Water intake tips!
By Jay Johnson
In this article I’ll cover a few quick tips when it comes to water intake and ensuring that you have all the right info keep your water intake the way it should be and why.
Having the proper amount of water and intake may seem like an easy task, but how often is it that you hear someone say or think yourself “I don’t drink enough water or “Man I’m down on my water intake again today”. Not only does water help you burn calories, keep you hydrated, it helps your skin complexion, and overall helps your joints which is a critical part of weight training and strength conditioning. Below are some quick tips so that you can ensure to have proper water intake on a daily basis and stay on top of your game to where you will have zero issues with hitting your goals when it comes to keeping your H2O up to par:
- Always carry a measured bottle: In the car, at work, at home, in the office, no matter where you are the key is ensuring that you always have a source to drink water. This is a simple reason that you see a lot of the bodybuilder types carrying a large gallon of water with them. While this may not be 100% necessary, it is a easy way to measure your water intake considering at the end of the day the gallon of water simply has to be gone. That’s part of the reason why you see it so frequently in the fitness industry. Consistently remind yourself that you have to have it within arms reach, and the easiest way to do that is to have a go-to bottle to consistently carry around with you everywhere that you go. It will get to a point as long as you stay with it that you will not think about it unless you have it with you similar to your wallet, or your phone.
- Track your water intake: if it’s FitBit, My Fitness pal, or some different third-party water tracking application, tracking your water is CRITICAL and quite possibly the most important factor in ensuring that you have the proper amount of water intake. A simple action such as using your phones notepad application to log when you have drank every serving of your water works just the same.You may get to a point where you realize that bottles come in particular servings, or even as proficient as being able to eye a glass of water to have an idea with how much the glass holds. Times like these when you actually will see yourself getting frustrated when the waiter or waitress costly refills your water at a restaurant before you can track exactly how much that you drink.
- How much should I drink per day? All too often we hear that the comment thought process is he just drink a gallon a day, or for hardcore bodybuilders just drink 2 gallons a day. A good rule of thumb by weight is about 70% of your body weight in ounces. So that would be the equivalent of 140 ounces of water per day for somebody that weighs 200 pounds. For ease, and simplicity, I have always followed the rule of thumb from a gallon to a gallon and a half during non-contest prep, and roughly 2 gallons during contest prep. For bodybuilding particularly, it is until I get right before showtime then I manipulate water to the point to where it is a meticulous measure based on what phase I am in in preparation for the show.
- What water sources? I personally have been a fan of using tapwater just the same as I would bottled water, or water from a restaurant. Depending on where you live, this may not be a viable option, so if that is the case natural spring water, or purified water would suffice. Either way a reliable source that you can either keep with you consistently, or get anywhere throughout the day will be critical in order to hit your goal on water intake.
Following these tips will get you in the right direction with ensuring that your body is properly hydrated with the right amount of water. As always and with everything, consistency and staying the course is one thing that cannot be taught but needs to be applied. That goes for literally every different plan, or discipline that is available on the NFE page.
