Hydration 101: A Pillar for Optimizing your Health
If we were to break down foundational health into 5 major pillars, they would be sleep, nutrition, hydration, physical activity, and stress management. In previous blogs we have emphasized the importance of good quality sleep, moving your body well, and how to manage physical and mental stress with injury. Today we will focus on all things regarding hydration. You will have an understanding of how much water you need day to day, how to adjust your hydration needs around exercise, and tips to hit crush hydration goals!
What is the importance of water?
The human body is comprised of about 50-60% water, depending on age. Water is essential in every system of the body and is key to all cellular functions of the body. Water aids in metabolizing and transporting carbohydrates and proteins from the food you consume to nourish and fuel your body. It helps stabilize your body temperature, especially when you are in hot climates and exerting yourself. Water adds lubrication and support to our joints and tissues, improves our sleep, increases cognitive and physical performance, aids in stabilizing our mood… and so much more!
When we are not optimally hydrated we can experience:
Headache
Fatigue
Difficulty concentrating
Poor physical performance/weakness
Higher levels of anxiety or mood fluctuations
Intolerance to temperature fluctuations
Difficulty sleeping or poor-quality sleep
Thirst (Note: if you are feeling thirsty you are already dehydrated!)
How much water do you need?
At minimum you want to shoot for drinking half your body weight (lbs.) in ounces of water. For example, a person who weighs 150 pounds will need to drink a minimum of 75 ounces of water daily.
This number will increase based with exercise. As a rule of thumb, you should increase your water intake by 12 ounces for EVERY 30 minutes of exercise you perform. If you are exercising in a high heat environment and sweating significantly, this number will most likely be higher.
So, if you are planning to exercise for 2 hours, you will need to increase your overall water intake by 48 ounces of the day. This does not all have to be consumed during your workout for it to be beneficial. You can plan ahead and bump up your water intake throughout the day to ensure you are feeling great heading into your training and recovering well afterwards.
Tips for staying hydrated.
Drink water first thing in the morning after you wake up. We lose A LOT of water through sweat and breath while we sleep. Starting your day with a large glass of water
Carry a large water bottle with you during the day. You’ll have constant access to water and will need less trips to refill throughout the day.
Set alarms and reminders on your phone or laptop to drink water periodically. The key is to be consistent throughout the day and not wait until you are feeling thirsty to drink.
Infuse your water with fruits and hers to make it taste better.
Cut back on alcohol, caffeinated and sugary drinks – all have a diuretic effect on the body
Set yourself a daily goal to stay motivated.
The key is to be consistent. We are not always perfect and will have days in which we are not hitting our hydration goals, however the more consistent we are, the more of a habit drinking enough water becomes, and the better you will feel on a daily basis.
Dr. Paulina Tselikis
PT, DPT, ATC
Co-Owner | The PATH Rehab & Performance
