Installment 8 - Water and Hydration

Of course the big question with water is how much to drink.  To be honest, this is an individualized question and greatly depends on your activity level.  We have all heard to drink eight glasses of water a day, but I do not know about you, but whenever I have followed that advice, I wind up running to the bathroom every 20 minutes! 

Here is my rule of thumb for normal daily activity.  I go by how often I have to urinate.  Once every 2-3 hours seems reasonable.  I do not think our body was designed to go every 20 minutes!

That being said many people do not drink enough water.  Perhaps telling them eight, will get them to do six! 

Many discomforts we experience can be linked to sub-clinical dehydration.  That means we are not officially dehydrated, but we could certainly use more water!

Water sources:  Pure water, fruits and vegetables.

• Water, water, water!
• Avoid tap water, drink filtered water
• Lemon water
• Other acceptable drinks

·         Organic, herb teas

·         Roasted chicory, replacement for coffee

For the competitive athlete this discussion goes beyond water into the whole concept of hydration.  Here are some general hydration guidelines:

Before exercise: Drink about 15-20 fluid ounces 2-3 hours before exercise and drink 8-10 fluid ounces 10-15 minutes before exercise.

During exercise: Drink 8-10 fluid ounces every 10-15 minutes during exercise.  If exercising longer than 90 minutes drink 8-10 fluid ounces of a sports drink every 15-30 minutes.

Hydration after exercise: Weigh yourself before and after exercise and replace fluid losses.  Drink 20-24 fluid ounces of water for every 1 pound lost.