Week 32: Hydration

Very stiff, sore knees and aching muscles at the back of my leg again.  I am a bit perplexed as I warm up and stretch after my exercise sessions, but I'm experiencing pain the next day.  So I hit the Internet and asked Google if poor hydration could be a cause.  My research revealed that this is indeed the case. Apart from the washing out of built up toxins, which I already knew about, it seems water helps to lubricate joints.  The experts seem to disagree on the quantity necessary but 2 litres per day seems about right, more if doing strenuous exercise.  So this week I have been drinking two glasses of water with my morning coffee and fruit juice.  Drinking coffee is bad for hydration but can help with muscle pain, so if you are drinking coffee you need more water.  Then I try to drink a litre of water during the morning, a bottle on my desk helps, sipping through the day.  At lunch two glasses of water, and then a pot of herbal tea in the afternoon.  My favourite at the moment is Maté, used by the Incas in the Andes.  Finally I drink two or more glasses of water during dinner.  This is a normal day.  When I exercise I take regular sips of water in addition.  It seems to be working the aches and pains are better, although I do seem to be going to the toilet more often.  Apparently an indicator of good hydration is clear urine.  There is only one danger and that is over hydration.  It is possible to drink too much but at 2-3 litres a day I don't think I am there yet.

A bit of a lazy, rest week with only one gym session and as the weather wasn't great a session on the running machine.  I still don't love it but I managed an hour this time, varying speed and incline.  At the end of the week I went for another long walk in the mountains.