Is your bladder gladder?

Not the best title the world, or even the greatest link. But the point is that we should be proactive about keeping ourselves hydrated. There’s different opinions about how much water we should drink or whether we’re sufficiently hydrated.

One of the best indicators of hydration that I’ve seen, was before a Krav Maga lesson at the 3-1-5 Club in Lancaster. Above the men’s urinal, is a fantastic pee chart with different colours, indicating your level of hydration which you can inspect whilst “making your bladder gladder”. The big deal about being hydrated is that it affects more than just your athletic ability.

If you want to make it easier to think more clearly under pressure and here’s the cracker, “be more tolerant to pain”! Have a drink of water.

A study by Chris Pawson from the University of East London, showed that people drinking water before a test, were receiving 10% higher grades than their comrades who had coffee, tea or cola beforehand. One hypothesis is that the neural spikes are more efficient between brain cells when we are hydrated. Although, my personal view is that the people testing were probably less anxious as they had less stimulants from taking H20.

In 2016, there was a study from a New Zealand University into a person’s pain perception and the effect of hydration. Amazingly, the results concluded that a person’s pain threshold could be increased through better hydration. Your training partner may not oblige you with a brief water break before proceeding to kick your groin, but it’s good to know.

In short, being hydrated can make you think a little clearer and withstand a little bit more pain. Remember to eat food sources high in water such as soup or spinach and keep quaffing from your favourite source of H20.

Next time you’re training Krav Maga in Lancaster and want to “take a pit stop” or “train Thomas on the terracotta”. Why not check out the hydration chart and see how you fare.