Hydration. How serious are you about it?

Mobilemuscle

After many years of competitive bodybuilding, powerlifting, football, MMA, etc and training countless people from all walks of life I have learned 1 immutable fact.......almost NO ONE takes their hydration seriously

It absolutely is the most important yet often overlooked aspect of fitness as far as health, performance, recovery, and continued success goes. We spend countless hours logging calories, researching macros, searching for the perfect workout routines, etc etc...

But when it comes to hydrations its like " ya i try and drink lots of water"...and that ends it.

I feel like im trying to lead a revolution for athletes from all walks of life to strive for optimal hydration. not only just the minimum 1/2 your BW in oz of liquids a day but also optimal electrolytes and accounting for liquid lost in sweat equity.

who else out there treats their hydration with the same fervor asthe rest of their regimen? On the same note how many do not and why?

SteveHunt113

I take it very seriously. I drink at least 10 cups per day most days. I'm one of those awful "water purists" who thinks you need to get at least 8 cups of water - not tea, soda or coffee - water, each day. I have 3 containers I fill each morning. One holds 4 cups which I use for my workout. The other 2 hold 3 cups each. These are typically for the drive into work through lunch, and the second is for after lunch and the drive home.

I pee a lot, but at least I know I'm hydrated.

What I do not spend time on are the electrolytes. I only worry about those if I find myself drinking way more than seems normal. I use to have a long workout, and during that time I would consume 8 cups of water. I changed that to 4 cups of water followed by 2 cups of Gatorade, and then more water. But my workout are as long anymore, and it's rare for me to drink more than 6 cups.

thesupremeforce

I drink between seventeen and twenty-four cups of water per day. It became easy to do once I switched out most of the other things I was drinking for water.

michellechawner

i typically drink between 9-15 glasses a day. I actually have to do it pretty religiously or I can get pretty sick - most people, their body tells them "hey, drink up, i'm thirsty". Mine never seems to do that. I been to urgent care and the ER several times for dehydration, so with the diet plan I just made it a habit to drink and drink a lot, even if i'm not thirsty, because I don't want it to catch up with me.

Bownzi

Very Serious... before I drank ALOT of soda now I drink a lot of water...

Mobilemuscle

Im finding the more paleo people are getting(less starches= less H2O retention) and the cleaner people are eating(less sodium= less H2O retention).... the MORE important it is to start going out of ones way to get in those electrolytes... those little Mio electrolyte water additives seem to really help do the trick.

Instead of noticing if Im peeing a lot I tend to try to see if my musculature is staying "full"... oftentimes if we pee too often we are rapidly dehydrating ourselves.

MercenaryNoetic26

I'm trying harder to drink more water lately. I drink a ton of coffee and feel like I have to drink more water because of it.

LINIA

Have to admit, i am often on the low side---since i don't count coffee or tea, thanks for posting this. The more reminders we get the more likely we are to take this important topic seriously!!!

TeresaMarie46

After many years of competitive bodybuilding, powerlifting, football, MMA, etc and training countless people from all walks of life I have learned 1 immutable fact.......almost NO ONE takes their hydration seriously

It absolutely is the most important yet often overlooked aspect of fitness as far as health, performance, recovery, and continued success goes. We spend countless hours logging calories, researching macros, searching for the perfect workout routines, etc etc...

But when it comes to hydrations its like " ya i try and drink lots of water"...and that ends it.

I feel like im trying to lead a revolution for athletes from all walks of life to strive for optimal hydration. not only just the minimum 1/2 your BW in oz of liquids a day but also optimal electrolytes and accounting for liquid lost in sweat equity.

who else out there treats their hydration with the same fervor asthe rest of their regimen? On the same note how many do not and why?

Totally committed. I have 1- 2 cups of coffee in the morning, and water the remainder of the day. The least water I have drank at any given time is 8 cups, the most 10 +.

ladymiseryali

I try to drink 12-16 cups of water a day. I'm doing keto, so my sodium intake is much higher than it used to be. The increase in water intake helps prevent bloating. Water is serious business.

blazergrad

I'm paying MUCH more attention to my water intake and hydration now than I was a few months ago. Other than milk with my protein shakes and about a 6 oz. cup of coffee some mornings, the only thing I drink is water. I cut out all soda's well over a year ago and have just recently cut out tea with dinner. On average, I'm getting about 96-104 oz. of water a day.

As for the electrolytes, though, hadn't really thought about that.... but now I know!

ChasingStarlight

I'm not serious about it at all. I hate water. Drinking it is so boring. It is much better with caffeine in it.

In your post you don't give any evidence of why it is beneficial to drink a lot of water. I vaguely recall reading something which said that it is now recommend you just drink to thirst, not try to drink a specific amount.

So come on, edumacate me!

lharri0209

I drink about a gallon of water per day (64 fl oz). I would drink more but, my bladder would have me running to the toilet all day. Water goes right through me.

tamadrummer001

I don't think I could be any more serious about it. I drink 2 to 2.5 gallons of water per day. When I first started in the gym, I was cramping from the first press. It was horrible, I was trying to take potassium and mag and thinking man, I got all kinds of problems, yeah I did. I didn't drink enough water.

Since I started drinking enough water, I have not had a single cramp and taking mag and K is out! I didn't need it before and I don't need it now. I just drink lots and lots of water.

karabasik

Very seriously ! I was not a water drinker before two years ago. I could go with no water at all for days. I am on maintenance for last year. For last two years, besides eating right , moving 7-days a week, I drink between 15 to 22 cup of water per day! I had to teach myself to like drinking water.
Thanks for bringing up that subject !

midnight_storm

I've always loved drinking water. Still do. My family thought I had Diabetes because I guess a sign of Diabetes is craving water(plus I'm obese). But I've been checked a couple of times and always come out negative!

I usually drink at least 6 cups every time I get a glass of water. And I usually go to get some water a couple of times a day.

There are some days where I randomly drink no water, but that's only once in a blue moon.

Purplewaxhand

I'm trying to drink more water but if I'm not paying attention then it can take me all day to drink 8 ounces. It's the same thing with anything else I drink. So what I've been doing is setting a timer for 5 minutes and at the end of the 5 minutes I take 3 sips.

And if I'm exercising I stop every five minutes and take three sips as well (unless I'm walking) and if I'm doing exercise challenges then it is every time I go from one exercise to another.

mem50

Very serious. I have always been a water drinker. Never liked the taste much...only drank it when it was the only thing available or if it had about 3 shots of rum in it.

Electrolytes...I'm getting better with those. never liked the taste of Gatorade. I am still searching for a good source that my body will accept.

Any suggestions?

quiltlovinlisa

I usually fill my nalgene bottle (32oz) 3 times a day.

So yeah, I'm all about hydration.

whitecapwendy

I usually drink between 150-160 ounces of water a day

MinMin97

I hate being dehydrated...don't like symptoms like constipation, or how it feels when I'm trying to do some cardio, or waking up in the middle of the night thirsty, etc...