Water is a vital component of survival, performance, and long-term well-being. How long can we go without water? Basically, we need to find a source within about three days (depending on activity level and environment) or we’re in big trouble.
We intuitively know that water must be important (think about the last time you were truly parched and how desperately your body signaled its distress) but we probably don’t know just how much.
Our bones are over 20% water and blood is over 80%. It composes 75% of the brain, 70% of muscles, and over 70% of lungs. In fact, nearly 60% of an average person’s weight is water.
It’s critical for digestion (through saliva and food conversion). It allows the body’s cells to grow, reproduce and survive, and it lubricates joints. It’s needed by the brain to manufacture hormones and neurotransmitters. And it helps to deliver oxygen all over the body.
Staying fully hydrated is even more important as we get older when our ability to detect thirst gets worse.
From a performance perspective, a mere 1% loss of body mass due to fluid loss is considered “dehydrated”, and a modest 2% loss results in a 20% decrease in physical performance levels in temperate climates and up to a 40% decrease in hot temperatures.
Here are three thing to think about, check out, or do to make sure you’re getting enough water this week (and beyond):
1). How much water do you need every day? Check out this chart of water requirements relative to body weight: https://www.bronsonhealth.com/app/files/public/5131/water-chart---8-oz.jpg
I like to carry a container full of water with me all day to stay “topped up”…here’s my new personal favorite (putting a little bright orange in my life!).
2). A great article from Outside Magazine called The New Rules of Hydration starts with “There’s a ton of misinformation about how much to hydrate and when, but the basics are actually pretty simple. Here’s what you need to know.” Find it here: https://www.outsideonline.com/2148776/new-rules-hydration
3). So what if you’re a masters athlete or high performing 50+’er who’s done everything else right and wants to eek out that little extra? Check out this article on the special hydration needs of masters athletes: https://www.nastar.com/news/drink-hydration-critical-aging-athletes
For more inspiration and information, check out the In Search of Lost Mojo podcast show where I interview world-class athletes, adrenaline-addicted adventurers, and audacious achievers from ages 50 to 150, as well as globally-renowned experts in human performance and longevity, to figure out how to put an end to “old” → www.timzak.com/podcast
[Originally Posted: October 27, 2017]
