Wooh... Wooh... I know you are like... but what about hydration. How the hell can my digestion be improved by cutting out water?
The science is not in thinking about you as an organism but your stomach during the act of eating. Let me be elaborate. Hydration is ESSENTIAL for your brain, muscles, cells to work properly. Without proper hydration you will think slower, be more fatigued and your metabolism will suck. So do it... often.. Drink lots of water to keep your body running well. Just don't drink so much during meals.
Your stomach and GUT pH is dependent on the protein enzymes that are present. How well you break down and digest the nutrients that you put into your body is linked to how acidic your digestive system is. Water or other beverages can significantly lower your GUT pH.
This seems counter intuitive because; what is usually the first thing that is on the dinner table besides the cutlery? Most likely its your glass of ice water that sits neatly next to your dinner plate. In fact, wether you are grabbing a quick bite to eat or sitting in a restaurant, water is most likely offered and encouraged.
But is it more than just about pH. Drinking too much cold beverage during meals expends too much energy on heating and passing the beverage and not enough on the food that is going with it. Ice water has been shown to boost metabolism by a couple calories per glass due to your bodies need to heat the water on its path down the digestive system. In terms of lubing up the system, water can flood the digestive system with so much liquid that it turns into a slip and slide for your nutrients instead of a catch-all.
So here is a three part plan for making sure you stay hydrated and allow for optimal hydration.
1) Drink water and other healthy beverages like tea, coffee, coconut water, and Kombucha up until 15 minutes before you eat a meal.
As soon as I wake up in the morning I pound 12 ounces of water and then begin prepping my coffee, and breakfast. By the time I do these things, and check my email, time has elapsed and we are ready to go . During the day, regulation of water is much easier as you can plan out your meals and hydration better. At night, make sure that when you are preparing dinner you are drinking and then cut back right before dinner. Drink a glass of water with your Supps before you go to bed!
2) Drink warm beverages during meals if you have to.
For the sake of energy conservation it is smarter to drink hot tea, warm water or even some warm bone broth with your meal to keep the temps in the system at optimal levels. If you are like me, ice water sucks! I always end up with more ice in the glass than water and it hit my teeth and is super cold... First world problems right?
3) Take small sips.
Now I totally understand that some foods NEED liquid of some sorts to wash them down. Ive gotten into those situations with a rough cut of meat where your jaw gets tired from chewing so damn long! In this case, obviously you need some water or tea to wash that sucker down. By all means this suggestion is not set in stone. Drink when necessary. Taking smaller sips will keep your GUT optimal as well as give you some relief from those unique situations.
Think outside the box and use this information to help guide you through each meal. Taking in as many great nutrients as possible is key for becoming the optimal athlete that you want to be. Wether it is not drinking ice water, switching to tea or just leaving the liquid out... stay present during your eating ritual. Outside of meals, go for it.
Baseline:
Banded Hip Distraction
Banded Calf Stretch
Banded Hamstring Pulls (supine)
Skip 100m
Jog 100m backwards
Buttkickers 100m
100m Carioca (switch directions at 50m)
Fig 4 run 100m (switch L or R leg at 50m)
100m run W/ Falling Start
Squat Flow
Strength Development:
Back Squat
5X5 @ 80%
Front Squat
2-2-2-2 @ 80%
Conditioning:
Run 5 K.
*set markers for yourself, use pacing to set your stride but utilize small bouts of sprints to break up the pace and get your joints moving at full range of motion...
