Hydration is crucial to proper recovery. Our muscular tissue is one of the many places we store water. It also helps with almost all bodily processes. In terms of recovery, water can help the blood remove lactic acid from sore muscles and have it filtered out by the kidneys into the urine.
How can you tell if you’re dehydrated? One of the easiest ways is to assess the color of your urine. It should be a pale yellow color. If it resembles apple juice, you are likely dehydrated. When you are dehydrated, you can also see symptoms in your skin and lips. Your skin may be dry and the skin on your fingers will tent when pinched. Similarly, your lips may crack or be dry when you haven’t had enough water.
How much water is enough? Everyone has heard the “8×8” rule stating to consume 8 glasses of 8 ounces of water per day, or 64oz. However, more recent data released by the Mayo Clinic suggests a more appropriate amount is closer to one ounce per pound of lean body mass. If someone is 150lbs and 20% body fat, they would need around 120 ounces per day.
If you aren’t sure how to calculate your lean body mass, see one of our trainers for help.