The Power of Hydration

The Glide and Slide of Performance

My brother-in-law once told me during a family dinner that “mashed potatoes are not a lubricant.” I’m sure we were in some competition to see who could eat something the fastest. We’re silly like that.

While potatoes are not a lubricant, water is, and most of us don’t get enough of it on a daily basis. Our bodies are made up of about 60% water, and the more muscle you have, the higher percentage that is. This water is the lubricant that keeps our bodies running smoothly.

Water helps our lungs function at peak capacity. It helps our muscles perform and recover. It keeps our joints moving smoothly. It flushes out the toxins our body creates. It’s kind of like the oil in your car, but unlike the oil in your car, you should replace your water daily.

You may have heard that you should drink eight 8-ounce classes of water (or 64oz) every day. This isn’t bad advice; it just isn’t sufficient, as it doesn’t take into account that we are all different sizes and have different amounts of muscle. As I mentioned earlier, muscle holds more water than adipose tissue.

As a general guideline, we recommend drinking 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water every day. A 200 lbs person should drink 100 ounces of water, and a 150 lbs person should drink 75oz. Compare that to the standard 64oz. In both cases, the person would be underhydrated.

As with most things, we don’t have the same needs. Luckily the amount of water you drink is measurable, observable, and repeatable. Start with 1/2 your body weight in ounces for a couple of weeks. See how things go. Make notes on how you feel, perform in the gym, sleep, etc. After a couple of weeks, tweak the amount of water you drink. Keep track of the same markers you were using the first 2 weeks. Do you feel better, the same, or worse? Is your performance in the gym better, the same, or worse? Use the data to make better decisions about your specific hydration needs and keep your body adequately lubricated.