Hydration needs are very individualized. Factors that affect hydration needs include your age, gender, size, exercise habits, e.g., type, duration, intensity, and also the climate you exercise in. Below are general recommendations for males and females WITHOUT consideration for exercise:
For every 15 minutes of exercise, you need to INCREASE fluid intake by 5 – 10 ounces.
If exercising outside in a hot climate, or living in a warm climate, consider increasing total fluid consumption by 5 – 10%. In the example above, that means increasing fluids an additional ~5 – 15 ounces per day.
Remember that some of the foods you eat, particularly fruits and vegetables, also contain water. These recommendations are based on a combination of water, milk, and other beverages and food you consume, NOT just water alone. Remember to keep sugary drinks (consumed outside of training) to a minimum.
If you’re drastically under-hydrating, start with small steps towards your goal—don’t try to skip to your daily target overnight: your bladder won’t be happy. Aim to increase your daily intake over the next 1 – 2 weeks, until you’re consistently near your daily target.
EXAMPLE:
If a female exercises for 60 minutes, she needs to consume an additional 20 – 40 ounces per day, bringing her daily total to 116 – 136 ounces.
The best method for assessing hydration status is to monitor the color of your urine. Your urine should be “light like lemonade,” NOT “dark like apple juice.” The darker your urine, the more dehydrated you are. “Clear like water” isn’t desirable either, as this is a sign you’re low on electrolytes (sodium and potassium), which can negatively impact performance, and how you feel.
It’s common to skimp out on hydration habits when starting a new diet plan because you invest all of your time and energy into nailing the food portion.
Dehydration is a major cause of headaches during the day. Your brain itself is mostly water, so a lack of water leads to irritability, decreased cognitive function, inability to focus, and ultimately a nasty headache. To help reduce headaches, reassess your hydration habits moving forward.
Sometimes the headaches are from eating less total carbs – or just less total food – than compared to before you started the plan. These almost always go away within several days to several weeks of starting the plan.
No. Caffeine is a mild diuretic, but if you drink a good amount of fluids (nothing crazy extra) over a 24-hour period, its effect on your total hydration are negligible.
Yes. Both can even count towards your daily fluid goal, just remember to also consistently drink other fluids throughout the day.
Yes. If you need a tablespoon of creamer or milk, that’s perfectly fine. Stick with low calorie creamers and sweeteners, and sugar substitute instead of actual table sugar. Steer clear of high calorie creamers when dieting to lose fat.
Yes, you may. Up to 10 cans of diet soda per day appear to be a safe for long term human consumption, though we recommend a more moderate amount, like a couple of cans or bottles of diet soda per day, which won’t interfere with your fat loss or muscle gain goals or otherwise harm your health.
Yes. There is an overwhelming amount of research on the safety of consumption of artificial sweeteners. Short of eating them with a spoon, they are safe to have throughout the day.