Water is life. And without life, it is impossible to move. And movement is the crucial element in any athletic competition that is not played on Sega.

Water makes up more than 90 percent of your body mass, thus supporting the theory that water is life. Also, water is the second most important nutrient the body needs to survive (after air, of course).

We are told that we need eight glasses of it each day. Some people may need more, depending on the color of their urine.

I am serious about that color thing — Dr. Shulman told me so.

Dr. Marc Shulman, who has been at Student Health for four years and works in medicine for the athletic department, said, “For an athlete, water is of utmost importance. It clears waste products from muscles while they are working. We always stress adequate hydration.”

My mom, who is a nurse and is all-knowing simply because of her mom status, explained that it is important that athletes hydrate to replenish their bodies because they sweat and breathe all their moisture away.

I don’t know if my track roommates have talked to them, or what, but this advice is something which they have taken to heart.

Often, my water-obsessed cohabitants say, “I only had two gargantuous bottles of water today. I didn’t make my quota, and I have to stop now, so I don’t have to get up in the middle of the night.”

I can relate to the unpleasantries of getting up to go or waking up in the morning with only one thing on my mind — moving at race pace toward the bathroom.

I cannot relate to force-drinking as I can to its cousin, force-feeding, when extra cake is sitting on the table. However, my water bottle-infested home environment has forced me to examine the importance of water consumption.

I also have picked up some tips for those interested in becoming “hydraters” through advice from my roommates. They have somehow managed to consume ocean-loads of water without mastering their bladder muscle (which will be explained later).

Everyone should consume eight glasses of water each day. That’s common knowledge.

But did you know there are guidelines for hyperhydration? I found them on the web.

Competitive athletes should consume three cups of water two hours prior to exercising so they have “a chance to urinate before exercise.”

This is where I start laughing.

Why? Because these people make it sound as though urination will only need to occur once.

Forget the rest of these guidelines. Let’s examine the storage unit for most of the water we ingest, the bladder. The bladder, which has a standard size but varies from person to person, is defined by Webster as a sac that holds urine sent over from the kidney area. The bladder is not only important because it ends up with all that hydration, but because its toughness often determines how much hydrating we do.

Bladders are controlled by a muscle, a muscle that can be toned.

My mom said women are advised after childbirth to exercise this muscle by doing some squat-type exercises. This squatting movement helps strengthen the walls of the bladder so women do not have “any troubles with wetting their pants.”

Shulman termed these squats “kegel squats.” I will not explain how to do the squats, but Student Health associates will provide you with the information if you so desire.

He said doing these exercises will make you “able to hold your urine better.”

And holding urine is important when you step up to the starting line or when in swimming class, said Erin Bresnan an 800-meter Cyclone runner.

On the line, it is necessary to concentrate on the track, and not on how badly you need to go to the bathroom. Plus, you are excited anyway, which can produce less-than-cool scenarios.

Bresnan said that her friend and track runner Simeon Wright had to leave the swimming pool twice because his bladder was fully hydrated.

She said, “Simply being around all that water and ingesting some of it makes it difficult not to get out of the water to go.”

Morning swimming class is one element that restrains Bresnan from drinking water, along with sleep disruption by her bladder when it has reached capacity.

Bresnan believes that pre-race water keeps her muscles from cramping up and afterwards it quenches her thirst.

“It keeps your system really flushed out,” she added.

Everyone who consumes water constantly should consider hydrating, not only to conserve the time they spend running to the bathroom, but also to conserve natural resources (toilet paper and water).

My water bottle-carrying roommates are often running to the restroom. Trackster Joanne told me the other day that she can’t stop running to the bathroom (as she pranced out of the room and headed down the hall, of course.)

Bresnan said she feels it is embarrassing having to leave her classes “multiple times” to go to the bathroom, but she must hydrate for a healthy self and continues to make a conscious effort to get the job done.

“If you decide to be well-hydrated, you have to make a conscious effort to be that way. You can’t just passively drink water all day,” she said.

And so I watch my athletic friends hydrate themselves and then run towards the newest restroom. After seeking some information, I can honestly say that hydration is for me and everyone.

But the side effects suffered are too much for me right now. My muscles are weak and my bladder is sub-standard size, and there just aren’t enough restrooms around.

I guess I will wait until I have a child and am explicitly told I need to do kegel squats to avoid involuntary urination.

But if you are an athlete, these issues are of no importance. You need water for your muscles’ well-being. So drink up.

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Amanda Fier is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Davenport.