Many people struggle to stay hydrated and yet it is a simple and powerful way to feel better today and keep yourself healthier in the long run.
That is why I have simple strategies that will help you stay hydrated with ease, these work but only if you decide to implement them into your life because to Retire Healthier you need to take action and implement healthy habits.
Why do you want to stay hydrated with ease:
Your body is mostly water and being sufficiently hydrated is critical for your cognitive and physical performance. “Recent literature suggests that even mild dehydration – a body water loss of 1–2% – can impair cognitive performance.”1
This impairment in cognitive performance has also been associated with lower levels of mood and higher anxiety but dehydration also affects how you feel physically.
Your body is constantly losing water primarily through sweat and breathing. Even if you live in a colder part of the world your body is using sweat to help regulate your temperature and you can lose upwards of 500mL of water per day by doing nothing and up to 10L (litres) per day if you’re exercising in a hot environment.2
It is estimated that ice hockey players can lose up to almost 5L of water during a hockey game.3 I play in an ice hockey league and if I am not hydrating appropriately during and after the game I will wake up in the middle of the night feeling more parched than a 1000-year-old mummy.
“Reductions in body mass by >2% due to dehydration are consistently associated with greater fatigue and lower alertness.”4
Bottom line – stay hydrated if you want to feel and perform better mentally, emotionally, and physically.
How much water do you need to stay properly hydrated?
Most people don’t drink enough water, on average adults only drink one liter (~ 4 cups) of water a day, this simply isn’t enough5 so what do you want to consume each day? Let us take a look at what the science has to say.
The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies has said that people who appear properly hydrated consume on average.6
Women: 2.7 liters (91 ounces) per day
Men: 3.7 liters (125 ounces) per day
This is the total water from both food and beverages. On average about 80% of people’s water comes from drinking liquids and 20% comes from food. Knowing this then the average amount of liquids that should be consumed based on their recommendations are:
Women = 2.15 liters (73 ounces) per day.
Men = 2.95 liters (100 ounces) per day.
This recommendation includes all types of liquids including coffee, tea, juices, milk, etc. (alcohol doesn’t count).
Now if we compare this to the recommendations from the European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA) they recommend the following fluid intake (from food and liquids) for people who live in moderate climates and moderate physical activity levels.7
Women = 2 liters (68 ounces) per day.
Men = 2.5 liters (85 ounces) per day.
If you live in a hot climate or exercise then you will need to drink more to stay hydrated as you will lose more fluids through sweat.8
The numbers above are generic and not individualized as your body size plays a role which is why I like to work with the following calculation that has worked well for me and my clients.
Ounces of water to drink a day = your body weight (in pounds) divided by 2.
For me, at 168lb I would want to drink 168/2 = 84 ounces (2.48 liters) of non-alcoholic liquids a day.
In my experience, I find I feel best when the majority of those liquids are water.
So take your body weight in lbs and consume that in non-alcoholic liquids a day. However, you are an individual and unique! That is why I recommend you try drinking that amount and see how you feel – do you feel the same, worse, or better mentally and physically?
If better then heck yes keep it going. If worse or the same then you should keep tinkering to find the right amount for you.
You can also use your urine to help determine your hydration status as well, you want ideally a very light yellow color (it will almost look clear) throughout the day. First thing it might be a bit more yellow as you have been sleeping.
The infographic below can be a good guide from the Australian government-funded organization Health Direct.9
I supplement with B2 (riboflavin) because I get migraines and it turns my urine neon yellow so if you take B2 or a multi-vitamin with high levels of it you might notice this as well which can make using your urine a tough judge of your hydration status.
You can use your thirst sensation but it is not a great way to judge hydration as it weakens as we age which means you might not be thirsty but also might not be adequately hydrated.
A friend of mine recently told me they decided to start drinking at least 2 liters of water a day and guess what happened? They have more energy, they feel better mentally, are more emotionally resilient and their body feels better.
As you know something I believe wholeheartedly in is finding what works best for you. Try drinking your 1/2 your body weight in pounds in water for several days and see how it makes you feel – better, worse, or the same.
- If better that is fantastic keep it going.
- If worse then do you need to stick with it for a few more days, is it too much for you, and/or do you have some health issues that make it difficult for you to excrete excess water?
- If the same, are you very active or it is warm in your environment and need more water?
What matters is finding what amount of water is right and best for you as an individual because that is what this is all about – helping you feel and live better!
If you struggle like a lot of people do to stay hydrated then I have tips below that can help you.
7 Hacks to stay hydrated:
- Start the day with 17 ounces (500mL) of warm water.
This helps you replenish lost liquids during sleep and gives you a great start on your hydration for the day. The reason I recommend warm is that it helps to speed up the absorption, and a cold glass of water can sit heavy in your stomach like existential dread that isn’t how you want to start the day so make it a warm glass!
- Drink an 8-17 ounces (250-500mL) glass of water 5-15 minutes before a meal.
This is another easy way to remember to get your water in. While you are getting your food together drink a glass of water. If you had 17 ounces of water before breakfast, lunch, and dinner plus had a 17-ounce glass first thing in the morning you would be well on your way (or might have hit) your water goals for the day.
- Get a reusable water bottle
It is hard to drink water if you don’t have any water with you. A reusable water bottle is an easy investment to make in your well-being. There are two big keys, first know the size and secondly only refill it once you have finished the bottle.
I have a 1 litre reusable water bottle and I like this size because I know if I can drink 3 of them a day I am laughing. I like having a bigger bottle because I don’t always do a good job at refilling it when it is empty right away so if it is bigger I have to refill it less. Some of my clients they like a smaller bottle of 500mL because it makes it easier to bring around, it can fit in their car’s cup holders and it is lighter. Figure out what works before for you.
Once you have a water bottle, and you know the size take your water goal for the day and divide it by how big your bottle is. You now know how many bottles you should drink a day.
Plus now you have this cool accessory to bring everywhere and all the cool kids (at least in my books) carry around a water bottle, being dehydrated was so last year.
Note: it is a good idea to regularly wash your water bottle or it will eventually get funkier that Saturday night at the disco.
- Drink a bottle or glass of water between every coffee or tea.
If you have multiple coffees or teas each day then this is a great hack for you. I usually have 2 coffees a day, 3 if I am working out first thing in the morning and I don’t always do a great job hydrating during my morning so I make it a rule that I cannot have another coffee if I haven’t finished my bottle of water. It is great motivation to get that water in!
This hack has also worked great for a number of my clients.
- Make your water tastier
Some people tell me, “You know what I just don’t like the taste of water.” I honestly never understood this until last year.
My wife and I bought our first home and we moved to a new city in the summer I cannot stand the taste of the tap water. This is because apparently when it is above 19 degrees Celsius (66 Fahrenheit) our water can have a musty odor or smell. That musty smell/odor is revolting to me so this time of year I make sure I put all my drinking water through a water filter to make it tastier.
If you still have an issue drinking plain water then make it sexier and more enticing so that you look forward to drinking that delicious, hydrating liquid that is critical sustenance to your human existence.
There are a variety of options add an herbal tea bag, a squeeze of lemon or lime, an electrolyte tablet, flavored carbonated water (if you have diverticulitis avoid carbonated water), etc. You need some flavor to help you get your water in then go ahead and do it.
- Pick a trigger
What is something you do often that will remind you to drink water? Every time you check your email, sit down, stand up, look at your cute pet, etc.
Having something that can remind you to drink water can help. For a lot of people as they start to engrain a new habit what ends up being their downfall is forgetting about it. Having something to trigger you to drink can help.
For me, my trigger is realizing how exceptionally amazing and perfect I am (just kidding – I would be more dehydrated than the Saraha desert). For me, it isn’t tied to anything I just have my water bottle with me everywhere so that visual reminder is extremely useful.
- Get yourself a “drinking buddy.”
Not a booze drinking buddy but a water-drinking one!
Accountability can be a super powerful way to keep yourself on track when starting a new habit so finding someone who can help to keep you on the path to hydration heaven can be helpful. It could be a friend, partner, kid, coworker, grandchild, trainer, coach, etc.
Once you have this “drinking buddy” remind each other to stay hydrated. If you don’t see them in person, send them a reminder text or an update on your hydration status.
You might not need to keep this going forever (or you could if you’re immortal but then you’re probably a vampire so why are you drinking water?) but it can be useful as you build up this habit.
Conclusion:
Drinking water is awesome and it makes you more awesome so why wouldn’t you strive to drink half your body weight (lbs) in ounces of water per day?
When you stay hydrated with ease you will boost your cognitive and physical capacity, including helping your joints feel better, increasing your energy, stamina, and more.
If you were a cyborg you’d need to oil up your parts so things don’t wear down and stay functional. Well, you’re a flesh and blood human (if you’re a cyborg I apologize) and as a flesh and blood human your oil is water – it keeps everything working well.
Stay hydrated and use some or all of the hacks I listed above to help you hit your hydration goals because to retire healthier you need to do the work to make sure that happens and that means the daily action of hydration.
Sources:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4207053/ ↩︎
- https://www.who.int/europe/news-room/feature-stories/item/staying-hydrated-in-the-heat–what-the-public-can-learn-from-professional-athletes ↩︎
- https://files.leagueathletics.com/Images/Club/1511/DEHYDRATION%20AND%20REHYDRATION%20FOR%20HOCKEY.pdf ↩︎
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6356561/ ↩︎
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4207053/ ↩︎
- https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2004/02/report-sets-dietary-intake-levels-for-water-salt-and-potassium-to-maintain-health-and-reduce-chronic-disease-risk ↩︎
- https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/1459 ↩︎
- https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/fulltext/2007/02000/exercise_and_fluid_replacement.22.aspx ↩︎
- https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/ ↩︎
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