Training & Nutrition - Drinking water

I have always had problems knowing how much water I should be drinking each day, both during exercise and at rest.

I always take a full water bottle on my rides but in this somewhat colder weather, don't find myself needing to drink that much. Obviously I am not sweating as much as I would in the warmer months but doesn't your body still need a minimum amount of water when exercising to help the muscles etc ?

To encourage us (my boyfriend and I) to drink more water throughout the day, we just got a water cooler with monthly water delivery so we get 2, 18 Liter bottles of water every two weeks as well as 24 small 500 ml bottles (the latter was just part of the sign up deal - a one time thing). That should keep us well hydrated ! :-)

Justen

a general rule I try to follow when biking is one liter of water per hour. energy boosters (clif bars etc.) as needed.

Okay...thank you. A liter sounds about right.
Justen

One easy test is if your urine is real concentrated (bright yellow)it is a sign you are getting dehydrated.On the other hand if it is very diluted (pale) you are well hydrated.I often find myself unconciously getting dehydrated in winter(alright it is still Fl. though)because I tend to drink less water on rides versus summer where high water intake is crutial.However if your trying to lose weight your on the right track making sure to drink plenty of water.

Hi,

Yes, I am trying to lose more weight so hopefully having tons of water available instead of drinking milk all the time will help. I am female, 23 yrs, 5'6" 130 lbs and am trying to get down to 110 lbs so if I drink more water and eat less (but still have balanced meals), it should help.

And yes, I guess the urine being diluted does give a good indication but when you are out cycling, it's not always easy to gauge that.

I think they say drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day (aside from during exercise) is the minimum.

Justen

If you start well hydrated and are doing 5-12 mile rides this time of year you shouldn't have too much problem with dehydration but it would still be a good idea to drink water rather than eat food on such rides to facilatate fatburning as the body does function best when well hydrated.Also keep in mind fluctuations in carb storage amounts and resultant water drawn into the body are going to affect your weight level so focus on the trend and don't worry much about short term fluctuations.P.S. another indicator of dehydration is how dry your mouth is and this might be more useful while on the bike (and if your lips start getting parched you may need to add some potassium as well).

I set out on a deliberate crusade to drink too much water. When I'm done, I usually drink some more. This is not just when I'm riding, but also applies both before and after the ride. I normally go through 5-10 litres of water a day. On really hot days (or long rides) I have been known to clear 10 comfortably.

Hi Chris,

That is ALOT ALOT of water but a good idea. I don't think I could come close to that but in the summer, I do drink around 3-4 liters a day. I am planning to add a second water cage to my new bike when I get it which will hopefully remind me and encourage me to drink more on my longer rides.
With the water cooler, I have already been drinking 3 X more water than I normally do during the day and 75 % less milk which is good for weight loss too I hope !

Justen

Originally posted by RWTD
If you start well hydrated and are doing 5-12 mile rides this time of year you shouldn't have too much problem with dehydration but it would still be a good idea to drink water rather than eat food on such rides to facilatate fatburning as the body does function best when well hydrated.Also keep in mind fluctuations in carb storage amounts and resultant water drawn into the body are going to affect your weight level so focus on the trend and don't worry much about short term fluctuations.P.S. another indicator of dehydration is how dry your mouth is and this might be more useful while on the bike (and if your lips start getting parched you may need to add some potassium as well).

Thanks for the tips ! I will try drinking more water and eating less during the rides to work on fat burning.

I know the energy bars and drinks can work against you if you are not exercising hard enough to burn them off. I prefer the power gel and will just have some to give me a bit of extra energy to finish off a hard ride.

Justen

Originally posted by Justen
That is ALOT ALOT of water but a good idea. I don't think I could come close to that but in the summer, I do drink around 3-4 liters a day. I am planning to add a second water cage to my new bike when I get it which will hopefully remind me and encourage me to drink more on my longer rides.
With the water cooler, I have already been drinking 3 X more water than I normally do during the day and 75 % less milk which is good for weight loss too I hope !

That probably is a lot of water, but it's based on living in a climate that is stupidly hot for half of the year, and warm-hot for the remainder. You mightn't need to drink that much where you're living. I guess the point I'm making here is twofold:

1. Err on the excessive side - drinking too much water is always better than not drinking enough.

2. Drinking water before and after the ride is just as important as doing so during the ride.

I also think that a second water bottle cage is essential.

When riding in a group, I take a sip of water anytime anyone else takes a sip. Its much better as i understand it, to constantly sip water, then take big watter breaks every 20 - 30 min.

How much water you need really depends on the humidity. In cold dry conditions you need a lot more than in cold damp. A typical air-conditioned office has desert-like humidity.
I usually chug a pint of water 1/2hr before I ride, and that starts to make its way through my system before I leave, and I guage my intake by the colour.
You should drink before you are thirsty. Im not a great fan of ice-cold water, it really shocks my insides, but it may be preferable in a hot climate.

With drinking a lot of water you have to make sure to replace your electrolytes (via energy bars or salty snacks or whatever).

Also, it's actually slightly better for you to not drink ice-cold water when you're exercising because your body uses up energy warming it up.

Originally posted by MichaelW
Im not a great fan of ice-cold water, it really shocks my insides, but it may be preferable in a hot climate.

Ice-cold water isn't great when it's hot either. The "shocks my insides" property still holds, and that's a problem when you're trying to slam it down fast so you can drink more of it in the time you have.

Re: humidity. I actually find I drink more water in humid conditions than during a dry heat, even if the temperature in the dry heat is 15-20 C higher. I simply find I sweat more in humid conditions (heck, I often have perspiration literally dripping off during our summers, even when doing nothing at all), and hence need to replace it more often.

I live in a very humid climate too. The summers can be killers - you can get soaked in perspiration after a short time and I find myself drinking huge amounts of water to replace it or I get killer headaches - due to the dehydration. I will usually put a couple of the 500 ml size water bottles in the freezer over night and then put them in the pack. By the time I am finished the two full sized bottles in the cages, the two smaller bottles are just right - not warm and enough chill to still be refreshing. I don't like ice cold water either but I do like a bit of a chill to it as it feels more refreshing.

I guess that is just personal preference though - the main thing is keeping hydrated in hot temps.

Justen

Just drink, you can hardly drink too much in my experience.

Oxologic,
I was just questions about hydration and cycling, particularly in different conditions and climates and before and after cycling. Thanks for replying but saying "just drink" doesn't really help. It is possible to drink too much, just as it is possible to drink too little, hence my question about appropriate hydration.

Justen

Last Tuesday, my group went on a ride out in the desert- Borego Springs to Salton Sea. The importance of water. It turned unusually hot out there... One of my group bonked out mid-way back. he looked awful.. No water coolers out there.. Ken needed to hitch a ride. All of us depleted our water before getting back to our cars..
Looking at Ken sprawled out on the ground, was scarry.. I thought it was worse.. Got some water in him from the people who picked him up and he was fine in minutes.. I had three bottles of water for a 35 mile ride.

Originally posted by Justen
It is possible to drink too much, just as it is possible to drink too little, hence my question about appropriate hydration.

Yes it is, but the consequences of drinking too much aren't nearly as bad as drinking too little. If you drink too much (as I frequently do on purpose), the worst that can happen is that you'll have to make a few extra stops to 'water the horses' so to speak. If it avoids dehydration, it's not really too much of an inconvenience.

I think YOU need to judge how much water YOU need. It varies for everyone, i've gone on rides in really hot weather and didn't bring much water, and i was allright while people with camelbacks full of water were having a hard time, and i consider them in shape too. My general rule of thumb is drink water before, during and after the ride. How much depends though. If it's hot/sunny bring/drink more water. I personally don't like drinking too much water because believe it or not, IT CAN BE BAD for your system, and it makes me kinda sluggish. As long as you're not parched or feeling down because of the heat you should be allright. Know that when you do go for a hot ride you'll need water at some point, and it's better to have some in you than have to drink a lot more after the fact. Preparation is better than cleanup, if that makes sense :)

Here is why drinking water is good. The more water you drink, the more fluid your blood supply is. The more fluid you blood, the easier it is to transport oxygen to your muscles. The more oxygen you have in your muscles, the easier it is to pedal you bike -- fast.