When it comes to in-workout hydration, most endurance athletes can tell you the traditional wisdom: Drink at least a bottle (around 20 ounces) per hour with some electrolytes. More on hot days.
That’s great information and an awesome starting point, but often, that’s where hydration advice ends. As busy athletes ourselves, we know how easy this common-but-problematic scenario is:
6AM wakeup, Stretches, quick dog walk
6:15AM breakfast: eggs, potatoes, spinach and two cups of coffee
7-9AM work, one cup of coffee
9-11AM bike ride, two bottles of water
12PM lunch: yogurt bowl
1-5PM work, two cups of coffee
6PM dinner: rice bowl, glass of water
7PM relax, glass of wine
Did you spot the problem here? Until that athlete got on the bike, he didn’t drink a single cup of water. Worse, he drank coffee, and continued to do so throughout the day. Nothing against coffee, but it is a diuretic, meaning it actually makes you pee more, so you’re potentially in a lower hydration status than you were before.
The solution to this is so simple that it almost hurts to write: Drink more water. When you wake up, drink a damn glass of water. After your workout, sip some water. Throughout the day, at least alternate your coffee consumption with water.
It’s not the sexiest diet “hack” but it makes a HUGE difference in your day. If you’re not great at drinking enough water, I highly recommend getting a big bottle that you can fill just once or twice through the day and sip from (even if you decant it into a glass) just to have an idea of how much you’re drinking. I find this works better than filling up your glass from the tap, since you’ll become much more aware of your total water consumption.
