To optimize your performance and to be
prepared for exercising, you also need a
proper hydration.
Whether you are a serious athlete
or a recreational exerciser, make
sure you drink enough water before,
during and after exercise. Water is a
regulator of the body temperature and a
lubricator of our joints. It also facilitates
transportation of nutrients to give you
energy and keep you healthy.
Low hydration means your body can’t
perform at its peak. You may experience
fatigue, muscle cramps, dizziness, or
other severe symptoms. A simple way
to check if you are properly hydrated or
not is to look at your urine.
If your urine is colourless or slightly
yellow, then you are well hydrated.
However, yellow or amber coloured
urine means that you are dehydrated.
Dehydration happens when you lose
more fluid than you consume. It can
range from mild to severe. Symptoms
of mild dehydration are nausea, muscle
cramps, dry mouth, hyperhidrosis,
(absent sweating) and a strong
heartbeat. Mental confusion, weakness
and lack of consciousness are symptoms
of severe dehydration.
I spent 15 years of my life swimming in the elite level, and this was a highlight in
my life because it provided me with the right environment and space to discover my
potential as a human being. I now realize how the human body had man-made limits
that block us from improving, growing and believing in our capability to achieve what
we want to accomplish. I acknowledge that my swimming career was exhausting; I
suffered to succeed, and I cried to win.