05/21/2026
Ok, so rumor has it that it's finally going to warm up in the Midwest, like the rest of the country... yay, sorry not sorry!!
This is so very important:
Swimming, Aqua Fitness and Hydration:
(Great Information for land based athletes, too!)
No matter where you live!! With summer currently rearing it's ugly head!!
It is possible to over-train in the water, just like on land. The primary pressure in the aquatic environment is on the cardio-pulmonary system, so be especially watchful for signs of breakdown in this system. Give yourself a chance to recover between training sessions. If you are using the water for an easy day of recovery from your land training, keep it easy.
We sweat the same as we sweat while we engage in land-related sports and activities. However, because we are in water, we don't notice we are sweating while we are working out. To that point, runners/endurance athletes tend not to hydrate enough when they are exercising in the pool. I encourage you throughout your workout to hydrate! Dehydration can contribute significantly to fatigue and can be detrimental to performance – not only physically, but also mental skills such as focus, technique skills, judgment and decision making can be adversely affected.
Here are some basic tips on hydration for the endurance athlete, land or water:
• In general to determine how much water you should be consuming on a daily basis, divide your body weight by half. That is amount of water in ounces you should be consuming daily without exercise.
• Two hours before exercise athletes/swimmers should consume 16 fluid ounces (or half a liter) of water or a sports drink to help hydrate them ahead of time.
• Swimmers should always bring a plastic or metal water bottle with them to training sessions.
• Long-term, moderate to intense activity of 30 minutes or more requires periodic re-hydration, such as the 8 fluid ounces (quarter of a liter) every 20 minutes.
• Another measure of adequate fluid intake is body weight. Athletes are recommended to weigh themselves daily prior to training so they can become aware of decreases in body weight due to dehydration. Athletes who are down 1-2% in body weight can be assumed to be dehydrated. Performance can suffer when a swimmer loses as little as two (2) percent of body weight as sweat. Average sweat losses have been estimated at 365ml/hr and 415 ml/hr for female and male swimmers respectively, with sweat losses greater during the anaerobic threshold sessions than aerobic sessions.
• A post swim/water workout hydration is an important key to recovery.
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