There is a school of thought that you only need to drink a certain amount based upon your weight. I use a Hydration Coach, a "smart water bottle," that makes this calculation for me and helps me stay on track. I can adjust the calculation by subtracting fluids I don't take via the bottle, such as coffee, tea or juice. Their calculator is here.
I may not be a "high performing athlete," but I am a marathoner/athlete approaching age 60. As a coach, I've been teaching our training program's "rule" that our sports nutritionist follows: your body can only absorb about 4-6 ounces every 30 minutes. That would put you at about 8 ozs (or, 1 glass) of fluid per hour, totaling 64 ozs in a typical 8 hour day, as Mayo Clinic suggests.
The danger of hyponatremia can be very real; but, as Alison pointed out, if you're not at a high athletic activity level, this danger may not apply to you. The woman you may be referring to, and I'm just guessing here, is the Chicago marathoner who over-hydrated with plain water and did not ingest any electrolytes to replace the essential minerals lost during such an event - potassium, sodium and magnesium.
The bottom line is to drink clear water as much as possible and take in fluids before you feel thirsty. Our bodies are a big fluid bag and we need to maintain proper hydration to keep our internal works, skin, etc. healthy.
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Great question!
There is a school of thought that you only need to drink a certain amount based upon your weight. I use a Hydration Coach, a "smart water bottle," that makes this calculation for me and helps me stay on track. I can adjust the calculation by subtracting fluids I don't take via the bottle, such as coffee, tea or juice. Their calculator is here.
I may not be a "high performing athlete," but I am a marathoner/athlete approaching age 60. As a coach, I've been teaching our training program's "rule" that our sports nutritionist follows: your body can only absorb about 4-6 ounces every 30 minutes. That would put you at about 8 ozs (or, 1 glass) of fluid per hour, totaling 64 ozs in a typical 8 hour day, as Mayo Clinic suggests.
The danger of hyponatremia can be very real; but, as Alison pointed out, if you're not at a high athletic activity level, this danger may not apply to you. The woman you may be referring to, and I'm just guessing here, is the Chicago marathoner who over-hydrated with plain water and did not ingest any electrolytes to replace the essential minerals lost during such an event - potassium, sodium and magnesium.
The bottom line is to drink clear water as much as possible and take in fluids before you feel thirsty. Our bodies are a big fluid bag and we need to maintain proper hydration to keep our internal works, skin, etc. healthy.
November 10, 2008 - 9:19pmThis Comment
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