Summer has officially hit Bakersfield! This heat wave that we are experiencing is brutal. This is not new for Bakersfield. The difference that I feel happening this week is the humidity. This makes staying hydrated more of a challenge. Hydration is really key year around. I have talked about hydration in depth all year long in how it effects your overall ability to lose weight, gain muscle and improve performance. If you are dehydrated, you are not going to be successful on any program. It does not matter how well laid out the program is. Your body will pull back resources to protect you. The average person who starts the day with coffee, or diet soda usually do not know what it feels like to be hydrated. I have a major issue with these people. The caffeine junky really has no clue on what feeling 100% is. A lot of our programs are based on you giving 80% of your strength for a period of time. If you start your day dehydrated, you are walking in to Boot Camp at 50% at best. Now if I ask for 80% and you pull back from 50, you are at 30%! The result of you giving that kind of performance is, well, no results. Then you will blame Boot Camp for not being good for weight loss. No, it is your responsibility to show up hydrated. Give me that, and I will give you results, guaranteed. If you are ever wondering whether or not you are truly hydrated, make and appointment for a 30 minute assessment. Our body fat reader tests hydration. Another way to know is by looking at your urine. If it is clear you are probably hydrated.

The amount of water that you should drink everyday is half your body weight in ounces. This is a good number to shoot for on a daily basis. You guys that are in Boot Camp should shoot for an extra 20% on top of that especially over the next month. I would recommend that all of you try adding Coconut Water into your diet. If you just add around 6 ounces of coconut water to 30 ounces of water you will have created the best sports drink available. Gatorade and other sugary sports drinks should be avoided by anyone trying to become lean. A small amount of coconut water added to your water or protein shake will give you a ton of potassium and help you balance your electrolytes. I like the brand Zico, which can be found at most grocery stores. It has less sugar than some of the others. If you use protein shakes on a daily basis like I do, you should consider adding 6 ounces to whatever liquid that you are using in the shake. One of my favorite protein shakes breaks down like this..

6 ounce cold Zico coconut water

6 ounce of water

2 scoops of Jay Robb or Sun Warrior Protein powder

1 cup of organic spinach leaves

3/4 cups of mixed frozen berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)

2 tablespoons of flax seed meal

This is a big punch of nutrition, low in sugar and will aid hydration. If you are creative, you could put coconut water in all kinds of stuff throughout the day.  The key is to create a habit of meeting your needs everyday. You can’t take weekends off. To truly stay hydrated you have to meet your needs 7 days a week.

Tim Gojich

The Bakersfield heat is finally here. I am pretty sure it is going to be hot from now until September. Boot Campers really need to pay attention to their hydration levels, especially the evening class. To ensure proper hydration make sure to drink good, clean water first thing in the morning. One rule to live by is to drink 8 ounces of water right after brushing your teeth, wait about 15 minutes and then eat breakfast. Drink another 8 ounces within about 20 to 30 minutes after you have eaten to help digest food correctly. Now you can have your coffee. Another rule for hydration is to get enough water for your body weight. If you take your lean or ideal body weight and divide it by 2, you now have a goal for the day. Remember: if you drink caffeine add another 8 ounces for every cup of coffee or tea. Caffeine will act as a diuretic and it will force water out of your body. So, make sure to replace what was lost.

When choosing water, try to drink spring water. Fiji and Evian are great choices because they have a good amount of natural minerals that your body needs. Try to avoid water that has just been filtered, they do not deliver any minerals at all. In fact, filtered water has been shown to strip nutrients away from your gut. I know that there are those who will say water is water, but I have been educated on the subject to know better.

Gatorade is tempting when it is hot. The problem is the sugar content. Most of the Gatorade products will have almost as much sugar and calories as a soda. If you are doing an activity for over an hour and plan on going for another hour or longer, Gatorade will be effective. The average person doing the average workout will be just fine with good water.

Tim Gojich