Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Hot Ears! Hydration.

For years, I would never sweat when I worked out. I always assumed it was because I was thin and cooled down quickly.  Even so, my ears would get really, really hot - they almost felt like they would burn up and fall off.  Several of my friends said I needed to drink more water and I dismissed it because I did drink some water and ate fruit and vegetables and usually had a bunch of milk every day.

But I decided to read up on dehydration and did a google search;  the sheer number of hits was astounding especially on the topic of 'chronic dehydration'.  Several sites suggested that a large percentage of the population were chronically dehydrated.  They also suggested that to reset the body's hydration meter would take a few weeks.  I decided to give it a try.

At first it was hard to force myself to drink water often.   I often added some lemon to make it more interesting.  But as I kept at it, I did notice several changes.

  • I started sweating.  During my harder workouts (especially Crossfit) I would start to more than glisten - I would actually sweat!
  • I started feeling thirsty.  I think I reset my thirst reaction and wanted to drink more water
  • I think my moods evened out.  This of course is subjective but it really does seem to correlate;  I find myself much more even tempered (unless I get too hungry of course).
  • I think my skin is a little smoother although I am not as sure about that one
So, drink your water.  Force yourself to drink several glasses a day.  What could be an easier cure for so many ills?