Hydration motivation

The weather is slowly heating up in Taiwan and on top of that the humidity levels are increasing too, which is making it increasingly uncomfortable to practice. Even Zhan Zhuang which of course requires "no" external movement clearly uses a considerable amount of energy when standing for one hour or more.

When doing active exercises and stretching, my body now quickly breaks into a sweat as it is very difficult for the body to dissipate heat when there is a lot of moisture in the air. A few months ago during the cold winter months this was not the case at all.

So summer is coming and it's only going to get hotter, and I'm discovering how important it is to be fully hydrated before, during and after exercise. During the last couple of weeks I've noticed headaches and stiffness, accompanied by dry lips and mouth, which are clear signs of dehydration and my body telling me not to abuse it too much.

Even with Taijiquan practice, which is often considered to be a low impact exercise, we still use a lot of energy, and when it comes to being hydrated it should be treated with the same attitude one would have towards any other type of physical activity during hot weather.

That is respect your body, don't abuse it, and look for obvious signs of over stress. In any case it is anti-Daoist to push your body beyond what is appropriate and not to work within one's natural physical and mental parameters; although those parameters will change as one develops and "fitness" improves. Being pro-Daoist is to attempt to understand one's body and how it functions and then improve on that, and self-awareness is key to achieving that goal.