**I think the title should actually say Why I'm TRYING to drink 100 oz of water a day!**
One of the standards in the book Ready to Run is HYDRATION. Kelly recommends drinking 2-3 liters of water a day to keep your tissues, muscles, joints, and lymphatic system hydrated.
I know, I know, that's a lot of water. 2 liters is about 67 oz and 3 liters is about 100 oz.
Before chasing this hydration standard, I was drinking about 50 oz of water a day. Not too shabby, but it's only about half as much as Kelly believes I should be drinking. I decided to make a concerted effort to double the amount of water I was drinking in a day. That meant filling up 'ol blue boy 4 times!
Kelly also recommends spiking your water with a pinch of salt or other electrolyte tablet so that your body absorbs the water and you don't just pee it out! I opted for the salt as I didn't feel like buying anything special. I am still peeing A LOT, so I don't know if my body actually is absorbing the water, or if it is going to take time to get used to all the extra liquid...
Please note, that I am not recommending everyone drink this much water... I don't even know if I am going to feel any different drinking all this water. I am just doing it because, well, I am trying to chase each standard in the book, and this is one of them! Also, I am an all or nothing type of person. If I am really committed to following Kelly's advice on becoming "Ready to Run" then I can't pick and choose what standards to chase and which ones not to chase.
Here is how my quest for proper hydration (according to Kelly) is going...
Day #1: This was supposed to be a work day but school got called off because of snow. My water bottle is 24 oz so my goal was to fill it up 4 times and drink all it of. I managed to drink 3.5 water bottles, so that is not bad!
Day #2: Today was easier, as I drank one entire water bottle before I even left the gym in the morning. I slacked later on in the evening, so I didn't quite make it to 100 oz. I had about a quarter of my last bottle left.
Day#3: The day didn't start off very well. Instead of drinking water all morning, I drank a huge iced coffee! So I was severely behind to begin with. I had a chiropractor appointment in the afternoon, so I cut back on water because I didn't want to have to pee during my appointment. (I am not sure adding salt to the water is helping me absorb it.) So Day #3 was a bust, in which I only drank about 3 bottles.
Day #4: SUCCESS! I drank all 4 bottles before I even went to bed that night! I did a happy dance and then ate chocolate.
I'm going to keep chasing this standard and try to be mindful of hydrating properly. I'm not sure if I will ever be able to drink 100 oz every single day, but I think as long as I'm getting 3 in, that's an improvement from what I was doing before!
Day #2: Today was easier, as I drank one entire water bottle before I even left the gym in the morning. I slacked later on in the evening, so I didn't quite make it to 100 oz. I had about a quarter of my last bottle left.
Day#3: The day didn't start off very well. Instead of drinking water all morning, I drank a huge iced coffee! So I was severely behind to begin with. I had a chiropractor appointment in the afternoon, so I cut back on water because I didn't want to have to pee during my appointment. (I am not sure adding salt to the water is helping me absorb it.) So Day #3 was a bust, in which I only drank about 3 bottles.
Day #4: SUCCESS! I drank all 4 bottles before I even went to bed that night! I did a happy dance and then ate chocolate.
I'm going to keep chasing this standard and try to be mindful of hydrating properly. I'm not sure if I will ever be able to drink 100 oz every single day, but I think as long as I'm getting 3 in, that's an improvement from what I was doing before!
How much water do you drink a day?
I read this post earlier in bed this morning on my phone (my phone has stopped allowing me to comment, :( ) After I read it I drank a glass and a half of water....lol. In my travel cup with the straw I've been putting lemon and lime slices to add a little flavour.
ReplyDeleteSounds yummy!!!! Everyone who reads today is going to be so HYDRATED! I didn't do so well yesterday. We had game night and I was drinking wine and soda instead of water. :(
DeleteWhere will it go if you absorb it? Swelling? Too much salt = swelling. Being well hydrated is good for your kidneys and your skin!
ReplyDeleteIt's just a pinch of salt so your body can absorb as much as it can. He says if you're upping your water intake but you're still thirsty and you're making a ton of trips to the bathroom, it's hypo-hydration.
DeleteI have actually been forgetting the pinch of salt these past couple days. I don't feel bloated because I keep peeing!
Most days I probably drink more than 100oz without even trying. I know that's a bit crazy but I love drinking a cold glass of water so much. Adam says I pee 50 times a day which is probably true, but I am always drinking water!! I'm not a fan of most electrolyte drinks (Gatorade, Nuun, etc) but I love the cherry Ultima. I've been hooked on it since I tried it at the Portland Marathon.
ReplyDeleteYou rock! And glad to know I'm not the only one always peeing! Good thing I have 5 minutes in between each music class...
DeleteI drink a LOT of water every day. I have one of the big Bubba mugs and I fill it anywhere from 4-8x every day. Now when I have a day that I don't get as much water for some reason I always feel it.
ReplyDeleteOh, and over time I think your body adjusts to all the water and you stop peeing as often:)
Oh good, that is good to know!
DeleteI drink A LOT. Right now I drink a least 2 liters of water daily when I don't run (something around that) and at least 2,6 when I run, and the rest is Pepsi Max. But now I'm going to stop with my stupid Pepsi Max addiction, so I'll be drinking even more water. Wuhu! Only annyoing part about drinking a lot is having to pee A LOT hahahaha, I swear, I probably spend 1/3 of my day in the bathroom xD
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, you are going to be drinking so much water if you stop with the diet soda! I mean, you already drink a lot of water!
DeleteWhen I stopped the diet soda, I def drank a lot more water.
I've always heard that perfect hydration differs for everyone, which is why the "8 cups of water a day" is kind of a general rule but not set in stone. 100 oz sounds like it would be hard to do...I get SO FULL and bored of water.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you know how hard it is to take a bathroom break in the middle of the school day! I'm sure you're practicing training your bladder haha.
It IS a lot! But only about 1 more water bottle more than I'm used to. Luckily, I have 5 min between each class. Classes are a half hour... sometimes it is hard to get through that half hour!!!
DeleteOh and I was thinking about your "different for everyone" comment. That makes sense. Like someone who weighs 100 lbs surely needs less water than someone that weighs 200 lbs... right? I mean, I just made that up but it makes sense, doesn't it?
DeleteI got behind on reading and commenting, so I just read all your "new plan" posts. I think getting healthy is a fantastic goal, and I'm interested to follow this journey of yours. On the water front -- I drink a ton of it! I'm glad that I teach high school instead of elementary, because I don't know what I'd do without the four minutes between classes to pee and refill my bottle. :)
ReplyDeleteNice!!! With music I have 5 minutes between classes, otherwise I would need Depends!
DeleteIf I don't carry my water bottle, I don't drink ANYTHING. Yesterday I left both of mine at work so of course I barely drank anything when I got home.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear a dr. recommends just about what my book recommends!
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