Hello friends! As wonderful as this heat wave is — and we’re all a little happier with the sun warming our backs — it’s been a not-so-quick adjustment for me in my workout world. Clearly, not hydrating enough makes recovery and performance harder than usual.
I’ve heard time and time again, “if you’re thirsty, it’s already too late.” Staying on top of your water consumption is tricky, but so necessary even when it’s not crazy hot out — and essential when it is. It seems silly to have to remind ourselves, yet constant reminders are necessary throughout a busy day.
A friend and I ran/hiked a 25-kilometre trail in Vernon with the Dirty Feet Trails Series two weeks ago in the heat, then a 16-kilometre road with the Interior Running Association on Mother’s Day in Penticton. Neither made for stellar results, which I can attribute to a lack of proper hydration and feeling weighed down with life’s stresses.
I know better, but didn’t do better. So, when I started to see the tunnel and got fuzzy around the edges, I knew I had to back off for my health’s sake. I’m proud of myself for listening, and finishing the runs, but somehow they still feel like a defeat.
But, keeping it in perspective, real life is way harder than any run on any given day.
I know many people who have struggled this past couple of weeks, not just with training and missed goals, but life stuff, the heart-crushing stuff. A friend who lost his grandmother during that horrific assault in Toronto, friends who have lost their moms to cancer, friends who are watching from the sidelines while their loved ones fight for their lives, some of them children.
My heart just aches for us all. And still, we keep moving, breathing, exhaling, crying, laughing, cursing and hydrating our souls with what matters most: love. That sometimes unattainable self love.
Those of us who were fortunate enough to be loved by amazing moms know it’s the kind of love that grounds us. Sometimes it’s not about the performance, but the heartbeat beneath it all. It screams in defeat and soars in completion, no matter where you are, what level you’re at, we all feel it at some point.
Keep hydrating your body with healthy fluids, saturate your mind with kind and loving thoughts and immerse your soul in purposeful stillness! Love is the refreshing, pure pond we should all drink from. I offer a full cup to you all! It’s your life friends, it’s waiting. Live it now!
At 50 years old, Dina McLeod has found full body wellness/awareness the key to embracing life. Born on Vancouver Island, her love of the fresh outdoors and genuine desire to stay grounded only grew when she relocated to Kamloops in 1998. She is proof that living a healthy, balanced life can be achieved at any age or fitness level. Her motto: Life is waiting, live it now!
