When to water it down

By Kyle Hotz, ACE Owner, Founder; Higher Heights Fitness

As certified professional trainers, we lead our clients to train smarter instead of harder.

One of the questions our clients often ask us about is hydration. How much is enough?

There are a lot of misconceptions out there. Water serves many purposes, from flushing out toxins in your body to aiding with muscle recovery. Muscle tissue is comprised of 75% water, so that needs to be replenished to maintain and build it. The harder you’re training, the more water you need. Oftentimes if someone complains about sore muscles after a workout, I ask if they drank enough water.

With our InBody 270 Body Composition Analyzer, we can measure the amount of water in your body and come up with a recommendation of how much is the right amount for you to build muscle and boost metabolism.

When you drink water is as important as how much. You should have water two hours before your workout, every 15-20 minutes during the workout, and afterward as well. If you wait until you feel thirsty to drink—it’s too late—you’re already dehydrated and not able to perform at your peak and get the most out of your workout.

Another example of how we train smarter at Higher Heights is the Theragun deep tissue massager we invested in. Like water, it increases muscle tissue metabolism, while also increasing blood and lymphatic circulation to allow more oxygen and nutrients to reach the muscles so they can recover.

Higher Heights Fitness is located at 8251 Chippewa Road in the back of the Heinen’s Plaza in Brecksville. A multi-sport athlete in high school and college, Kyle Hotz graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Health Education for Exercise & Fitness. For more information, call 440-630-9497, or visit the website at HigherHeightsFitness.com.