“Water is the driving force of all nature.” – Leonardo da Vinci
In the previous lesson we covered Mindset, the first pillar of health and fitness. The next pillar is Sustenance.
I’m sure you already know what you should be eating for maximum athletic performance. I’m not going to get into that.
I want to talk to you about hydration and high-quality water, a much more important topic than food. Just because you drink water doesn’t mean it’s going to go where it needs to go.
Water is the carrier of life. It is responsible for carrying nutrients, hormones and neurotransmitters throughout the body. It facilitates waste elimination and digestions.
Water has been clinically documented to improve everything from diabetes, arthritis pain, and everything in between. The majority of our body (70-80 percent) is made up of water, so this makes sense.
But it’s important to be careful with what you believe regarding hydration. Many of the studies on water were surprise, surprise, funded by the bottle water industry.
Interestingly, the “8 cups a day” theory came from a 1920s paper where the scientist measured the amount of pee and sweat in 1 day (8 cups total).
Beyond health benefits, proper hydration is critical for peak performance.
Water helps lubricate the joints, protecting against wear and tear and can even help reduce joint pain. It’s important for muscle contraction, circulation, thermoregulation, and neurologic functioning.
Just a 5 percent drop in fluid levels can result in a 25-35 percent drop in energy levels. In fact, a 2012 study published in the Journal of Nutrition revealed that subjects who were just 1% dehydrated has trouble performing tasks, had lower concentration and had a diminished mood. This may be because the human brain is 85 percent water; keeping it hydrated is essential for proper functioning and alertness.
Another study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research revealed that for every 1% body mass you lose through sweat, your heart rate ticks up three beats per minute – which means it has to work harder.
Stay hydrated and your heart and brain will work more efficiently.
So step 1, drink sufficient water. Carry water around with you (I like the stainless steel Klean Kanteen), replace soda and juice with water, and drink when you feel thirsty.
If you’re an endurance athlete, have a history of heat illness, going into your workout with low glycogen storage, about to do an extreme event or training phase, or a woman in a high-hormone phase, you may need to drink more than to thirst – such as a few sips every 15 minutes.
Next is quality. Most people are probably not drinking the right kind of water.
Most people drink water from the tap or buy a bottle of water and think they’re good.
The public water system is great…for destroying pathogens. But not eliminating the chemicals they’re adding to destroy those pathogens or other chemicals that get into or are added to our water system.
In 2008, the Associated Press published an investigation that nearly 41 million Americans were consuming water that had been tainted with pharmaceutical chemicals, from antidepressants to muscle relaxers (56 different pharmaceuticals total were found).
Then there are chemicals that are added to our water supply like chlorine and fluoride.
Chlorine is an antibiotic, which will destroy the body’s critical microbiome (think probiotics). Chlorine is also a strong oxidizing agent that may increase the risk of heart disease and is linked to certain types of cancer. Fluoride has been found to cause brain damage along with other adverse health effects. Most industrialized nations have banned the use of fluoride.
How about bottled water? According to an investigation by the Natural Resources Defense Council, bottled water is sometimes tap water in disguise – and even bottled spring water can be contaminated. The EWG found 38 pollutants in 10 brands of bottled water, including chemicals linked to cancer. The New York-based environmental advocacy group tested more than 1,000 bottles of 103 brands of bottled water and found that about one-third violated state standards or microbial impurity guidelines.
Then there’s the plastic the water is bottled in.
The chemicals in plastic, even BPA-free are potentially harmful, and can make you fat and infertile.
Plastic photodegrades, meaning light breaks it down. Where do the plastic chemicals go when a plastic bottle is exposed to light? The water!
I don’t want to make you fear water; I just want to show you how to find the optimal type of water.
Step 2, buy higher-quality water or filter it and upgraded it.
If you decide to buy your water, chose water in glass and go with water from a well, spring, artesian (fancy well water) or mineral water.
You can find a spring in your area here if you want to bottle it yourself or go with one of the following brands:
- Mineral water like San Pellegino
- Well water
- Mountain Valley Spring Water
- Voss
If you decide to filter your existing water source, here is what I suggest:
- Filter it using a good water filter. Brita removes the smell and taste of chlorine but not the actual chemical (BTW, Brita is made by Clorox). I prefer a Reverse Osmosis system which gets rid of everything bad (and good) in water.
- Experts recommend a solution of a pinch of Himalayan salt and teaspoon of maple syrup (because it has a good composition of sucrose and glucose) per 16 oz of water. Contradictory to popular belief, good quality salt like Himalayan salt is actually good for you, especially if you’re sweating a lot. Himalayan salt has over 60 trace minerals to replace the electrolytes and minerals that were stripped from filtering the water. Himalayan salt also provides one of the best ways to nourish and replenish an active adrenal system, which can be severely stressed in athletes. Electrolytes and a sucrose/glucose blend will help your body recognize and absorb the water better. Drinking plain water (water without salt or minerals) can also lead to over-hydration since your body won’t properly absorb it.
QUICK WIN: Drink 24oz of high-quality water with a dash of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon right when you wake up, before your morning coffee or tea. If you’re working out within the next hour, add a drop of a high-quality peppermint essential oil to the water to improve athletic performance.
This is part of a free eight week course called 10X Your Potential. This course is designed to take you beyond fitness and your daily WOD, and help you reduce injury, boost energy levels and skyrocket performance. If you’re interested in the full course, sign up here.