Importance of Hydration
While the dog days of summer may be waning, our bodies and mind must be at their optimum for the final push of hot, grueling weather conditions. When the welcome arrival of a cold front is a matter of days or months away, it’s most likely that sweltering humidity welcomes us in the great outdoors.
Regardless of one’s physical and mental fitness, hydration remains the best way to combat and push through the days when the temperatures skyrocket. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drinking water prevents the likelihood of dehydration, the state in which unclear thinking, mood changes, overheating, constipation and kidney stones occurs.
Staying hydrated, mainly by drinking water, proves as vital as the Sunoco fuel that allows NASCAR drivers to take it to the finest speedways and road courses across the nation. Along with the recent concepts of heat training and cool bodysuits, drinking water does plentiful good to one’s body and mind.
Ahead of the long, hot summer stretch of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, William Byron shared how he contends with the adverse conditions.
“Yeah, it’s tough,” Byron said. “I mean, you have to manage your hydration during the week and really prepare well. You can easily kind of get off track and and get behind and as soon as you do, it’s really hard to catch up. So, I feel like for me, just staying hydrated, eating the right thing.
“You know, just all those things are really important this time of year. So try to do those things and my team helps me with trying to keep me cool and give me ideas of how I can keep my body cool. You know, it’s also heat acclamation too. You’ve got to be out in the heat, somewhat, to really kind of understand it. So, it’s a little bit of both. But I feel like I’ve got a good system now.”
Perhaps the Cup Series’ hottest driver has a rather unique perspective on how he prepares for these hot weather races.
“I think our race car and team does a good job with keeping the temps down for me in the car,” Larson observed. “Texas was hot, but it wasn’t crazy for me. You know, I enjoy the summer months and the summer races. The tracks get slicker and harder to get grip on. I think that usually benefits me. And, yeah, I think you just got to stay hydrated throughout the week, and especially on the weekends and you take good care of yourself.
“I think it’s important also to not spend too much time in air conditioning to help kind of keep yourself acclimated to warmer temperatures. So your body can handle it better when it’s for that situation.”
Situational auto racing might benefit Larson. However, keeping hydrated likely propels the Californian with his consistently strong performances.
While NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races may be shorter than those on the Cup circuit, Spencer Boyd of Young’s Motorsports explains the correlation between proper fitness along with hydrating long before the summer.
“I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life,” Boyd pointed out. “Since last Thanksgiving, I’ve worked out really hard with Hunter over at FitStop (Performance). A lot of people in the industry work out at FitStop with Hunter. I’ve lost a lot of weight. I feel like I’m in great shape. Hydration, I’ve learned over the years, is key. But just shedding that weight and looking at my heart rate. My average heart rate is down 25-30 points per race.”
Weight loss may be key toward optimizing hydration and conditioning the body and mind with summertime’s physical and mental challenges. All told, the importance of hydration kicked into high gear on August 1, 2001, at training camp for the Minnesota Vikings, as reported by Thomas George of the New York Times.
Offensive tackle Korey Stringer, ahead of his seventh season in the NFL, passed away after collapsing from a heatstroke. Stringer and his teammates partook in a day of training camp when temperatures exceeded 90 degrees with less than ideal humidity levels.
Following Stringer’s passing, then commissioner Paul Tagliabue mandated for teams to review procedures particularly during the hot, humid days.
On this note, Alex Bowman opined how mental health optimization and hydration matter especially with the final 11 races on as many weekends.
“We’re going the rest of the year with no breaks,” Bowman shared. “And you know, a lot of hot races, it really doesn’t cool off at a lot of places we go at all for the rest of the year. So it’s definitely gonna be tough. For me, my program is pretty much the same all year. I do a little bit of heat training at start the summer. But kind of once you get in a rhythm with things, it’s kind of is what it is. And you just keep doing the same things. So for me, I kind of have my normal workout program and run and cycle a lot. And that’s kind of about it.
“You know, strength couple days a week, and then a bunch of cardio. So when we’re racing as much as we are, you know, like I stayed racing through the two weeks off, I think, you know, driving a race car is really the best thing for you. And I would like to race way more than I get to. But, you know, I think the physical side of it is tough. But the mental side of it is crucial too. Just like enduring the heat and not letting it get to you because there’s no there’s no way to be comfortable in 150 degree racecar for four hours.”
Ultimately, no matter if you race cars, play football or read content on ExoConsulting, nobody is infallible when it comes to hot, humid weather. In all seriousness, maybe Bobby Boucher shared some wisdom by reminding us about how there’s nothing like high quality H2O.
Written by Rob Tiongson, September 1, 2021
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