Water! how much to drink on a workout day & non-workout day?

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Ive been told that drinking too much water can be bad for you, I drink the following:
- workout day: 144 ozs / 4.5 litres
- non-workout day: 120 ozs / 3.75 litres

Your thoughts am i drinking too much? Whats your numbers?

Replies

  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    how can drinking too much water be bad for you??

    I drink what you do on workout days or more almost everyday. I just get tired of clicking the up arrow on the water tracking thing on here.

    ETA: I guess if you are replacing food with water.. that would be bad.. but then you'd have a disorder.
  • GradatimFerociter
    GradatimFerociter Posts: 296 Member
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    No idea how much I drink, I see no reason to monitor it. I drink enough to be constantly hydrated . You would really have to try very hard to drink too much water - generally speaking the only people who end up harming themselves have, for example, entered water drinking competitions.
  • LessJos
    LessJos Posts: 113 Member
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    how can drinking too much water be bad for you??

    I drink what you do on workout days or more almost everyday. I just get tired of clicking the up arrow on the water tracking thing on here.

    ETA: I guess if you are replacing food with water.. that would be bad.. but then you'd have a disorder.

    You can drink too much. It depletes your body of minerals. I know somebody who actually started having seizures and almost died. Good thing she was already in the hospital when it happened (knee surgery).

    I heard half your body weight (lbs) in oz is a good rules.
  • simoneg14
    simoneg14 Posts: 46 Member
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    how can drinking too much water be bad for you??

    I drink what you do on workout days or more almost everyday. I just get tired of clicking the up arrow on the water tracking thing on here.

    ETA: I guess if you are replacing food with water.. that would be bad.. but then you'd have a disorder.


    Exactly what i though too!
  • simoneg14
    simoneg14 Posts: 46 Member
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    have a look at this link re: Water Intoxication : http://chemistry.about.com/cs/5/f/blwaterintox.htm

    Extract below:

    When too much water enters the body's cells, the tissues swell with the excess fluid. Your cells maintain a specific concentration gradient, so excess water outside the cells (the serum) draws sodium from within the cells out into the serum in an attempt to re-establish the necessary concentration. As more water accumulates, the serum sodium concentration drops -- a condition known as hyponatremia. The other way cells try to regain the electrolyte balance is for water outside the cells to rush into the cells via osmosis. The movement of water across a semipermeable membrane from higher to lower concentration is called osmosis. Although electrolytes are more concentrated inside the cells than outside, the water outside the cells is 'more concentrated' or 'less dilute' since it contains fewer electrolytes. Both electrolytes and water move across the cell membrane in an effort to balance concentration. Theoretically, cells could swell to the point of bursting.

    From the cell's point of view, water intoxication produces the same effects as would result from drowning in fresh water. Electrolyte imbalance and tissue swelling can cause an irregular heartbeat, allow fluid to enter the lungs, and may cause fluttering eyelids. Swelling puts pressure on the brain and nerves, which can cause behaviors resembling alcohol intoxication. Swelling of brain tissues can cause seizures, coma and ultimately death unless water intake is restricted and a hypertonic saline (salt) solution is administered. If treatment is given before tissue swelling causes too much cellular damage, then a complete recovery can be expected within a few days.

    It's Not How Much You Drink, It's How Fast You Drink It!

    The kidneys of a healthy adult can process fifteen liters of water a day! You are unlikely to suffer from water intoxication, even if you drink a lot of water, as long as you drink over time as opposed to intaking an enormous volume at one time. As a general guideline, most adults need about three quarts of fluid each day. Much of that water comes from food, so 8-12 eight ounce glasses a day is a common recommended intake. You may need more water if the weather is very warm or very dry, if you are exercising, or if you are taking certain medications. The bottom line is this: it's possible to drink too much water, but unless you are running a marathon or an infant, water intoxication is a very uncommon condition.
  • Darrelkun
    Darrelkun Posts: 152 Member
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    I could use some tips for getting more water into me. It's the hardest struggle I have. I just don't ever really feel thirsty, and have to force as much water down my throat as possible by the end of the evening. Even then I'm severely short. :(

    So any tips to make it bearable to chug would be wonderful. <3 I do like Crystal Light, but it's kind of expensive (I'm not making much money at this time) and I don't like all the chemicals in it. And Mio is great too, but again expensive.
  • p4ulmiller
    p4ulmiller Posts: 588 Member
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    Your thoughts am i drinking too much? Whats your numbers?

    Drink so that your pee is straw coloured, and about 1.5 litres per day.

    Source: wife's nutritionist
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Drink when you're thirsty. Stop when you aren't. There's no arbitrary amount of fluid required. The human body is very good at extracting water from any food or fluid you consume, and it's also very, very fine tuned to tell you when you need hydration.
  • LessJos
    LessJos Posts: 113 Member
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    I could use some tips for getting more water into me. It's the hardest struggle I have. I just don't ever really feel thirsty, and have to force as much water down my throat as possible by the end of the evening. Even then I'm severely short. :(

    So any tips to make it bearable to chug would be wonderful. <3 I do like Crystal Light, but it's kind of expensive (I'm not making much money at this time) and I don't like all the chemicals in it. And Mio is great too, but again expensive.

    I hear you. I had the same problem in the beginning. You will get used to it. Add lemon or lime juice, I found it makes it easier. Even easier with hot water and lemon or lime juice. You can also add a touch of honey to sweeten it.
  • askeates
    askeates Posts: 1,490 Member
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    I have heard that drinking "too much" water consistently can be hard on your kidneys, but I'm not sure I agree with it.... or at least I've never hit that area of concern. I typically will do a 16.9 oz bottle every hour to hour and a half. Some days I will end up close to 200 oz of water (most of the time that is on workout days).

    I can also tell if I'm not drinking enough because my lips will get a little dry, and I won't have as much energy. You will need to work out where that "sweet spot" is for you.
  • micheleld73
    micheleld73 Posts: 914 Member
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    I could use some tips for getting more water into me. It's the hardest struggle I have. I just don't ever really feel thirsty, and have to force as much water down my throat as possible by the end of the evening. Even then I'm severely short. :(

    So any tips to make it bearable to chug would be wonderful. <3 I do like Crystal Light, but it's kind of expensive (I'm not making much money at this time) and I don't like all the chemicals in it. And Mio is great too, but again expensive.

    You could try adding cucumber, ginger or lemon to your water to get a little flavor. As far as feeling thirsty - sometimes your body will signal hunger when all it needs is hydration. I used to be in the same boat, but after you start just drinking water you get used to it and don't need to add anything to it. My incentive had been to drink at least 8 cups of water before I would allow myself any other drinks. (having a large water bottle - 32 oz at least - with you when you work out helps too).

    As far as the original question: I usually drink 10-12 cups a day minimum whether I work out or not - it's just habit now.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
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    I drink as much as I can....over 10 glasses if possible.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    Your body has a really good system for telling you it's called thirst. If your thirsty drink if not don't simple really