Check out my latest article published in Jiu Jitsu World Mag. Here i discuss why so many of us BJJ athletes are susceptible to chronic dehydration and signs to look out for. Chronic dehydration affects everything, from your digestion, to recovery and performance. Also your pain management, all to do with inflammation. Did you know that as little as 1-2% of your body weight in water loss has serious negative implications on your performances and well being?
Read this article to check if you are dehydrated, how it happens and ways to fix it.
Carry a water bottle with you everywhere you go to ensure you are rehydrating after a hard training session.
As athletes we need more water than the average person. During a hard training session we may lose up to half a gallon or 3 liters of water. To replace that much fluid actually takes a conscious effort and this can be tough if we have hectic schedules where we are on the run all the time and it is easy to forget. Remember that by the time we feel thirst, we are already dehydrated and our body is not performing as optimally as is could be.
Many of you ask me about ways to prevent soreness of the joints in the fingers. Joint pain in the knees and hips is very common in athletes also. If you are experiencing sore joints it could be due to dehydration. The cartilage in your body is composed mainly of water. Cartilage surfaces glide over one another and can become worn over time. Water is needed to transport the nutrients required for maintenance and repair, whereby new cartilage is produced to replace the damaged cartilage cells. Dehydration may increase the abrasive damage and slow down the repair, resulting in joint pain. So something as simple as having a few extra glasses a day could greatly diminish your joint pain and increase your mobility.
Drinking more water could be the very simple solution to sore joints and other aches and pains.
