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Is there a way to calculate approximately how much water you should take in? Generally, I just drink when I'm thirsty , and make sure that my pee is at least somewhat clear. However, I think that sometimes, especially if you're training long, you might want to have an idea of what you should be taking in.
There's no right amount. Temperature, activity level, and water content of the food you eat all effects how much you ingest and eliminate. If you're thirsty, drink more. If you're not, you're good.
During long bouts of exercise, you need to keep drinking, of course.
During long bouts of exercise, you need to keep drinking, of course.
Right, but how much is the question. How do you know when you should be drinking during exercise? I've always heard the "when you get thirsty, you've waited too long" at least in regards to during training/exercise.
I think body itself tells you when it needs water. I have seen people who take water in excess and always dealing with one problem or other. Here I am not saying that it is due to the excessive intake of water but certainly it is not the sure shot way of staying fit. Everything needs to be kept in a balance.
I can tell you the the 64 oz per day for fluid intake is a myth and dates back to a US Gov study in the 1940s. that very same study also mentions that all of that intake can be obtained by the food and other fluids you take in during the day (coffee, soda also count).
Older adults (in their 60s and beyond) sometimes "forget" to drink so if thats the case for you, try to set reminders. Some also say to look at the color of your urine however a yellow look to your urine may not mean your dehydrated but just mean your kidneys are retaining fluid because your not drinking enough.
Be aware that you CAN DRINK TOO MUCH WATER! its called "hyponatremia" and it can be deadly. I wanted to mention that because few personal trainers etc are aware of it
Joe
Be aware that you CAN DRINK TOO MUCH WATER! its called "hyponatremia" and it can be deadly. I wanted to mention that because few personal trainers etc are aware of it
Joe
My understanding of hyponatremia is that it is actually too little sodium. There have been a number of ironman triathletes who have suffered from it because they drank so much water and perspired so much during a race that the sodium was essentially flushed from their bodies. However, if an athlete drinks a sports drink that has sodium in it instead of just water, the problem is usually prevented. Since the athletes in the medical tent that had hyponatremia were also dehydrated, I certainly wouldn't recommend that they drink less, but they should make sure that their drink has the sodium and other electrolytes that their body needs.
As far as how much water one should drink, I don't know. I have heard so many conflicting recommendations that I am confused. Many now say to just drink when you are thirsty, but I think that some peoples' thirst mechanisms are messed up and that doesn't always work. I know that when I think of it I will get some water, and I didn't even realize I was thirsty until I started drinking. Or, sometimes I think I'm hungry when it is really just thirst. The 64 oz. a day does seem excessive and difficult to do. I've tried it, and I didn't like the way my stomach felt, and having to pee every 10 minutes is also a hassle.
I think it is good to drink a couple of glasses of water the first thing in the morning, then just make sure to drink something at least every few hours the rest of the day. During exercise, I sweat a lot so I have to make sure to drink a lot. On a bike ride I go through a bottle every 30 minutes, but I know people who do a 2-hour ride and don't finish one bottle. While lifting I will usually drink a few cups of water every half hour.
My understanding of hyponatremia is that it is actually too little sodium. There have been a number of ironman triathletes who have suffered from it because they drank so much water and perspired so much during a race that the sodium was essentially flushed from their bodies. However, if an athlete drinks a sports drink that has sodium in it instead of just water, the problem is usually prevented. Since the athletes in the medical tent that had hyponatremia were also dehydrated, I certainly wouldn't recommend that they drink less, but they should make sure that their drink has the sodium and other electrolytes that their body needs.
I'm not sure whether you're right or wrong, but too much water and too little sodium are essentially the same thing in that situation because it's the concentration that matters. More sodium combined with more water would balance out to a degree, whereas less sodium and less water would do the same thing. Granted, triathletes definitely do lose a lot of salt, so it's probably a combination of both, but that's speculation on my part.
I just read in my nutrition textbook to drink 1-1.5mL per kcal expended during the day, leaning more to the 1.5 mark for athletes. Don't know the validity of that.
by definition, hyponatremia is low sodium - hypo + natrium (remember the element sodium is Na for a reason)
How you get it is the issue. You can get it by over drinking water in a small period of time. You could get it by losing sodium over a period of time (e.g diarrhea, vomiting, sweating). Or the two of those in combination.
As far as activity goes, you can also weigh yourself before and after activity (e.g. a 2 hour ride) and adjust your intake the next time accordingly (that is, aiming for at most a pound or two of fluid loss, meaning 1-2 pints).
I here fully agree with Joe Cannon. Yellowish urine doesn't mean you are dehydrated and therefore no need to worry but of course your water intake should be enough to avoid such a situation.
Drink 16-24 oz first thing in the morning and then repeat every three hours. After training drink 16-24 oz or after any strenous activity to stay hydrated throughout the day.
I here fully agree with Joe Cannon. Yellowish urine doesn't mean you are dehydrated and therefore no need to worry but of course your water intake should be enough to avoid such a situation.
How does yellow urine not mean you're dehydrated (assuming it's not the neon yellow from a vitamin supp)? Kidneys retain water because you need more water, i.e. you are dehydrated, so I don't understand how the qualifies as not being dehydrated.
How does yellow urine not mean you're dehydrated (assuming it's not the neon yellow from a vitamin supp)? Kidneys retain water because you need more water, i.e. you are dehydrated, so I don't understand how the qualifies as not being dehydrated.
Why do you think yellow means dehydrated? Maybe brown does.
A lot of these things are based on myth and misinformation.
There aren't too many reason to NOT drink a lot of water, but the need to drink more and more is overblown.
How does yellow urine not mean you're dehydrated (assuming it's not the neon yellow from a vitamin supp)? Kidneys retain water because you need more water, i.e. you are dehydrated, so I don't understand how the qualifies as not being dehydrated.
I did not mean to say that it is a comfortable situation to get into. Yellow urine is good enough indication of the fact that your body needs water but still the term dehydration is normally used when problem tend to become serious. Normally when we are thirsty, it just means that we need to take water but in such a situation we say we are "thirsty" and not that we are "dehydrated".
I did not mean to say that it is a comfortable situation to get into. Yellow urine is good enough indication of the fact that your body needs water but still the term dehydration is normally used when problem tend to become serious. Normally when we are thirsty, it just means that we need to take water but in such a situation we say we are "thirsty" and not that we are "dehydrated".
Oh okay, so you're just talking in the severity of water loss here I guess. Point taken
"If you feel thirsty, it's too late",
"drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water per day"
"drink till your urine is straw coloured"
It's all rubbish, in my opinion (and that of scientists).
If you're thirsty, drink..
How do you know if you're thirsty?
If when you drink you feel relieved, the water feels good in your mouth.. Then you were thirsty..
If you feel like you're having to choke it down, and you end up going to the bathroom 10 times right after, you weren't..
It's not rocket science..
This is true, but if you're doing long bouts of training it's one of the most important things. I've never done anything serious (in terms of marathons and what not), but I have biked for 2 hours, which is very long for me, and I know that if I forget to drink water I get cramps and my pace slows down and all that fun stuff. I guess I just wanted to know in terms of a situation like that. Should have been more specific.
I agree, the 8 glasses per day is pointless (forget where that came from but it was just some random number years ago). I do think that judging by the clarity of urine is a pretty good indicator though. That's actually what I usually go by. I just wasn't sure if there was a better way.
but if you're doing long bouts of training it's one of the most important things. I've never done anything serious (in terms of marathons and what not), but I have biked for 2 hours, which is very long for me, and I know that if I forget to drink water I get cramps and my pace slows down and all that fun stuff. I guess I just wanted to know in terms of a situation like that. Should have been more specific.
I can't say I've ever forgotten to drink, but it DOES happen, and yes, it's especially important to remember to drink during strenuous activity, or when sweating alot.
I can't say I've ever forgotten to drink, but it DOES happen, and yes, it's especially important to remember to drink during strenuous activity, or when sweating alot.
About 3 days a week, I have to be at work by 5am. On these days, i am extremely thirsty during that first hour of work. It's not uncommon at all for me to drink 3-20oz glasses of water that first hour. Actually, I get so thirsty on the short drive to work that I run in and get a drink first thing.
On any other day, I am not that thirsty, it is only during these hours. If I go into work at 8am or 2pm (my other shifts) this doesn't happen.
My personal theory is that I am 'up' during the hours that my kidneys are removing most of the toxins (which normally happens in the last hours of sleep, right?) and that this is what makes me feel so thirsty.
Any other ideas? Or maybe someone that actually knows? LOL.
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I can't say I've ever forgotten to drink, but it DOES happen, and yes, it's especially important to remember to drink during strenuous activity, or when sweating alot.
After strenuous activity also your body tells that you need a water intake so I don't think drinking too much water all day is of any help. All you do is more trips to toilet.
After strenuous activity also your body tells that you need a water intake so I don't think drinking too much water all day is of any help. All you do is more trips to toilet.
About 3 days a week, I have to be at work by 5am. On these days, i am extremely thirsty during that first hour of work. It's not uncommon at all for me to drink 3-20oz glasses of water that first hour. Actually, I get so thirsty on the short drive to work that I run in and get a drink first thing.
On any other day, I am not that thirsty, it is only during these hours. If I go into work at 8am or 2pm (my other shifts) this doesn't happen.
My personal theory is that I am 'up' during the hours that my kidneys are removing most of the toxins (which normally happens in the last hours of sleep, right?) and that this is what makes me feel so thirsty.
Any other ideas? Or maybe someone that actually knows? LOL.
Maybe .. or maybe not.
I'd wager to say this is more because of higher cortisol levels. Cortisol is what makes you wake up .. when you need to wake up very early, you will make more of it in order to be truly awake.
Cortisol is a cortico-steroid and those are known for their water-retention characteristics = your body is going to store more water.
The other reason which goes back to the different time you wake up is that when you're sleeping the full 8hrs and not get up to pee, your kidneys might re-absorb some of these fluids and diminish thirst as a result. So, when you are getting up earlier, they kidneys are still flushing out the fluids & you want to replace them as fast as possible.
Case in point: while I rarely wake up after 5hrs of sleep, my SO routinely does & then mostly eats his first meal of the day, drinks some water and goes back to sleep again.
Personally I've tied my water intake to bath room trips: whenever I go, I'll follow it up by drinking 1-2 glasses of water. When I forget to do this in the morning (need to weigh first after the first bathroom visit), I'll be forgetting to drink enough all day since it seriously reduces the number of visits.. less visits = less water.. that's why mrscott's simplistic advice does make sense. Some even weigh themselves before & after training so they make sure to counteract lost fluids with water (sports drink is better) in the same amount.
Most people should drink at least 7 to 10 average sized glasses of water each day. Many people do not drink enough water and the consequences of this can be severe. People often think that drinking cups of tea, coffee or even alcohol makes up for not drinking water. This is incorrect. Instead of quenching your thirst these drinks can actually make you feel more thirsty.
For coffee or tea it was often thought these are dehydrating drinks as you may feel more thirsty but there's no real dehydration going on.
According to the Nutritional Health Center most people that do not exercise can get in adequate amounts of fluid just from eating normal food & drinking regular beverages without adding extra water.
Most people should drink at least 7 to 10 average sized glasses of water each day. Many people do not drink enough water and the consequences of this can be severe. People often think that drinking cups of tea, coffee or even alcohol makes up for not drinking water. This is incorrect. Instead of quenching your thirst these drinks can actually make you feel more thirsty.
Well this isn't true. A blanket number of 7 to 10 glasses of water means nothing, just like "8 glasses of water a day" has no meaning. What you're saying has nothing to do with height, weight, activity level, etc. and those are all the things water intake depends on. You are correct that alcohol does not make up for water intake, but coffee and tea certainly contribute. Anything with water contributes to water intake. People has this strange misconception that drinks that aren't only water don't count.
Well this isn't true. A blanket number of 7 to 10 glasses of water means nothing, just like "8 glasses of water a day" has no meaning. What you're saying has nothing to do with height, weight, activity level, etc. and those are all the things water intake depends on. You are correct that alcohol does not make up for water intake, but coffee and tea certainly contribute. Anything with water contributes to water intake. People has this strange misconception that drinks that aren't only water don't count.
Yeah ive read places that you need to drink a glass of water just to make up for every glass of tea/soda that you drink, which i never understood. I tend to drink several glasses of hot green tea throughout the day, especially when i diet. It helps with hunger more than anything. I don't see how a glass of hot water with a tea bag in it doesnt count as water.
Yeah ive read places that you need to drink a glass of water just to make up for every glass of tea/soda that you drink, which i never understood. I tend to drink several glasses of hot green tea throughout the day, especially when i diet. It helps with hunger more than anything. I don't see how a glass of hot water with a tea bag in it doesnt count as water.
Yep, it does
A more interesting question is how people thought that it didn't...
Water intake?
, and make sure that my pee is at least somewhat clear. However, I think that sometimes, especially if you're training long, you might want to have an idea of what you should be taking in.
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