Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Tip Tuesday : Hydrate

We all love warmer days, the sunshine and the endless outdoor possibilities. With those great changes in temperature, we need to be more careful with hydration. 

Tip Tuesday - Hydrate

The first important tip is understanding how much water one needs to drink per day so that the body can function well.

There are some general rules of thumb like 2 liters, 8 glasses or 1 gallon (the latter is the rule of thumb in bodybuilding and in fitness) a day. One thing they have in common is that they are extremely easy to track. So if you do not want to put much thinking into it, any of these could be a solution to you.

However, you can also go to a more personal approach by calculating how much water you (yes, I mean YOU) need on a daily basis. I first learned about it when training with Nicole Moneer, but you can find various articles on the internet about it.

So how do you calculate it? First of all, you need to know your weight in pounds (1kg = 2.2 pounds). Then, you calculate 2/3 of it (or 67%). That is how much water you should drink in ounces.

Using myself as example, I weight 52kg, or approximately 115 pounds. 2/3 of 115 is 77. So in my case, I should drink 77 ounces water per day, or 2.3 liters. Well, that is without taking my physical activity into consideration.

Active people or athletes should add 12 ounces (or 350ml) water per 30 minutes of physical activity. On a daily basis, I do cardio for about 30 minutes and lift weights for an average of 1 hour. Therefore, I should add 36 ounces (or 1 liter) water to 2.3, getting a total of 3.3 liters per day.

Note that 1 gallon water represents 3.8 liters. So you see that the average generally recommended is not so off as one could think.


Do not wait until you are thirsty! Drink Water!

In addition to keeping track and drinking enough water, another tips I consider important to have in mind are:

  • Drink 2 glasses of water right after waking up (helps detoxing)
  • Add minerals to your water once a day (I use Celtic salt)
  • Don't wait until you are thirsty to drink (it is already too late then)
  • Mix water to your fruit juice (you'll get more with less sugar)
  • If you are a forgettable type, add regular reminders to your agenda (you will never miss it again) 

Well these are my tips for this week. Whatever regimen you choose for yourself, stop immediately if you feel unwell and consult your MD to be sure it is not "something else".


Do you know how much water you drink now? Do you keep a bottle or a glass water close to you during the day?


Got some tips yourself you would like to share with others, please join "Tip Tuesday" Linkup below. You can find the rules are here. Grab the button and have fun!


Tip Tuesday Linkup






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#DebbieInShape



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