Hydration. How serious are you about it?

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?
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Replies

  • SteveHunt113
    SteveHunt113 Posts: 648 Member
    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
    thesupremeforce Posts: 1,206 Member
    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.
  • 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
    Bownzi Posts: 423 Member
    Very Serious... before I drank ALOT of soda now I drink a lot of water...
  • Mobilemuscle
    Mobilemuscle Posts: 945 Member
    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
    MercenaryNoetic26 Posts: 2,747 Member
    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
    LINIA Posts: 1,159 Member
    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
    TeresaMarie46 Posts: 226 Member
    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
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
    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
    blazergrad Posts: 603 Member
    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
    ChasingStarlight Posts: 424 Member
    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
    lharri0209 Posts: 128 Member
    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
    tamadrummer001 Posts: 71 Member
    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
    karabasik Posts: 62 Member
    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
    midnight_storm Posts: 33 Member
    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.
  • 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
    mem50 Posts: 1,384 Member
    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
    quiltlovinlisa Posts: 1,710 Member
    I usually fill my nalgene bottle (32oz) 3 times a day.

    So yeah, I'm all about hydration.
  • whitecapwendy
    whitecapwendy Posts: 287 Member
    I usually drink between 150-160 ounces of water a day
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    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...
  • spoiledpuppies
    spoiledpuppies Posts: 675 Member
    I was just thinking about this on my drive home actually. I love water, and I tend to just drink a lot without even trying. However, I'm not sure it's so essential. My work involves a lot of thinking about cross-cultural topics. I also lived in Ukraine. I've found that people in most any other country notice that Americans drink a lot of water--it's one of our defining characteristics. An American friend of mine was in an aerobics class in Ukraine, and when she drank some water mid-class, the Ukrainians told her how dangerous it was to hydrate mid-class. And you know, we might have a ton of research to show how important it is to hydrate mid-class, but they might have just as much evidence to the contrary. Also, while other countries are catching up with us in the obesity race, consider that other countries are generally much thinner than Americans. That makes it seem like drinking water may not be so important for weight loss/control.

    Again, I drink a lot of water. I enjoy it. And I do think it's important. But I'm also no expert and would be open to hearing a case against drinking so much (and how ridiculous we may look to outsiders).
  • I think hydration is sooo important. To me, it is as important as diet.
  • baptiste565
    baptiste565 Posts: 590 Member
    if im thirsty then i drink. i dont keep track. to each his own. it doesnt help with fat loss.
  • To avoid all the sugar in Gatorade, etc. Try this...

    HOMEMADE SPORTS DRINK:
    4 cups water
    1/4 cup lemon juice
    2 tsps honey
    1/4 tsp of sea salt
  • realme56
    realme56 Posts: 1,093 Member
    I do not understand how people drink 8oz a day!! Don't they get constipated?? Headaches? Dizzy?? I minimally drink 10-13 glasses and probably more in the heat. Also I have very bad joints and when dehydrated can barely walk!
  • ChasingStarlight
    ChasingStarlight Posts: 424 Member
    Ok, I am posting in here again. Why is it important? no one has posted any evidence.

    I should also disclose that I am not from the US. Interesting in light of spoiledpuppies post above.
  • Mobilemuscle
    Mobilemuscle Posts: 945 Member
    The body is amazing, capable of incredible healing, at any age. But this takes 2 things: The right lifestyle + the right movement = optimal adapting/healing machine.

    We have just been unable to properly quantify measurements in terms of lifestyle(sleep, hydration, training, rest) I begin teaching each client I have first by educating them about the problems of poor hydration on the functionality and quality of your body’s tissues (and of course performance). Lifestyle implications on the human being are pathognomic/lagging indications in nature(pain, breaks, viscera failure, etc). ****ty nutrition doesn’t just show up instantly. You can get away with improper sleep for a long time. How can you be sure your nutrition is totally on point?? You cant. It’s like having atrocious running form and saying, I haven’t been gotten patellar tendonitis or blown an achilles yet! You WILL. We are all blessed with a certain genetic inheretance and each structure(organs, tendons, muscles etc) is made to last for literally millions of PROPER movement cycles If you are serious you have to understand and optimally treat what is happening internally as well as externally. Just because you are paleo, doesn’t mean you may not be knocking on the door to type 2 diabetes after a couple of days after getting one bad night’s sleep, or that your cortisol isn’t flipped. (You can test your own blood sugar anytime you know…) You have to me able to observe, control and measure all these things. if you are playing the game, why not treat it seriously and take responsibility for ALL the aspects than you can?

    Hydration is just 1 of the primary components... here is a few a couple reasons why

    1. tissue quality: We need hydration for the tendons to work well, nerve beds to seat properly, sliding surfaces of the underlying fascia use water to function properly. This all needs to be optimal for good adaptation, recovery, and performance. Junky interstitial tissue leads to tremendous tightness, soreness and weakness which greatly impedes the movement function of the skeleton
    2: Nervous system: you are a nervous system made of electrical currents( think schwann cells, oligodendrocytes, myelin sheathing ects)... this is why ELECTROlytes are so important, especially sodium( although magnesium, potassium and many other elements are excellent conductors of electricity. if you just flood your kidneys with some big water bolus and no sodium than the body will just purge it out since it has no means of utilizing it.


    I could literally write an entire book going on and on and on... but if you are serious and you realize the effects of hydration on a healthy lifestyle on overall peak performance you will stop making excuses and do what it takes. There is a reason that tour de france athletes treat hydration differently and even MORE seriously than nutrition.

    Obviously we have smart individual in ehre who can put together than a stronger, faster recovering, healthy body that can output MORE energy, MORE efficiently, MORE safely, and MORE often is capable of achieving their athletic goals faster . Right?
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
    I go through phases where I try to drink more water, but what kills it for me is getting up in the night to pee! Some days when I drink a lot water water I have to wake up and pee 3 times in the night! That totally screws up my sleep schedule. :(
    Do you people who drink 80+ ounces try to have it all finished by a certain time of day?
  • jen_zz
    jen_zz Posts: 1,011 Member
    I do enjoy drinking water so I never have to force myself to do it. Sometimes just need reminder.

    I try to drink less towards the evening only coz I hate waking up the pee at night! It disrupts my sleep, and also after peeing it's not that easy to fall back asleep..
  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
    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.

    I'm very similar to this. I drink a ton of water (refill my 32 oz Nalgene at least 4 times a day), but I'm not as great with regular electrolyte ingestion. I use S-caps (salt capsules) for workouts (long runs, speed workouts) and will drink electrolyte drinks while working out (Nuun, etc), but I don't tend to do that throughout the day.