Hydrating Your Body and Soul
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
Since our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, we are to honor God with our bodies. We are not to treat our bodies like God gave them to us for our own use. We are to take care of them honoring God in the process.
Hydration is a key piece to taking care of your body when exercising. Hydration does not begin during your workout. Hydration should begin in the hours and sometimes days before the workout. Staying hydrated helps to avoid heat related illness such as cramps, dehydration and in some extreme cases heat stroke.
We all sweat at different rates, but the key is to try and replenish the fluids you are sweating out. A general rule of thumb for fluid consumption during your runs is you should take in 4 to 6 ounces of fluid every 20 minutes. For those who run faster than 8-minute miles, should drink 6 to 8 ounces every 20 minutes. Once your workout is complete, it is important to take in fluids to help replenish what you lost. This will aid in your recovery.
The act of hydrating your body from fluids lost during working it is just like the word of God.
John 4:13-14, where Jesus is speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well.
“13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
We drink water in order to practice good hydration, taking care of the physical bodies God has given us, to be used for His glory. However, in addition to this, the best “water” we can “drink” is the teaching, grace and love of Christ in the gospel that gives us eternal life and enables us to live our lives for Him
This post was written by
Brett "Chick" Ciancanelli is a co-founder and team leader of The Second Wind. Chick competes in triathlons as an "age grouper" and enjoys sharing his knowledge gained over his years running to help others get started in the multi-sport realm of running, swimming and cycling. He is married to his lovely wife, Leigh, and is the father to two children, MaKayla and Isabella. When he isn't training for his next triathlon, half or full marathon, Chick can be found serving at his home church, Wake Cross Roads Baptist, enjoying a round of golf, or watching hockey.