Water water everywhere, and not a drop to drink!
For a successful whitewater rafting trip you need need a pumping river, some roaring rapids, and plenty of drinking water. In between nature watching, paddling, screaming and laughing, make sure you take the time to hydrate your body. You may be wet on the outside, but your insides need water, too.
Whitewater rafting is fun, but it’s also hard work and your work up a sweat despite the cool river water. Don’t forget to hydrate your body frequently on your next river rafting adventure
Dehydration is all too common on rafting trips. Fortunately, it is also the easiest thing to avoid. All you have to do is bring plenty of water, and then remember to drink plenty of water along the way. And that’s where people tend to fail. It’s easy to prepare for the trip. But once you’re rushing down the river it’s hard to keep you mind on such (seemingly) trivial things as remembering to drink water.
Here are a few tips to keeping your mind sharp and hydrated
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Spice up your water a little. The more delicious it tastes, the more likely you are to remember to drink it on your rafting trip.
Make the water delicious! Water may be a vital source of life, but let’s face it, it’s not the most exciting drink in the world. Spice up your water a little with some fruit juice – lemons, limes, even cucumber slices will do wonders for a plain bottle of water.
- Create a Pavlovian response that makes your brain remind you to drink water. For example: Make it part of the rafting fun. If everytime you make it through the rapids and you hit calmer waters. Paddle high five your raft mates. and then yell “driiiiink”. And everyone drinks. This may get a little old, but we guarantee that if you do it enough times, you’ll condition your brain to think about drinking water every time you hit a float section.
- Hydrate your body before you hit the river. Give your body plenty of water leading up to your trip. Traveling can easily dehydrate a person, and the AC in an airport, airplane, train or car is enough to suck the moisture out of your body, so make sure you’re filled up before you get in the raft.
- Keep the alcoholic drinks to a minimum. We’re not saying skip the ice cold beer once you get to your camp at the end of a long day of rafting. Because every rafter knows that that’s the best tasting beer of them all. Just don’t go overboard.
And remember, if you’re rafting with kids, their little bodies will dehydrate faster than yours, so make sure they’re getting plenty to drink as well.
Wherever the river may take you, stay hydrated and have a safe trip.