-Clark Hibbs
Y’all. Hate to break it to you, but summer is prrrrrretty much here. It’s hot, muggy, steamy, and guaranteed to make you sweat your tail off every time you workout (or go outside and get the mail, because you know, #Houston).
Here’s deal — we all need to keep hydration at the forefront of our minds, especially now that the heat is upon us!
The golden rule: drink half of your bodyweight in ounces of water a day. That means a ~200lb person like myself should be drinking approximately 100oz of water a day. This can vary a little depending on activity level… non-workout days don’t require as much (think 80oz), but on a tough workout day your body could need more.
Tracking your water can be a bit of an annoyance throughout the day, so here are a few tips to help keep yourself hydrated.
1) Start your day with water, not coffee. No, I’m not saying to give up the good stuff… but instead of starting your day with a morning cup of coffee, let’s start it with a morning glass of water, THEN get to the coffee.
2) Carry a re-fillable water bottle. If you know the amount of water that bottle carries, you can set an easy goal of, “I have to drink X amount of these during the day.”
3) Set reminders on your phone to drink water. When it gets hot, a recurring alarm every hour to get in some water is a really good idea. Might seem ridiculous at first, but turning off an alarm every hour is a lot better than getting to the gym and feeling crushed by the heat.
4) Mix in some electrolyte powders. NUUN tablets or Pedialyte are excellent ways to get in more electrolytes and potassium that will help keep you hydrated.
5) Zero calorie water flavoring. Using some flavoring like mio or zero calorie crystal light is a great way to make water more palatable and to get you to drink more of it (because water is borrrrriiiiiing). Find a flavor you like and stock up!
6) Cut back on the booze. Yeah, no secret here but beer, wine, or any of the other stuff isn’t exactly a gateway to proper hydration. Cut back on it and you’ll not only save calories, but you’ll stay hydrated for longer as well!
Now, we don’t need you to be OVER hydrated. If you’re having to go to the bathroom ever 10 minutes, you’re probably plenty hydrated…. but for those of us that need help staying more hydrated, these tips should help!
Now go drink some water. You need it!
-Clark
