink, which disrupts hormones and neurotransmitters as well as the brain’s ability to communicate with other organs. If a Spartan is always learning, the brain must be sharp and ready to focus.

-2- Water is essential for circulation.
The human body consists of between 65% and 75% water, depending on your body composition. Water is crucial for the body’s ability to maintain proper blood flow, which transports oxygen to all of its cells. In addition to transporting oxygen, blood takes carbon dioxide from the cells back to the lungs, from which it leaves when we exhale. This means that if you’re not hydrated, your blood is not going to work as well. This is obviously not good, especially during long endurance events.

-3- Water keeps your skin healthy.
Every month, your outer layer of skin regenerates itself. This means you can see the positive effects of drinking enough water after about a month. (Some people report “glowing.”)  But that’s not the most important part. Your skin is your body’s largest organ and requires water to regenerate new cells. If your skin doesn’t regenerate, cuts and wounds won’t heal. In addition, the skin can become dry and less elastic if it is dehydrated. This year, everyone is talking about commitment…How about we #commit to healthier skin by carrying a water bottle with you every day?

-4- Water keeps your muscles healthy.
I bet you’re starting to see a pattern. Turns out the muscles are like the brain, the blood, and the skin; they work better when the body is properly hydrated. Hydration keeps the joints and cartilage lubricated, providing better support for your muscles. Dehydration often results in muscle cramps and a decrease in performance. 

-5- Water helps us to digest food.
Drinking water before and during a meal can help to dissolve chewed food and help it pass through the digestive tract. Water also helps to flush toxins from the body and to relieve constipation. Not even the healthiest FOD can overcome the effects of poor hydration. Drink up!

-6- Water will energize you.
Remember what I said in #2? Because hydration helps your blood to transport more oxygen and nutrients to your cells and organs, your organs will not have to work as hard to—well, to keep you alive.
I can explain this with a question: have you ever tried to go for a run on a full stomach? My guess is that you have, and that you didn’t like it. This is because, after you eat, all of the blood rushes to your stomach to help it to break down food. Less blood is available to fuel your legs. Therefore, your legs feel more tired. Being well hydrated means that your blood will work better, which means that you will digest food better, which means that you will have more energy. 

-7- Water helps to regulate body temperature.
Do you know why your face gets red after you exercise? Because your body generates heat when it moves. To keep from overheating, your body sends warm blood into the skin. At the same time, your body produces sweat, which cools your body as it evaporates. This, in turn, cools the blood, which cools you. However, this can’t happen if your blood isn’t working efficiently, or if your body can’t produce sweat. Both of those processes take lots of water.

-8- Water keeps you in shape.
I don’t mean that it takes the place of exercise and good food. I mean that water is an excellent training tool. Whether you’re swimming laps in a pool or lifting your body out of the water by hoisting yourself onto the dock or the side of the pool, water is a great place to practice your obstacle skills.

-9- Water decreases stress.
Becoming only mildly dehydrated can cause a spike in cortisol production. Cortisol is our chief stress hormone and can cause an increase of sugars in the bloodstream. This means that hydrating can help to keep cortisol levels down and keep your blood sugar at a healthy level.

-10- Water therapy can help you to heal faster.
Water therapy, ice baths for example, can rejuvenate the muscles. Hot springs or hot tubs, on the other hand, can be soothing and relaxing. Dunk tanks or sensory deprivation tanks can be amazing for meditation and self-exploration. But these are just the beginning. Take a walk along the beach and feel the waves wash over your feet….

What should you do?
I think that the answer is clear. The best thing you can do for your body and mind is to hydrate every day. Your future Spartan self will thank your current Spartan self for choosing to #commit to hydration and living the Spartan lifestyle.

Cheers! Aroo!

Join Kris’s Spartan SGX training programs or find a Spartan SGX coach near you.

Methodical Movement for Fitness and Health

As I am pondering this quote from Plato -

"Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it."

I love this quote. I live this quote. I teach this quote.

I identify with this because it means so many things and yet is such a simple way of approaching life, habits and fitness. For me it instantly takes my mind to exercise. Physical fitness is a baseline for all humans to strive to achieve. It also enables a person to do many things such as move around, take care of yourself and take care of others that you care about. Additionally, physical fitness provides a person with capability to participate in activities. Activities such as hiking, running, jumping, playing ball are just some of the basics. Then, there's a love of fitness that provides a person with a higher platform to perform more advanced activities. Then, this spark, this ability to understand what a body is capable of,  this love of fitness, then translates out into life. It supports activities like organized group sports, individual sports and activities that challenge the body and the mind.

Once you find yourself at that place, where you are training for the love of fitness, only then.... you begin to embrace the quote. Apply this methodology to your life. You need to move your body to respect your body. You need to fuel your body to demand activity from your body and improve yourself. You need to respect your body as  your vehicle to navigate this life. You can demand so much more of your physical being than your mind convinces you of. This is a lesson and a test. You take from it what you put in and you get back what you deserve. If you continue to move you will stay in motion, if you stop moving the momentum will be lost. You can begin again but it is more difficult each time. So it's better to slow down, take a breath and keep moving.

Your body is meant to move. It doesn't have to be fast it just needs to go. It doesn't always need strength but you will find strength. It doesn't need to always be sweaty but then you may break a sweat. It can be fun and it almost always is. It can improve your life in so many ways. It's return on investment is inmeasurable.

Try it... I challenge you! 

Beyond the Rower (Concept2)

"Athlete Development Camp"

Creating Positive Forward Motion

I found this to be such an amazing class with tons of valuable info that is easy to understand and experiment with. First because of CPJ's drive to help people become better at whatever their personal goals are. For me I want to be better at breathing while performing specific movements such as wall balls. I tend to hold my breath when doing wall balls which prevents me from doing very many unbroken. I have tried variations of them playing with the depth of squat to catching the ball more on one side than the other. All of these variations feel as if I am jeopardizing the integrity of the movement so I always end up back at square one. After participating in ADC I have learned how to utilize my breath in conjunction with my body and this really helps. I knew how to apply breathing during Olympic Lifts but for me the feeling doesn't cross over. In addition to ADC, I have kept a regimented meditation program which is focused on breathing techniques. Maybe these two combinations are, for me, the missing link.  

Below is the work that I consistently did each week to improve my aerobic base. 6 sets of 750 meters. Each week the rest time between sets is decreased. The goal is to row at a 500 m pace within a set range of strokes per minutep. This exercise has proven to  be useful and I think that rowing each week for a longer distance (even if there's set rest built in) is a valuable tool that translates beyond the rower. 

The Green Mind Project Offers

The Green Mind Project Do you want to feel vibrant healthy and better than ever? Are you looking for sustainable lifestyle changes? Do you want to loose weight and/or gain muscle? Are you thinking about starting a new fitness regime and don’t know where to start? Do you feel like you don’t know how to fit healthy changes into your hectic day? Are you struggling with meal planning or prep? The Green Mind Project will help you with a variety of sustainable lifestyle modifications to gain vitality, stamina, health and fitness • Organic shopping on a budget • Quick healthy meal plans for busy families • How to make the most of your time cooking • 21 day sugar detox program • Techniques to become more active • Couch to 5k or Spartan sprint • Spartan sgx training classes • Bridal boot camp programs • Crossfit coaching • Mobility with methodical movements • Breath therapy and more TheGreenMindProject.com TheGreenMindProject@Gmail.com -holistic Health Coach–

Dear Rich and Julie, An Expression Of My Gratitude...

Dear Rich (Roll) and Julie (Piatt),

It always means a lot when some one takes a moment to send a thank you card. Especially when it is for something that you did or gave to them,  just because, without any motive and without looking for something in return.  You acted because you wanted to be nice, helpful or because it made you feel good and brought you joy and happiness. Now it's my turn. I am sending you a thank you letter. I can't begin to express to you my gratitude for how you have both helped me. This is not the first time that I have reached out to you. You read my email/question on your podcast and discussed some realities around my issue at that time. You suggested making decisions and taking actions towards my goal.  You had a conversation about how it was possible to make changes and take step towards the goal without making it a complete all or nothing situation. After I listened to the discussion, I realized that I had been doing exactly that! My eyes and heart were suddenly wide open. Here goes... because then I jumped! I did it ! I took the leap of faith, with quite a bit of pre-work (to enable my family and I) to continue to survive. That was about 6 months ago and here's where I stand.  I am studying holistic nutrition at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition,  and just launched my business called TheGreenMindProject.com  which is for holistic health and lifestyle coaching. Additionally, I am coaching CrossFit at two locations and working at a near by vacation resort where my job is to take guests on hike/kayak tours!! Seriously? If you told me a year ago that this would be my life I never EVER would believe it. I have eliminated most sources of stress in my life. I started a (sort-of) regular meditation practice,  and I just want to help people find ways to fulfill their passions. I don't mean in fairy tale glorified way, to be honest, I did give up a great paying job and had to make sacrifices to do so. I just mean there are ways for anyone and everyone to become un-stuck.  Furthermore, in the event that I feel any doubt creeping in, or start to worry about the future, I just listen to your podcast and keep the faith. In such a short time so many opportunities and doors have opened that I choose to see the serendipity.  From the bottom of my heart I thank you for all that you do. I truly love this life!
With Gratitude,
Kris

Spartan Super 2015 Mt Creek, Vernon, NJ

My Spartan Team Pre-Race Photo taken at the Spartan Super 8 Mile Race at Mt. Creek, Vernon, NJ on September 13, 2015.

I want to take a moment to reflect on this day and the race, what I got out of this experience and where I'd like to go with this gained knowledge...

It started as a "fun idea" over a discussion on new year's eve, with a friend, Rob from the running club.  The idea then grew and I found myself forming a  team comprised of about a dozen friends. Friends from a combination of my two favorite worlds... The Salt Shaker Running Club and Red Shed CrossFit. It is within these two groups that I have met some of the most amazing,  generous,  people and have formed some of the best friendships that I will cherish to my last breath on this earth.  I digress.

As the date approached and the team grew larger I  a lofty goal of creating the largest team. We all reached out to friends who could possibly be interested in this feat of physical fitness.

We had a few training sessions where I pushed them, some to their limits and others just to the point of breaking a sweat. All this time I was training myself, both physically and mentally for this challenge, not only for myself but to be their leader. To be the voice that could persuade someone to push forward in moments that are challenging or filled with self-doubt. During our second training session I broke the group into smaller teams for a team building exercise in addition to a strength workout and a trail run. Everyone finished with smiles and hi-fives. Everyone was hooked on the team aspect of this challenge no matter their level of capability. It was after-all quite a mixed group of runners, crossfitters, and about half a dozen who regularly practice both.

In addition to our organized group training we were no strangers on social media. There it became easy to make new friends with a commonality. Some went outside of their comfort zone and attended classes at each others gyms and planned training runs together. Rob even went as far as researching a "Spartan Training Class" which settled some of nerves. We had a meet and greet or as I prefer to call it a "beer and cheer" because still so many in this group did not know each other... yet.

We ordered team shirts to make our efforts in staying together on the course. Team shirts would enable us to spot each other in the sea of humans, making their way through muddy water,  climbing over walls and other tests of agility and strength. In addition to making us feel legit and represent that we are each part of this team.

The few days leading up to the event were so exciting, many friends engaging on the chat thread about everything from where to park, where to meet, what to bring, post race festivities and more! I suggested that we play it by ear, go with the flow, see what happens. There are so many times in life that we plan every moment, I was looking forward to some spontaneous fun with friends.

The day of the race. It was not far from home so we were all able to sleep at our homes and meet in the morning. I woke up early, naturally excited for what we had been looking forward to for weeks, months even. I prepared a healthy breakfast and packed spare clothes, filled with anticipation and excitement. Yet another day of a social media frenzy all connecting, bib numbers, pre-race shenanigans.
We met at the base of South Mountain  (a place we frequent for snowboarding) dressed in our team gear excited and nervous with about an hour to start the race. We hung around observing those who were in the earlier heats who had completed their race all filthy and wet with beer in hand and smiles of accomplishment on their faces. It was almost time. We were as ready as we would ever be. Corralled into the start area, DJ playing, hearts pumping and hi-fives chanting "Aroo" and we are off. Initially it was discussed that we try to stick together but it quickly became obvious that it would not be possible. Eventually we ended up into about three groups which worked well for all levels of fitness.  We were a team and representing the friendship that grew out of this endeavor.

Overall the race was more challenging for some than others but that's what created such a bond. I don't want to get into the details of the race itself because for me it was not really about that aspect of it. I will  share with you some takeaways from the process. Cliche as some may sound I don't really care, so here goes.... challenge yourself, raise your own bar, connect with others, don't be afraid, get out of your own way, stop finding excuses,  make shit happen, stay dedicated, appreciate the beauty, make goals, ask questions, drink water, find a community that you believe in and if you can't find one... go build one!