Hydration

Hydration is key to getting lean. Metabolism and fat burning begin to slow down at the first sign of fluid loss. Keeping water on hand before, during, and after your training will help you perform better and recover faster. Not only that, proper hydration prompts your body to eliminate the water it's retaining.

How much?

Dermatologist Nicholas Perricone, M.D., author of The Perricone Prescription (and the guy known for encouraging everyone to eat more salmon) says, “If I could teach my patients and students three things that would keep them forever young, they would be 1. drink water; 2. drink water, and 3. drink more water. If you do not drink water, your organs and cells cannot function.”

Functioning organs and cells sounds good, but how much water is enough? As much as I like idea of listening to our bodies’ signs of thirst, which is what our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have done, some days that’s not possible. On days when you're working out or competing, hydration deserves extra attention.

Most health and fitness experts recommend drinking eight glasses of water a day. That’s the safe answer. Really, the amount of water your body needs to function optimally depends on a variety of factors including what type of workouts you do, the amount of juicy foods you eat, whether or not you are burning fats, and how much caffeine and alcohol you’ve consumed. Let’s take a closer look:

Your workouts

Exercise, especially the rigorous kind that causes a lot of sweating, can cause dehydration quickly. As Loren Cordain, PhD explains in The Paleo Diet For Athletes, research has shown that being properly hydrated during a workout reduces the breakdown of protein, otherwise known as your hard-won muscles. An extra glass of water or two is worth it if it means holding on to muscle! Additionally, workouts that are long will require extra water before, during and after, so continue to hydrate during recovery. But be wary of sugary sports drinks. Your body needs water, not sugar and chemicals.

You can eat your fluids too

The foods you eat contain water, some more than others. You may have noticed that when you switched to a Paleo diet, you didn’t need to drink anything with meals. Real foods like fish and vegetables naturally contain high levels of water. Juicy fruit is great for hydration. Avoid drinking fruit juice, even the freshly-squeezed version unless it’s part of a workout recovery meal, and even then, only a small amount. Fruit juices are highly glycemic and will cause a surge of insulin and inflammation. A splash of juice in a large glass of water or seltzer is a good way to get the flavor without all the fructose.

Fat burning

Water is necessary for fat metabolism. If you want to burn fat, you must drink water. Also, if you are eating a Paleo diet of primarily animal proteins, vegetables and fats, your carbohydrate intake will be low. When you burn fat while taking in few carbohydrates, your body creates ketones, which are normal (and safe) by-products of fat breakdown. Your body can use ketones for energy; the rest can be flushed from your system. So essentially, drinking extra water aids first in burning fat and then in flushing fat by-products from your body.

Caffeine and alcohol

Caffeine and alcohol tend to be dehydrating. Enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning and a glass of wine in the evening will not affect your hydration levels too much; drinking more than that of either will require an extra dose or two of water. If you are dehydrated after a night on the town, you’ve got some catching up to do before you even get to your baseline. Don’t attempt a grueling workout in that condition; drink a liter of water first.

So, will eight glasses be enough? Chances are, if you are actively taking steps to get lean, you will require more than eight glasses of water a day. Your comfort level during a workout is often an indication of how well hydrated (and how well fed) you really are. Listening to your body's hydration needs goes beyond thirst. Hydration is a habit that can make a huge difference in how well you feel and perform. And as Dr. Perricone said, water will keep us "forever young."

Make it easy

- Designate a fancy glass for your daily water

- Try seltzer or mineral water for a change

- Add a squeeze of lemon or lime

- Add a splash of real juice juice for color

- Add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to your water (once a day I use a splash of Bragg’s apple cider vinegar in my water. ACV has numerous health benefits including healthy joints)

- Vary the temperature of your drinks. Sometimes room temperature will be more appealing than ice cold

- Try coconut water, straight or mixed with water. It's nature's version of a sports drink and great for recovery

Schedule hydration time

I’m not a big fan of toting a water bottle everywhere I go; I prefer to drink a full glass of water when it’s convenient. I encourage you to get in the habit of drinking a full glass of water at specific times of the day, focusing on first thing in the morning, the hours right before your workout, and the last thing at night (if it won’t interrupt your sleep later). Sipping water throughout the day is fine if it adds up throughout the day. Either way, keep track of how much you are really consuming.

Drink filtered water

I recommend using a Brita pitcher if you like to keep water in the refrigerator, or a reverse-osmosis system if you prefer to have filtered water come directly from your tap.