News Flash: You Need to Drink Water Every Day to Live & Operate at your best possible levels… But what you don’t need is to have an entire day’s worth of water in one sitting… or spread out during the day… or on an empty stomach.
Sean, what the hell are you talking about? Why can’t I just drink my tap, bottled or filtered water in peace whenever I feel like it? I mean seriously, what kind of harm could I really be doing anyhow?
The majority of the population lives in a state of dehydration (you, me, your neighbor, and the people you see today). For some reason, we are really good at remembering a ton of things to do, see, watch, listen, and subscribe to… but forget to drink water throughout the day; what’s up with that?!
I hear you, and I too was quite religious with my routine of CHUGGING down boat loads of water in the morning, before workouts, and after realizing 3 hours have gone by without taking a sip and the inside of my mouth feeling like a dry desert; yuck! But good ol’ trusty science has once again stuck their foot in and let us know how you can have greater tangible benefits to your health by doing a few things with your handy dandy water bottle. With these simple few tips, you will take your hydration levels from pretty good to GOSH-DARN-GLAMOROUS, and will feel the difference in many facets of life.
Here’s what I mean:
The National Academy of Medicine recommends women to drink at least 91 ounces, and men to drink at least 125 ounces of water per day. But drinking all of your fluids in a small time window does not mean the same thing as steadily sipping throughout the day… That would be like giving someone 300mg of Morphine at once, versus a steady IV drip of 30mg of Morphine every few hours, and expecting it to have the same effect! My point is to emphasize the importance to strategically dose your day with water consumption to reap the benefits.
If you’re drinking water and then, within two hours, your urine output is really high and [your urine] is clear, that means the water is not staying in well. Plain water has a tendency to slip right through the human digestive system when not accompanied by food or nutrients. This is especially true when people drink large volumes of water on an empty stomach. “There’s no virtue to that kind of consumption,”If you’re drinking water and then, within two hours, your urine output is really high and [your urine] is clear, that means the water is not staying in well. Clear urine is a sign of over-hydration, and can influence mineral & sodium imbalances.”
David Nieman – appalachian state university professor, director of human performance lab at North carolina research campus
So, have you taken gulps of water and then are running to the bathroom a few times within the hour with crystal clear pee? Nieman states that this is the water just simply exiting the other end without being stored and utilized by your body functions. Sipping on water little by little prevents the kidneys from an overloading tidal wave to filter, which will help you retain more out of it.
Add Texture to Your Water
A 2005 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition tested the hydration effects from over a dozen different beverages – plain water to sports drinks, milk, tea, beer. What they discovered is there are “elements of a beverage” that affect how well your body can absorb the H20 present. Adding texture to your water simply means combining it with a little sumfin’ sumfin’ that can help make this slippery liquid stick to your insides, rather than just be peed out. Here’s what you can do:
- Put a splash of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in your water to help absorb it better… This is my favorite thing to do in the morning with a squeeze of lemon!
- Add Essential Amino Acids (EAA) to your water – this works best when in a fasted state
- Add Salt, Minerals &/or Vitamins to your water… Especially after exercise and heavy perspiration
- Consume a healthy fat at the same time you drink water, such as some nuts, seeds, avocado, or coconut oil
Drink Water Before and During a Meal or Snack
There has been conflicting evidence on this. Some day to avoid drinking water during meals as it will make you feel full faster & can decrease how well you digest your food. But based on research, having your water at the same time you are consuming calories is a positive way to promote hydration.
Water with amino acids, salt, vitamins and fats help the body uptake more water, as mentioned in the previous section. So, it is in your best interest to have meals & snacks that have these ingredients present.
P.S. it was shown that eating a Banana is better than having a sports drink when it comes to post exercise recovery… And eating any piece of fruit along with water is going to improve your body’s ability to rehydrate.
Whether you are an athlete, steady gym goer, a weekend workout warrior, or just want to live a healthy comfortable life, how you handle your water WILL have a tremendous impact on your quality of Focus, Thinking, Mood, Fitness, Fatigue, Concentration, & a boat load of other body functions.
If this interested you, then you will love these other brief articles, check em’ out or bookmark them for later!
Stop Feeling Crappy and Start Drinking Your Water
10 Ways to Stay Fit this Holiday Season (and Still Drink Some EggNog)
Dehydration and Distance Don’t Mix
Thank You for Reading & I hope you enjoyed this weeks post. Please follow Coach Sean on Social Media for more tips, training tactics, and things to help YOU keep Living Better Every Day
