Do You Drink Enough Water?

Your body needs water to stay hydrated and avoid injury (read muscle cramps). How much of it varies depending on your activity level throughout the day, but a good base to start with is half your weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 120 pounds, aim to drink 60 ounces of water per day. That may sound like a lot, but consider a Big Gulp from 7-Eleven is 30 ounces. If you can drink a Big Gulp of soda in one sitting, your stomach can hold 60 ounces of water throughout the day.

Timing is also important. Some say if you’re drinking water when you’re thirsty, it’s too late. There is some truth to that in terms of overall hydration. You want to start a workout fully hydrated to avoid playing catch up. But playing catch up is better than getting cramps so ignore the haters and drink water when you’re thirsty, even if you start a workout under-hydrated. Lack of hydration prep is really only a major factor if it’s incredibly hot out — and even then, it should only delay the start of a workout. It’s not a good enough excuse to skip it all together.

There does come a point, however, when water isn’t enough. Athletes — and even average Joes — who expend a significant amount of calories during a workout lose more than just water — they also lose sodium and carbohydrates, which is a particular concern with endurance exercises like running, or any exercise performed in extreme heat. It’s simple — the more you sweat, the more sodium loss you will have and the longer you are active, the more energy you’ll use up. And you’ll need to replace that through liquids and/or food.

Water contains minimal levels of sodium, certainly not enough to maintain healthy levels over the course of a long or particularly arduous workout. And water contains zero carbohydrates, which are also a big factor in endurance. For carbs, most people turn to sugar. That’s why a lot of athletes drink sports drinks. In fact, I had a trainer who carried Starburst candies when running half marathons. Sure, you can spend a lot on “performance” snacks, but at the end of the day, they’re mostly sugar anyway, he said.

I’ve run a number of endurance races in distances up to and including marathon as well as Ragnar Relays and obstacle course races. Over time, you get to know your body and how much water, carbs, and/or sodium you need on the course. But a general rule of thumb, covered in this article by Rice University, is you need to add carbs and maybe sodium for activities where you’ll be active for more than an hour, definitely sodium when you’ll be active more than 3 hours (like a marathon).

Sports drinks, like Gatorade and Powerade, get mixed reviews from the general public because they contain sodium and sugar levels that are higher than recommended for a sedentary individual. But guess what? They aren’t meant for a sedentary individual. Sure, that orange Gatorade is delicious, but if all you do for exercise is work out your fingers at the computer all day, you’re just filling your body up with empty calories and added sugars that will do nothing for your health in the long run.

And some active folks just don’t like sports drinks. Luckily, there are many other ways to get sodium and electrolytes that don’t involve liquid. From gels to gummies to energy waffles, you can find something that works for you. And in the end, that’s really all that matters — the solution needs to work for you.

— By Lesley Nickus, healthy eater and researcher of cool stuff

Lesley is not a nutritionist, doctor or dietician. Before making big changes to your diet, be sure to talk to your doctor about specific needs you might have.