By Chris Price, Hobart Performance Studio
Hydration for Mojo
If you think sweat rate and electrolytes when you hear the word hydration then that’s cool, but we’ll cover that off in Nutrition (#5). What we are referring to is something a little deeper, and I’m talking specifically about creating Bound Hydration.
Let’s say you plan to run a Wilder Trail tomorrow and you’re at your desk at work or sitting in the car driving to the destination, sipping on your water. Yes you are hydrating and your body will take what it needs for survival but essentially you’ll just increase your amount of toilet stops without truly hydrating your body.
There are many things that create efficient movement, and in our case efficient trail running, and one of these things is what I like to call the “slide and glide” of our tissues (muscle and fascia). How easy do these overlying tissues move on one another? Do we have a little stiffness or creeping tightness? Is our movement smooth and rhythmical or is it clunky and sporadic? This can all be improved by improving the hydration of our tissues - Bound Hydration.
So how can we improve this? It’s nothing fancy, but requires some awareness and simple movements, mobilisations if you will. And water.
Think of our tissues as a sponge. If we just let the sponge sit idle in water there is no flow, no transition of fluid and over time it becomes stagnant. Squeeze, twist then release the sponge and all of a sudden we have the stagnant water pushed out and new water sucked back in. This is how Bound Hydration works and subtle, rhythmical mobilisations act as our squeezing, twisting and release. So when you get to Movement (#4) we’ll show you what these movements look like. In the meantime, while you're at your desk or driving in the car and about to take a drink of water, stop, get up from sitting and move around while you drink - it’s the best way to begin optimising your Bound Hydration.
The Science
If we get a little sciency we can better understand this concept. On a micro level we know fascia (connective tissue) is a network of “water tubes” and as a connective web they cover every other tissue cell in our body.
When water enters the fascial “tubes'' it changes its fundamental composition and transitions to “bound water”. Free water is what we commonly know as H2O and is in its most fluid state. But this is only one phase of water in the body, the other is when the water molecules bind with hydrophilic (water loving) tissues such as collagen, another component of fascia. Once the water interacts with collagen, the water literally changes composition into H3O2 and becomes Gel-Water (bound water).
Gel-Water is a major key to tissue quality.
This Gel-Water is more lubricating and behaves like a trampoline when compressed, making the tissues more viscoelastic and compliant to forces. Subtle and rhythmical movements and manual release techniques can help influence and stimulate hydrodynamics (fluid flow) and improve the uptake of Bound Water and therefore our tissue quality.
So how can we promote the creation of Bound Water? Simple, through slow, rhythmic, and subtle mobilisation of our key movement complexes (Ankles, Hips and Thoracic Spine). So as part of your hydration preparation we suggest you incorporate some simple mobilisations into your daily routine while sipping some water. Once established as a regular preparation habit, know that your tissues will be more compliant to dynamic loads such as running on trails. For more information on mobilistation read on to Movement (#4).
If you think sweat rate and electrolytes when you hear the word hydration then that’s cool, but we’ll cover that off in Nutrition (#5). What we are referring to is something a little deeper, and I’m talking specifically about creating Bound Hydration.
Let’s say you plan to run a Wilder Trail tomorrow and you’re at your desk at work or sitting in the car driving to the destination, sipping on your water. Yes you are hydrating and your body will take what it needs for survival but essentially you’ll just increase your amount of toilet stops without truly hydrating your body.
There are many things that create efficient movement, and in our case efficient trail running, and one of these things is what I like to call the “slide and glide” of our tissues (muscle and fascia). How easy do these overlying tissues move on one another? Do we have a little stiffness or creeping tightness? Is our movement smooth and rhythmical or is it clunky and sporadic? This can all be improved by improving the hydration of our tissues - Bound Hydration.
So how can we improve this? It’s nothing fancy, but requires some awareness and simple movements, mobilisations if you will. And water.
Think of our tissues as a sponge. If we just let the sponge sit idle in water there is no flow, no transition of fluid and over time it becomes stagnant. Squeeze, twist then release the sponge and all of a sudden we have the stagnant water pushed out and new water sucked back in. This is how Bound Hydration works and subtle, rhythmical mobilisations act as our squeezing, twisting and release. So when you get to Movement (#4) we’ll show you what these movements look like. In the meantime, while you're at your desk or driving in the car and about to take a drink of water, stop, get up from sitting and move around while you drink - it’s the best way to begin optimising your Bound Hydration.
The Science
If we get a little sciency we can better understand this concept. On a micro level we know fascia (connective tissue) is a network of “water tubes” and as a connective web they cover every other tissue cell in our body.
When water enters the fascial “tubes'' it changes its fundamental composition and transitions to “bound water”. Free water is what we commonly know as H2O and is in its most fluid state. But this is only one phase of water in the body, the other is when the water molecules bind with hydrophilic (water loving) tissues such as collagen, another component of fascia. Once the water interacts with collagen, the water literally changes composition into H3O2 and becomes Gel-Water (bound water).
Gel-Water is a major key to tissue quality.
This Gel-Water is more lubricating and behaves like a trampoline when compressed, making the tissues more viscoelastic and compliant to forces. Subtle and rhythmical movements and manual release techniques can help influence and stimulate hydrodynamics (fluid flow) and improve the uptake of Bound Water and therefore our tissue quality.
So how can we promote the creation of Bound Water? Simple, through slow, rhythmic, and subtle mobilisation of our key movement complexes (Ankles, Hips and Thoracic Spine). So as part of your hydration preparation we suggest you incorporate some simple mobilisations into your daily routine while sipping some water. Once established as a regular preparation habit, know that your tissues will be more compliant to dynamic loads such as running on trails. For more information on mobilistation read on to Movement (#4).