Because you Likely Aren't Getting Enough Water . . .
One of the stats that I had to memorize when I took my test to become a personal trainer was that the recommended daily water intake for males is 3 liters and females is 2.2 liters.
These numbers are now ingrained in my memory, but if you’re like me (living in the U.S.) and unfamiliar with the metric system, let me translate that for you: That is 13 and 9 cups of water, respectively. Keep in mind that is the MINIMUM amount and the guideline for sedentary adults—if you’re exercising, if it’s really hot out, if you are overweight, or are pregnant or breast feeding, you need to drink even more.
If you don’t see the point of drinking so much water, here is another fact I learned—even 2% dehydration can decrease your performance, blood circulation and cause headaches (amidst other unhealthy side effects). And when you are properly hydrated, your body will tell you when it’s thirsty . . . so if you can get to the point of proper hydration, it becomes easier to stay that way—and you will likely be less tired and feel better throughout the day.
So grab a water container, figure out how many times you need to fill it each day and drink up! They even have ‘smart’ water bottles that will help you reach your hydration goal through reminders and linking to wearable devices (if you have any recommendations please comment below). Due to my love of straws—and my gross but satisfying habit of chewing on them—I have been getting plenty of water the past couple years since CamelBaks (Eddy version) became popular.
And I can confirm that once your body is regularly and fully hydrated that it will know when it needs water. I used to frequently get cramps from running (pre-CamelBak), but now I can drink two CamelBaks worth of water DURING a run or workout, feel great and not get any side cramps. The body is truly amazing; once it’s in a healthy state, it will signal you to what it needs.