How much water did you drink today? Did you go for a run? Did you lift at our gym in Mt. Laurel? Did you sit at a desk for 8 hours? Did you sweat?
Chances are good that if you’re reading this, you’ve at least had one or two glasses of water today. But how much do you need to be drinking?
A lot more.
Physicians generally agree that the average human being needs eight glasses of water to stay properly hydrated throughout the day. That’s about a glass of water for every two hours you’re awake. However, different bodies have different needs. Some people only need about six glasses a day; others need ten or even twelve.
Staying hydrated is important, possibly the most important thing for an effective workout. Consider this– the body is 70% water and at 2% dehydration, scientists can measure a decrease in performance. When you’re putting off that water break until the end of your workout, you’re effectively decreasing how hard you can exercise and therefore, how much you can gain from your workout.
How can you tell if you’re properly hydrated? Firstly, you shouldn’t feel thirsty. Your urine should be mostly or entirely clear (unless you’re taking vitamin B12 supplements). You should feel pretty good and, if you’re working out, you should be sweating evenly.
Does the temperature of water you’re drinking matter? Maybe.
A 2012 study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found a slight advantage to drinking room temperature water during a workout. Men and Women who drank cold water during a workout took longer to get their core body temperature up. This is a good thing if you don’t want to sweat, but it’s a bad thing if you want to work your best. The study found that by drinking room temperature water, athletes were able to lift for an extra rep or two versus when they drank cold water. So maybe consider keeping that water cool instead of chilled.
When you stop by one of our gyms in Burlington County, NJ, bring a water bottle and stay hydrated, so you can run longer, lift harder and stay healthy.