Power of H2O

Power of H2O by Russ Marchewka

I wanted to talk a little bit about water and how it can affect your performance before, during and after competition.  We all know that hydration is really important so I don’t need to give you anything other than a few specific tips to give you an edge.

First of all, your body temperature is around 98.7 degrees.  We sweat for various reasons, but mainly when our core temperature heats up and we need to cool down.  Sweating therefore, is actually a defense mechanism.  There’s not a whole lot you can do to stop it once it starts and as you know if your body gets too hot it can begin to shut down.  Obviously exhaustion can come from prolonged activity, but your core temperature rising and staying elevated for a long time is extremely energy intensive on your body.

When it comes to competition or working out, a good tip for keeping your core body temperature lower for a longer amount of time is to drink a good 1/2 liter-1 liter of cold water about 15 minutes before the competition or workout.  This will effectively lower your body temperature enough to give you another 5-20 minutes of peak performance before shutdown!

However, the last part of the tip is that once you’ve started your workout or competition stop drinking cold water and switch to room temperature water.  I know it seems counter-intuitive, but you want your body to absorb as much water as quickly as possible to avoid dehydration.  Therefore, you want the water temperature to be as close your body temperature as possible for the fastest and most optimal absorption.  This is a simple lesson in osmosis.

WATCH:Russ says hello to Volleywood!

Hey everyone. My name is Russ Marchewka. I live here in sunny Orange County, California. I played indoor volleyball at UC Irvine and now I play pro beach volleyball. I write for The Body Blog at www.worldhealthhub.com about health, nutrition and going green.

For the last year I have been helping some volleyball players achieve better fitness levels, performance levels and recovery efficiency through specific nutritional techniques.

Click here to check out Russ’ site!

Click here to check out Russ’ site!

Click here to check out Russ’ site!

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