Rest Day and Water

Today was a nice day of rest. It was a hot, dry 70 degrees fahrenheit here in Tucson. We ate good food, did our weekly chores like laundry and dog nail trimming. Most importantly the weights stayed put and my body recovered from the wear and tear of the week of exercise. A big part of a rest day (and everyday for that matter) is hydration.

It is really only by ingenuity and hard work that I can even survive out here by just turning on the tap. My water is piped down here from the overtaxed Colorado River, otherwise the town of Tucson could not exist. Here at NOLS Southwest we do have some cool water saving features: 1) A 3,000 gallon rainwater catchment cistern. We use that water that comes off of our roof to wash vehicles and backpacking gear. 2) A grey water system from the drain of our washing machine. By carefully choosing an eco-groovy detergent we are able to take the water from laundry and use it to feed native plants. 3) Auto shut off faucets. People cannot leave a faucet running down in our shower house facility. 4) Waterless urinals. For the guys in the bathroom this saves a lot of water from being flushed down the drain.

The question though is how much water do I need to function at a high level as an athlete? Like a lot of things that I discuss here, it is all about what works for YOU. I will give you my strategies for staying hydrated and you can figure what will work for your level of activity. I am truly blessed to have clean cold potable water accessible any time of day.

1) With every meal I drink a liter of water. Breakfast especially is important. I am not a person that gets up in the middle of the night to get water. That means that I have been sleeping in the dry climate of the desert for 7-8 hours with no water consumption at all. First thing I do when I get out of bed is start drinking my first liter of water for the day. One liter with each meal.

2) I set alarms throughout the day to keep my water consumption up. 9:30am, 10:30am, 2:30pm, 3:30pm I drink water. Depending on my activity level I will drink anywhere from 20 ounces to one liter at each of these breaks.

3) I keep a full water bottle with me at all times while I am exercising. If you are actually feeling cotton-mouthed and thirsty, you are already down the bad road of dehydration.

4) I monitor my urine output, specifically its color. "Clear and Copious" is the rule of thumb for a healthy level of hydration. If your urine is dark yellow or smells bad, you are way behind. Probably urinate once every hour or two.

For the amount of exercise I do and for the dry desert climate I live in, I consume over a gallon of water per day. There is a great quote from the Canadian Naturalist David Suzuki from his book Sacred Balance: "Water's starring role can be summarized in two astonishing absolutes: As far as we know, no life has ever evolved to exist without water and wherever there is water there is the possibility of life".

Have a Great Day!