Staying hydrated seems like an easy thing to do: drink water, feel better, perform better. A lot of athletes make many common mistakes that hurt their performance without even knowing. Many people, including athletes think they know a lot about hydration, until they realize they are actually doing it wrong. Whether your training for a sport, staying consistent at the gym, or simply going for a run, avoiding these mistakes can make a big difference.
Mistake 1: Waiting Until You’re Thirsty to Drink Water
Most people don’t realize that when you wait to drink water until you feel thirsty during your workout, you are already behind on hydration. Thirst is your body’s way of telling you that you are dehydrated. Loosing any fluid weight can hurt your performance.
The Fix: Get into the habit of drinking water consistently throughout the day even if you aren’t thirsty. Drinking about half your body weight in ounces daily, plus extra for workouts will allow your body to stay hydrated before you start your workout. This will make it easier for your body to already be hydrated instead of it trying to catch up half-way through your workout.
Mistake 2: Chugging Large Amounts of Water All at Once
It is common for athletes to chug water all at once when you are performing. You skip drinking water all morning, then try to make up for it and chug water before or during your workout. When you chug too much water all at once, it just sits in your stomach. This causes bloating and discomfort, so most of the water doesn’t absorb properly.
The Fix: Focus on drinking water regularly instead of chugging it. While performing, take small drinks every 15-20 minutes rather than waiting till you are desperate and need to chug water.
Mistake 3: Ignoring Electrolytes
Water is very important, but there are other options to stay hydrated as well. When you perform and start to sweat, there is more than just water you are loosing. When you sweat you loose, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and other electrolytes that your muscles need to function properly. If you only replace fluids like water, and don’t replace electrolytes your performance will suffer.
The Fix: For workouts over an hour or intense trainings where you sweat a lot, adding some type of electrolytes can help you stay hydrated. An electrolyte you can take is a sports drink, electrolyte tablets, or adding a little bit of salt to your water can help.
Mistake 4: Only Focusing on Hydration During Workouts
A lot of athletes only think about drinking water during their training time, but being hydrated doesn’t work like that. Drinking water throughout the entire day affects how you perform. If you only hydrate during your workout your already starting it off by being dehydrated and your body is trying to catch back up.
The Fix: Make hydration and drinking water a routine throughout the whole day. Keeping a water bottle with you all day can help as a reminder to drink water more consistently. Paying close attention to your urine can help you know if you are hydrated enough or not. A pale yellow means you are, but a darker yellow means you are dehydrated. Drinking water the day before a big performance can help you perform better.
Mistake 5: Neglecting Post-Workout Hydration
Some athletes are good about hydration before and during their workout, but forget about after. Post-workout hydration is important for recovery, reducing soreness, and getting your body ready for your next performance. If you stay dehydrated after working-out, your recovery slows down and you will be sore the next day.
The Fix:
Being intentional about rehydrating after every session is important. Filling your water bottle up after you perform is a reminder that you need to drink more water. You can weigh yourself after your performance and for every pound you lose, drink 16-24 ounces of water. Don’t stop drinking after you are done being thirsty, instead focus on getting fully rehydrated to maximize recovery.
Final Thoughts:
Proper Hydration is an easy thing to control that makes a big difference in your performance. Avoiding these five mistakes can help you perform better, recover faster, feel better, and stay more consistent. You should start thinking about hydration all day, not just right before or during your workout.
Having a good water bottle that you actually like and care about makes drinking water throughout the day easier, making these habits become easier. The best water bottle is the one you keep with you and use consistently.