Welp...in two days my wheels are pointed South for the 2015 fire season and I've got distance runs, pack test, push-ups, lunges, protein, clean-eating, sun-protection, living in athletic clothes, AMRAP workouts, cutting out fatty foods (within reason), and most importantly...

HYDRATION on the brain.

We have a saying on my fire crew.

Hydrate or Die!

Did you know that over 75% of Americans are continually dehydrated? That means if only four of you are reading this...3 of you are probably dehydrated.

You may not feel it because you are used to dehydration. Lack of adequate water has become the norm and I'm just going to put a plug in here for the health of all of you and America.

Drink the right amount of water.

Don't skip. You may be shocked to find out how different your body functions,

the speed your brain functions,

how you breath.

How glorious your skin looks and feels,

or your hair looks and feels,

or your eyes look and feel!

Seriously.

Basic science lesson here: Your body is between 50% to 65% water. Water is used to flush toxins out of your body, is used to dissolve minerals and make them accessible to the rest of the body, it carries oxygen to your cells, lubricates joints, protects organs...without it you die.

Hydration Rule

Take your weight and divide by 2
That's the amount of oz. you should drink/day

As a firefighter, hydration is very much life and death...as in we haul guys off the hill every year from severe dehydration which can lead to life threatening things like rhabdomyolysis (Rhabdo) and heat stroke. In the summer I'm very conscious of my water intake and haven't had any problems.

The winter is a different story...until this winter. This time I made a full on brain engaged Abigail-will-stay-hydrated effort. Guess what? I've never, ever felt or looked better. For serious. My hair is shiny. My adult acne is virtually gone. My eyes don't feel scratchy. My joints don't hurt from running. I don't have bloating and embarrassing digestion issues. I totally give the victory to H2O.

FYI: Drinking large amounts of water without replenishing electrolytes will flush nutrients out of your body (mainly sodium, calcium, and potassium) and you will end up weak and disoriented. The brain and muscles will not function properly. So eat a cheese stick, eat a yogurt, drink an Emergen-C or other powdered good-for-you-drink, gatorade, banana, peanut butter, chocolate milk...google it...there are tons of easy options. Here's one website. There are gobs more.

Ok. Speech over. Now on to my favorite kind of water bottles.

The Hydro Flask. Yes I am one of those people. Let me assure you I'm not jumping on a brand name band wagon. These suckers really work. Click here for the technical overview.

I have one that was a "thank you" gift from the Prescott National Forest at the end of last season. They gave each of us one of the 44 oz. flasks with the PNF emblem etched on the side. I started using it right away as I drove across Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and the dry part of Oregon for 3 days. The ice from Prescott lasted the whole way. From there I've been a believer.

Just today I received my newest part of my outdoor gear collection. A 21 oz. narrow mouth in white.

These aren't just for you outdoorsy and active folk (though if you are outdoorsy...this is a game changer). Anyone who likes to have hot tea hours (or days) after you leave the house or an iced coffee drink that lasts more than 20 minutes (try 20 hours) then this is for you too. There are many sizes and lid options to suit your needs.

{Psssst...Amazon has sales on these a lot...so keep your eyes peeled}

I still love my Brita filtered water bottle for every-day hydration. But I am thoroughly ecstatic to have my Hydro Flask collection for my post-workout tea (or chocolate milk) down in Arizona and continual ice water for those moments when lukewarm isn't going to cut it.

#freedomfromlukewarm