If you're a regular gym-goer, good for you. But you might be missing an important step in the road to fitville -- hydration. According to a recent study in the Journal of Applied Physiology, dehydration can seriously compromise your workout and results. Why? There are a number of reasons but in short, it decreases how well your stress hormones can circulate, and it alters metabolism.

The good news is that it's easy to avoid dehydration. Just drink water. Lots of it. Eight glasses a day is recommended, or at the very least, make sure you drink at least 500 ml or about two 8-oz glasses at least half an hour before exercising. It also can't hurt to bring a bottle of water with you in case thirst strikes.

(Via Total Wellness Blog)