Bottoms Up

Appetizer
By the time you feel thirsty, you're usually already dehydrated, so drink more water before, during, and after exercising.

Main Course
Dehydration is cumulative and has long-lasting effects, so if you don't re-hydrate in between workouts, your performance will suffer during your next workout. In addition, the more dehydrated you become, the more you'll feel like you have to work harder to perform at your normal level.

Dessert
Carrying a water bottle around has become second nature to me, but it hasn't always been that way. It was definitely a learned behavior because for a long time, drinking water felt like punishment and I always craved something else. I broke the pop (soda for those of you who just said, "What?") and juice addictions by slowly replacing 1 or 2 glasses of the sweet stuff with water. Over time, I got to a 50:50 ratio where half of everything I drank was water. Now, it's very rare that you would see me drinking anything other than water, and it doesn't feel like punishment at all. In fact, I crave water. If you're a pop/juice addict like I once was, don't try to go cold turkey because you'll fall off the wagon (and get run over by it). Just take it one step at a time to ensure your success.