Hydration - Surprising Key To Good Function
- Storm Baynes-Ryan
- 8 hours ago
- 4 min read
Most of us think about drinking water when it’s hot, when we’re sweaty, or when someone reminds us… again. Unless of course we are drinking coffee all day. It's not as bad as you think, but probably not an ideal only source of hydration.
It's not always easy to keep hydrated, but the impact of being dehydrated is more than being a little bit thirsty. It negatively impacts all systems of your body, and importantly, makes your muscles, ligaments, cartilage and joints less resilient.
Hydration isn’t only about quenching thirst — it’s actually one of the simplest and most powerful things we can do to protect our muscles, keep our tendons happy, and recover well from the physical demands of our lives.
Our bodies take a hiding most days. Hydration is a great way to soften the landing of all the hard things we do. This is actual science. It's not a nice to have, it's a bedrock, along with sleep, movement and protein.
Hydration Keeps Your Muscles and Soft Tissues Working Like They Should
Your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and even the cartilage in your joints rely on water to do their job properly. Water keeps tissues elastic, helps them absorb load, and allows nutrients to reach the cells that need them.
Even a small amount of dehydration (as little as 2–3% loss of body water) can reduce muscle strength, power, and coordination — and set you up to get hurt.
When we’re dehydrated:
Muscles fatigue faster
Joint fluid gets thicker and stickier
Tendons and ligaments become less able to handle load
Movement becomes less efficient
Recovery slows down
Cartilage gets dried out and less slippery - it gets pressure points in it
All of which means: you’re more likely to “tweak something” doing the everyday stuff, or get fatigued more easily.
Hydration Helps Prevent Those “Why Did That Happen?” Injuries
Research shows that people who don’t stay well-hydrated have higher rates of soft-tissue injuries — especially when work involves repetitive stress or long physical days.
Think:
Cranky Achilles
Grumpy Low back
Grumbling low level pain
Tendon pain that comes out of nowhere
Strains after a long day
Shoulder aches and pains
etc
Hydration keeps tissues resilient and responsive — like a well-oiled machine instead of a dried-out rubber band.
Hydration = Faster Recovery = Less “Next-Day Regret”
When we finish a big day (or a gym session), our muscles need water to flush waste products, move nutrients where they’re needed, and repair the microscopic damage that makes us stronger.
Dehydration slows every one of those processes. Which means more soreness, more stiffness, more inflammation, and longer between good work days.
Staying hydrated is one of the easiest “recovery hacks” that actually works.
So… How Do We Hydrate Well in the Real World?
A few practical ways — especially for busy, physical humans:
Sip regularly — don’t wait for thirst
By the time you feel thirsty, your tissues are already behind.
Hydrate before, during, and after heavy work Especially in heat, wind, or high-sweat environments.
Replace electrolytes when you sweat lots Sweat = water + salts. If you only replace water, you stay behind. I always use MNRL in my water, and more on hot days or days when I work hard. (Code THATFARMINGPHYSIO10)
Salty snacks can help.
You can add a sprinkle of salt to every drink or have a "salt shot" before you start.
Tie it to habits
Water before coffee
Water before leaving the house
Bottle in the ute
Sip every gate change/stock stop
Glass with each meal
Post-yard work electrolytes
Let me know if you have any excellent habits that help you with water. Mine is my giant drink bottle that I have my electrolyte, creatine and collagen "concoction" in.
Check your pee 😉
Pale lemonade colour = great
Dark yellow = catch up
Apple juice = trouble brewing
Any other colours - go to the doctor (unless you have eaten beetroot)
Hydration = Small adjustments → huge benefits. Your kidneys long term health relies on good hydration. Long term mild dehydration can lead to kidney failure.
Why This Matters for Rural People
Farming, trades, forestry, orchard work… these environments are often:
✔ hot
✔ windy
✔ full of constant movement
✔ physically unpredictable.
Plus we don't always prepare for the weather that actually happens because the forecast is incorrect.
And when work ramps up, hydration often drops off. That’s when injuries creep in — the ones that slow you down when you can least afford it.
If we can make hydration a standard part of our workday — just like putting on boots or grabbing keys — we build a more resilient body that holds up better under pressure.
The Takeaway
Hydration won’t usually be the thing that suddenly fixes an injury.
But it’s probably going to be a part of injury prevention ... and something that speeds up recovery when something does go wrong.
So here’s a simple challenge:🤔
Make ONE change this week.
Comment on this blog and let me know, or tag me in your social media.
Make hydration a priority this week — even just a bottle in the side by side that actually gets emptied. Your muscles (and your future self) will thank you for it.
I use MNRL electrolyte. Rosie, who owns MNRL has given you a discount - THATFARMINGPHYSIO10, or THATFARMINGPHYSIO25 for a sample pack nd this is an affiliate link, but I honestly buy my own even without a discount because I feel so much better with it on board.
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