Hydration Station

I wanted to talk a little about being hydrated. You see a friend of mine is a fire fighter and we work out together sometimes, but when we work out in the heat of the day she tends to get light headed easily and want to throw up. She works out regularly but the difference is that she normally only lifts indoors with her other coworkers, and when she comes to work out with me we do a lot of running and endurance training. Which is not something that she is used to any longer. 
She drinks plenty of water during the workout, but that is the problem. She doesn't drink enough before and after the workout. In my principals of strength and conditioning class we touched briefly on hydration and how it works. The thing is that your body needs plenty of water long before you work out; not just during the workout. If you start to feel dehydrated and drink some water here and there as you workout the feeling normally doesn't fully go away. This is because your body uses the water that has already been in your system before you start working to keep you cool and hydrated. If you drink water during the work out your body doesn't have enough time to absorb and use that water to stay hydrated. 
I am not saying that you should stop drinking water during a workout, just that you should drink plenty of it throughout the day and especially a few hours before you go get your grind on. 
I think people underestimate how important water really is to the body. It can help you in so many ways. It even helps fight off wrinkles! 
Here are some signs of dehydration:
-light headed/dizzy
-blurred/tunneled vision
-excessive sweating 
-nausea 
The best thing to do if you ever feel dehydrated is to stay upright or lean against something, slowly drink water, and put some on your wrists, ears, and behind the neck. Never sit, lay, or bend over. When you bend over you restrict your diaphragm  and close off your airways. Doing this will cause you to throw up or pass out. Which is never fun. 

Your body is your sanctuary.

-Sonya