WATER INTAKE AND FLUID BALANCE
How Much You Really Need
One of the most common things suggested for improving health is to increase the amount of water you’re drinking. Most of us know water is good for us, but we don’t necessarily know why, or how much is really enough water to drink on a daily basis. What counts towards water intake? What fluids are still good for you to drink?
There are lots of questions surrounding water intake--so today we want to help you navigate the most common questions so you can start implementing these tips & tricks into your daily life.
If everything was “optimal,” the body can survive up to 30 days without food, but being without water?
No can do.
The body is only able to survive somewhere between 4-10 days without water intake.
Your body is made up of around 45-70% water, and muscle tissue is made up of around 75% water itself. Your fluid balance is managed by your water intake regulated by your kidneys.
The Food and Nutrition Board recommend a total water intake for young men and women (ages 19 to 30 years) of 3.7L and 2.7L per day respectively. This is total water, meaning water from actually drinking water, water from food, and water from other beverages as well.
Now--that doesn’t mean that we should get most of our water from other beverages, but those do still count towards total water intake. Think things like a sparkling water, tea, milk, juice, and even coffee--these still count towards total water intake.
So you don’t have to down 2.7L of water specifically per day, but aiming to be around of 70-100oz per day is a good place to aim for.
Most agree that taking your body weight and aiming to drink half of that in ounces is a bottom line metric to aim for (So 150lb person drinking 75oz per day).
This number also varies depending on your activity levels not only in exercise, but in your day to day lives. Someone who spends their entire day working outside will need more water versus someone who works at a desk job from 9-5. If you are performing longer endurance bouts of exercise, water intake also should be higher, as you can lose upwards of 1.8L/hour in sweat!
So what is best for Susie down the street’s water intake may be vastly different from yours, depending on your individual needs.
As always, it depends!
Now some of you may be wondering how coffee and tea can work towards your fluid intake if they are diuretics due to their caffeine content, meaning they cause you to lose water.
While this may be true, it is typically not an issue unless you're exceeding 3 cups of caffeinated coffee/tea per day. So, although they can work against you, as most things in life, working in moderation here is key!
NOTE: CAFFEINE INTAKE IS A TOPIC FOR ANOTHER DAY.
During activity, hydration can play a major role in performance. In many college sports, weight is monitored before and after exercise to make sure water loss isn’t too much, and if so, provide insight into replacing that water loss before another session takes place. If you are performing longer bouts of activity, meaning 90+ minutes of exercise, you can add in things like a hydration multiplier or electrolytes to help replace these elements so you can continue optimally.
Electrolytes that are lost in sweat are mostly sodium chloride and potassium, which you see in larger quantities in products like Gatorade.
(Even cooler to note--as you become more trained, your body adapts and loses less of these electrolytes so you can sustain longer bouts of exercise without losing them as quickly!)
So, if you plan to have longer exercise bouts, such as a 10k run, an obstacle race, a triathlon, or even a longer intensity fitness class, adding in something that has electrolytes can be a huge help to your body’s recovery as well as performance. You can also plan for potassium and sodium-rich foods post exercise (saltier foods, citrus fruits, milk, potatoes, meat).
Now that you know all about hydration, go pick up a glass of water!
If water is something you currently struggle to drink often enough and in large enough quantities, try some of the following tips:
Adding flavor additives, fresh fruit or lemon.
Like to have a glass of wine at dinner? Accompany it with a glass of water as well.
Set a goal by noon! Aiming for 40-50oz of water by noon generally sets you up for a more successful overall intake for the day, and gives you a goal to aim for.
Use an app that reminds you to drink with notifications, or fun designed water bottles with marks for times of day.
Buy a large insulated water bottle, and bring it with you everywhere. The more you have it on you, the more likely you are to drink!
SO DRINK UP, FRIENDS! THAT WATER WON’T DRINK ITSELF! - Coach Shelby