Fitness: How do you hydrate?

I'm a fish. I drink pretty much nothing but water without much added in. Sometimes lemonade, the occasional soda when I go out to eat.

I drink when I'm thirsty. I admit I don't really track it too much. I, like @snowy, will note the color of my urine and try to adjust accordingly, but it's not usually a conscious effort.

 

i find that if i drink coffee ( which is probably twice a year) it makes me go to the bathroom quite quickly, so i feel like im de-hydrating. i try and avoid coffee at all costs, unless i need a big hit.

If i do a long run (15-20km+) i'll add some sports drink to my camelbak hydration pack. There's some new digital gadgets out there that guage how much water you've drank from your supply. They're pretty nifty, but the best indicator is your body, since everyone is different. If you're doing exercise, if you feel thirsty, then you're already dehydrated. dry lips and mouth is a very good indicator and you'll most likely find out before you pee.

One thing people should remember when checking the colour of their pee, is that the pee is diluted with the water is the toilet, so its really darker than it really looks in the toilet.

 

Do you have a bathroom scale?
I have found the most effective way to maintain my hydration is to weigh myself daily.
Your body mass weight really doesn't change day to day.
Changes in daily weight are mostly fluid related.
In the summer when I am cycling in the heat, I can get dehydrated. I can often pick up on it with my weight rather than waiting to feel woozy, nauseated, and lightheaded.

 

Mine is just habit. I rarely have to catch up.
32 oz of half herbal, half green tea most mornings, several mugs of water or herbal tea throughout the day.
At least one Powerade Zero if I have yoga or Crossfit. Mostly.
8oz of Trop50 in the morning. Random 16 -24 oz bottles of Ozarka throughout the day.
My body is really good at telling me if I'm nearing the time that I need to consume some fluids.
I used to drink 1.5 gallons of just water a day. I think I was over-hydrating and just peeing off everything.
So I listened to my body more. I eat a lot of soup and vegetables that have a lot of liquid, too.

 

Ideally, like this...



But most days, that's a stretch.

My hydration beverage of choice is water. I carry a bottle with me all day but am not as good with remembering to actually drink from it consistently—I'm working on that. Sometimes the bottle will be close to full by the end of the day, but I'll refill it for boot camp and finish it off by then, along with a second bottle between the end of class and bedtime if the class has been particularly taxing.

I think my biggest problem, aside from not being particularly bothered by feeling thirsty, is that I get wrapped up in whatever I'm doing at work and don't want to bother interrupting myself with having to get up to pee, which I know isn't good, either for my hydration or my state of mind. It's also easy to mistake dehydration—with its accompanying headache—for hunger, so I'm quick to snack on something rather than satisfy myself with water, which is what I should be doing. Working on that, too.

On weekends I'll make two or three cups worth of French press coffee to enjoy with breakfast. Hanging out at home I'll make tea to warm up if the house is cold.

 

I have a big water softener/filter system in my house and fill up water bottles from that.

I still don't drink enough water (or liquid) in a day, but it is a lot better than it was. My urologist gave me a container to pee in and during a 24 hour period, you should produce 2.0 liters of urine. I was at 0.6L and 0.9L when I was trying to drink more. It's been a while since I have tested that, I think I will do it again.

 

I usually drink tea in the morning (12-16 oz or so), and follow that up with glasses of water throughout the day. It's a lot easier for me to stay hydrates at home and when I'm working out than when I'm in class or on clinical. In the clinic, it's really hard to take time out to go get a drink or use the bathroom when you're responsible for a patient's safety, and joint commission rules in healthcare require water bottles to be in break room areas only, so I can't carry a water bottle around with me.

When I work out, though, I tend to over-hydrate. This is a reason I try to work out every day.. it kind of makes up for the rest of the day when I'm less able to get fluids in. I keep a cup in the bathroom and usually drink a full glass of water every time I use the restroom - fluid out, fluid in. This works well when I'm at home and start the day with fluids (tea + water), but isn't as effective if I'm dehydrated after being in class, because I don't use the restroom, therefore don't get water with that glass, and the cycle perpetuates itself.

 

One of the annoying side effects from dieting and exercise is that I basically have to pee all the time.

Your body holds onto less water, and I drink a crap ton of water. I don't keep track of it though because I know I'm getting enough, either iced tea or usually just water. I go with the old saying if you feel thirsty you waited to long to drink.

 

But I'm always drinking something...and I don't like straws, prefer to wet my whistle.
Also, I don't like ice if the drink is already cool.
-Well said.