In the morning when I wake up (before I put on my makeup, Aretha Franklin anyone?), I drink 32 oz of water. Pretty much before I do anything else.

And throughout the day I make sure to drink at least 3-4 more bottles of water, sometimes more. My water bottle is 32 oz.

If you’re thinking this leads to quite a few trips to the bathroom, you’d be 100% right. That much water combined with all of the coffee I drink in the morning – which is probably too much, if I’m going to be honest – makes the number of times I run to the restroom almost comical.

I first started doing this when I realized how low a tolerance for sodium I have. Whenever I go out to eat, I drink even more water. Because no matter what I’m eating, I know it has way more salt than I something I prepared for myself. Too much salt for Lissa = hot and swollen feet, or what I’ve creatively dubbed “hot feet.” No thank you.

Now that being said, I HATE drinking water when I’m working out. I hate it.

It fills up my stomach. Makes me burp (not sure why on that one). And means I’ll spend at least 30 minutes wishing my workout was over so I can run to the – you guessed it – bathroom.

Because of this feeling I pretty much never drank the water I brought to swim practice in high school. And I’m kicking myself for that now. Because keeping yourself hydrated during a workout means you’re going to be able to perform better.  Also, water can prevent cramps, regulate your body temperature, and lubricate your joints to help with injury prevention.

A lot of you probably have an electrolyte ridden beverage of choice for your training and races. But since my workouts are usually only between 45-90 minutes, as compared with your runs and bike rides hiking up towards the 3-4 hour mark, I’m not in as much need of electrolytes as you are.

But water? My body is always in need of water. And so is yours.

So the next time you’re thinking about leaving your water bottle at home or just waiting until later to have something to drink other than coffee, remember that all water wants to do is help you. Water is going to help you perform better, keep you performing for longer, and help keep your body from getting injured.

Lissa Henderson, TriSwim Coach