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Reader question: Please explain this sentence: “While exercising, drink plenty of water but don’t go overboard.” Go overboard? My comments: Drink a lot of water, in other words, but not too much. When we exercise, we sweat a lot. That’s why water kept at close hand is always helpful. However, contrary to common belief, drinking too much water can be harmful to the body – due to sweating. It’s called water poisoning or, medically, over-hydration of the body. This is just another example that even water can be too much of a good thing. So don’t go overboard. Go overboard? That means, literally, going over the board or railings on the side of ship and fall into water. Having a good time any time rowing a ship over water is good fun, but falling off the ship in consequence isn’t, stating the obvious. So, curb your enthusiasm a little bit. Nobody does it deliberately, of course. But it certainly can be the result of too much excitement. At any rate, the age old phrase “to go overboard” is, metaphorically, to go too far and be excessive. Like I said, even water can be too much of a good thing. Indeed, too much of anything is problematic. Try to keep eating after you’re full and you’ll see what I mean. As Mark Twain once said, always wisely: “Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.” | 
