The Importance of Staying Hydrated

Everyone hears it all the time that staying hydrated is so important to our health but how many people really listen to this message? I’m sure you’ve heard it hundreds of times over the years and you are most often not getting the required amount of water that your body needs to stay in a healthy functioning state. The government in Canada and others around the world promote 8 glasses of water a day for the average person with the recommended 20 minutes of moderate exercise. This is simply not enough water for athletes and people that genuinely push the limits on a daily basis to stay in shape. It’s not my position to quote all the facts and sources with research about the optimal amount of water you should be taking. If you want to read that type of stuff google it and you’ll be able to read information on it until you can’t see anymore. I’m just going to give you some basic facts and show you how I stay hydrated daily to be able to perform at the highest level.

Facts about water in the human body

1)    Water makes up approximately 60% of a male adults body and 50% of a females body.

2)    Water helps to regulate the body’s temperature.

3)     Helps remove waste and toxins from the body

4)     Cushions joints

5)     Helps body absorb nutrients

6)     Protects and cushions vital organs

7)     Helps convert food into energy (Proper Digestion)

When you think about the above facts, you can only start to imagine how important being properly hydrate is and the potential damage to your body you can be doing by not having enough water in your system. As an athlete this becomes even more important and the harder you push your body the more water you’re going to need to put into your body. I’ve always said that a minimum of 4 Liters of water should be consumed a day. The idea range is 4-6 Liters of water day. This is 16 glasses of water; double that of what the governments around the world are saying. Personally 6 Liters of water is my minimum and there are days that I take that up to 8 liters. Here is how I do it in a way that makes it easy and I never have to worry about getting enough water.

Daily Water Intake Schedule

Upon waking up                              500 ml or 1 glass of water

During Cardio                                 1 Liter of Water

Meal  1                                           500 ml or 1 glass of water

Between meals                                500 ml or 1 glass of water

Meal 2                                            500 ml or 1 glass of water

Between meals                                500 ml or 1 glass of water

Meal 3                                            500 ml or 1 glass of water

Between Meals                               500 ml or 1 glass of water

Meal 4                                            500 ml or 1 glass of water

Pre Workout                                   500 ml or 1 glass of water

During Workout                              1 Liters of Water

Post Workout                                 500 ml or 1 glass of water

Meal 5                                           500 ml or 1 glass of water

Before Bed                                    500 ml or 1 glass of water

**The image in this post was taken from earthwater.com**