Maria’s Hydration Experiment
- At April 21, 2016
- By Michelle Struckholz
- In Uncategorized
- 0
As an active adolescent and now young-adult, I heard the “make sure you’re properly hydrated” speech in dozens of versions from dozens of well-meaning parents, coaches, athletic trainers, compliance officers, and nutritionists. I even remember at the beginning of my first season as a college rower, we had a sit-down meeting with a sports nutritionist who brought in her “hydration chart,” which had yellow blocks of varying gradients arranged in a vertical line, from light to dark—I’m sure you can figure out what exactly she was trying to explain with it. But, during the years I spent running, swimming, and rowing, I had to get creative with my water drinking—in high school, we weren’t allowed to carry around water bottles to class, so that meant drinking between 2 and 4 ounces in the five minutes between each class period in order to be (what I perceived as) properly hydrated for afternoon practices. Waking up at 5am for morning rowing practices, I always drank a cup of green tea on my way to practices—it’s chilly early in the morning—and continued to drink water throughout the practice. But one had to be careful with his or her hydration level while in a boat… miles away from our boat house with the nearest available bathroom.
Fast forward to the present, I like to believe that I drink an adequate amount of water every day. However, I find it’s very easy to overestimate how much water you drink throughout the day, and just as easy to underestimate how much you really need. I like to believe I consume a gallon of water a day, but in reality the number is probably closer to about 2.5 liters, in addition to drinking what I personally estimate as anywhere to from 16 to 24 ounces of fluid I classify as “other,” in which I include coffee, tea, and the occasional sugar-free energy drink.
For the past week, I’ve been conducting a little experiment– working to consume one and a half gallons of water per day to see what impact, if any, was made on my performance in the gym and on the mat. I also applied the following rules to this experiment:
- I would drink water exclusively from a store-bought gallon—This was to serve as a visual benchmark for me, rather than to just be “pretty sure” that I had consumed all 190 (!) ounces of water
- The total of 190 ounces would not include any of my “other” drinks—coffee, tea, and any other drink was not factored into the daily total.
- The water could be flavored—we’ll talk more about that later
- I would record my experiences, and any changes I perceived while adopting this new habit
Here’s what I expected to happen…
-I’d be unable to finish just the full gallon of water—at first
-I’d be running back and forth to the bathroom all day
-I’d probably give up—or at least drastically limit—my “other” beverages and opt for water instead
-I’d have more energy, clearer skin, lose 5 pounds, become impervious to disease, and be able to walk through walls—I hear drinking more water has that kind of effect on people.
Here’s what DID NOT happen
- Surprisingly, during the beginning of the week, it was fairly easy to consume the whole 1.5 gallon total, probably because I was met with a new challenge and was earnestly trying to complete it. I found drinking water during the weekend more difficult than during the work week, and this is likely because I was able to add drinking more water to my already fairly stable weekly routine. Because weekends for me tend to be less structured, it then became harder to drink all 190 ounces of water throughout the day, and I found myself trying to drink most of the water around and during my own workout and jiu-jitsu training times.
- Also surprisingly, I was not running back and forth to the bathroom all day, every day during this experiment. This was probably the biggest shock to me personally, and this turned out to be an eye opener. Maybe 190 ounces is a lot of water in general, but the fact that I felt completely fine while drinking this much could be a sign that my ideal water intake should be a little higher.
- I still drank quite a bit of coffee. For the purposes of this experiment, I did not include anything other than water into the daily 190-oz total, but there is no direct evidence to support that coffee and tea have a dehydrating effect on the body, although caffeine can act as a mild diuretic. In my opinion, as long as you’re not drinking only coffee all day long, you’re probably not running the risk of being dehydrated. If it makes you feel more comfortable, you can try drinking 8 oz of water for every cup of coffee that you drink.
- Drinking water is certainly not a panacea for all health problems. However, I did find that at least, to some degree, the claim that drinking more water can help you feel more energetic did somewhat ring true for me during this experiment. Happily, I did feel adequately hydrated during all of my workouts and training sessions during this experiment. However, I don’t necessarily think that this was due to drinking more water in total, but instead spacing my water intake out evenly throughout the day. My skin didn’t become noticeably unmarred, and unfortunately I didn’t take on any superhuman abilities—and I drank quite a lot of water.
Here are some things I learned, and some conclusions that I was able to draw
- The “recommended daily intake” of water (about 3.7 liters for adult men and 2.7 liters for adult women) is not a hard and fast rule. Your individual needs are going to vary based on your age, activity level, and body chemistry…just to name a few factors.
- My own individual water intake is likely higher than what I was consuming prior to this experiment, though a gallon and a half did prove to be a lot of water, and probably more than necessary for me.
- Drinking water didn’t really make me feel “fuller” to a point where I felt like it also affected my food intake, but I did feel as though I had more energy for physical activity.
And, lastly, some tips to help you drink more water:
- I drank from a gallon jug throughout the duration of the experiment. I’d be hesitant to recommend it for convenience purposes unless you spend most of your day in one place, or away from a drinkable water source. I find the gallon cumbersome and rather annoying to carry around to different places each day, although seeing how much you have had to drink (and how much you have left) can inspire you to drink more.
- Flavoring your water can make drinking it more appealing. I’ve been known to do everything from cutting up lemons and oranges, to putting a few leaves of fresh mint into my water bottle. I also use a flavored Branched-Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) supplement that dissolves into my water. You can read more about BCAA’s here.
- Make drinking water part of your daily routine by attaching it to another activity you do regularly. If you wake up every morning and brew coffee at 7am, drink a glass of water while your coffee perks, or try to drink a full 8-10 oz glass of water every time you eat a meal or a snack. By making the act of drinking water a habit, eventually doing so will become second nature– it just takes time to cultivate the habit.
- If all else fails, set alarms on your phone. Space them an hour apart. This was a strategy I used while I was working in sales in New York City, and sitting at a desk all day. Setting an alarm on my phone (and, for iphone users, labeling the alarm “drink water”) not only helped me hydrate, but usually meant I had to get up, move away from my desk, and take a walk to the kitchen or water cooler—helping me to drink more, take effective breaks, and move around throughout the day.
This was a small-scale experiment (I may–or may not– have seen different results from doing this over a longer period of time), and in no way am I suggesting that you drink as much water as I did. But, after doing this for even one short week, one thing is clear: our bodies simply function better when we give them the hydration we need, whether thats 90 or 190 ounces.
~Maria Capuano, CPT
Exercise of the Week #11: Inverted Row
- At March 30, 2016
- By Michelle Struckholz
- In Uncategorized
- 0
Check out our newest Exercise of the Week, featuring the Inverted Row. This exercise is a great bodyweight alternative to a cable or dumbbell row, and additionally can help you build the upper body and core strength required for a full pull-up. I love this exercise as a transition to bridge between the more upright TRX low row and an assisted pull-up with a band. Give this a try!
How to Reach Your Goals Faster
- At March 21, 2016
- By Michelle Struckholz
- In Uncategorized
- 0
For those of you that don’t know me already (because this tends to come up within the first five minutes of any conversation I have with anyone), I’m a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete (student? Practitioner? I do Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is what I’m trying to say), and have been for about two years, after my stint as a college athlete ended but the need to feel like a part of a team remained. While two years is a drop in the bucket compared to many of my teammates, I’ve been around long enough to witness a few belt promotions. Like any other martial art, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu adheres to a belt system to define rank, from white (the lowest rank) to black (the highest rank), and every instructor or gym decides how they want to go about promotions. At the school where I train, promotions are done with no advanced notice—your instructor simply gives you the belt when he feels you are ready. Granted, there are some criteria that go into deciding who exactly is ready, and being that I am not yet a black belt, I’m not entirely certain what all of the criteria are. However, one night, at the conclusion of a class, my instructor made an announcement. This was at the end of a week of training, and some promotions had been made earlier that week. This is what he said to us:
“After I promote some students, the following weeks my classes are twice as full. Students that haven’t come to class in months all of a sudden show up to train again. But these aren’t the students that I’m promoting; these are the students that are going to stand there, clapping for the other students I promote.”
What I gleaned from this rather pointed remark from my instructor is that consistency is of significant importance. Now, lets shift for a second and apply the analogy of a belt promotion to your own personal gym goals, whether that’s weight loss, strength gain, or overall health. As a martial arts practitioner, I’ve asked the question, “how do I get better at jiu-jitsu?” and was met with the response “keep coming.” Be consistent. Put in the time. As a trainer, I’m asked all sorts of questions: how do I lose weight/get stronger/improve my squat/deadlift better, etc. On the surface, all of these questions have different responses, but all have one common denominator: consistency. If you pick an example of anyone you know who has had lasting success in the gym (I’m not even talking about high-level athletes here—I’m talking about the people I see the same times every day in the gym, either working out with a trainer or following their program), chances are its because at least one aspect of their program was followed consistently.
So, consistency is great. But life is crazy, even if “the diet/weightlifting regimen/eating a vegetable at every meal starts Monday,” and we have the best of intentions, it’s so easy to get derailed. So how do we harness the elusive quality that is consistency (note the irony of describing consistency as “elusive”)? Here are some ideas:
Decide on a Goal
Are you trying to lose weight, put on some muscle, run a marathon, add 50lbs to your squat or deadlift, or just get healthier? Whatever you decide, keep this in mind as your goal. Remember, some goals might overlap, but picking just one goal is ideal to ensure that 100% of your attention in the gym is dedicated to achieving that goal, so that the movements you choose to do will not detract from it. For instance, if you’re aiming to run a marathon, you would likely be doing movements that are very different from a person whose goal is to add 50lbs to a deadlift.
Check yourself
I believe it was Aristotle that said, “we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but habit.” Habits make our world go round. You already know, some habits are good and others are not so good. Be honest with yourself. Identify your habits—the good and the bad. Recognize your strengths, as well as the areas of your life—or in this case, your fitness—that need some improvement. If you are looking to lose weight and you go to the gym faithfully every day, and see a trainer three of those days, but every Friday after work ends in a junk food binge, we then know that the habit of going to the gym is a positive one, while the Friday night junk food isn’t so positive. Knowing your habits can be the first step in replacing or improving them.
Be Accountable to Something or Someone
Being accountable to a trainer or workout partner can be a great tool for people who struggle with getting to the gym consistently or sticking to a program, or even those who lack motivation. For starters, you are less likely to bail on a workout if you know someone else is depending on you, or, in the case of a trainer, because you’re paying for it. If nothing else—or even in addition to having accountability to a trainer or partner— be accountable to a date: sign up for a 5k or road race, or mark your calendar for the start of that beach vacation you have planned. Having a trainer or partner as a third party not only keeps you showing up to the gym, but also keeps you honest as far as exercise (was that weight too light? Did you really do ten repetitions or was it more like eight?). Having a date can help set the ball rolling—once you realize that achieving a certain goal by a certain date will take a defined amount of work, it may be easier to develop a plan, and easier to keep going.
Focus on your behavior, and the outcome will take care of itself
Mature athlete and powerlifter Charles Staley often writes about what has continued to keep him motivated and consistent as a weightlifting veteran, and one of the points he made has stuck with me when talking training with clients or friends about success in the gym. I’ve already mentioned how important goal setting is, and how it can give direction to your workouts. But, when it comes to achieving those goals, we tend to focus on how close or how far away we are to achieving them, and less about what its going to take to get us there. So, take a tip from Charles Staley on this: the goal is the outcome, but focus on the behaviors that will get you there, like completing so many workouts a week, or logging so many miles. Reaching your goal is the product of many different behaviors, and the outcome involves so many factors that it is difficult to control what ultimately happens. Your behavior, however, is comparatively easy to control. Remember when we talked about habits? Identifying the good and bad habits is the first step to ultimately being able to control your behavior. So, while you may have less control over the end result, I can say with confidence that focusing on your behavior first, and working to replace your bad habits with good habits will not lead you in the wrong direction.
Success, particularly in the gym, is the sum of cumulative efforts, not just a couple of hard sessions and stints of clean eating spaced out over the course of months. It’s hard to see no results after what feels like ages, but attainable, sustainable progress will be yours through dedication and consistency.
~Maria Capuano, CPT