Hydration
Hydration Basics: What Actually Matters
Most hydration advice is either too vague (“drink more water”) or too dramatic (“you’re chronically dehydrated”).
Reality is boring — and that’s good.
If you nail a few basics, you’ll usually get:
- better energy
- fewer headaches
- better training sessions
- better recovery and sleep
This guide is built for normal life and training. No gimmicks.
(If you want the hub page: Hydration guides.)
How much water should you drink per day?
A solid baseline for most adults is:
- ~2 liters/day if you’re mostly indoors and not training
- ~2.5–3.5 liters/day if you train regularly, sweat a lot, or it’s hot
If you want an easy rule that scales with body size:
The “30–35 ml per kg” rule (easy math)
Take your body weight in kg and multiply by 30–35 ml.
Examples:
- 70 kg → 2.1–2.45 L/day
- 90 kg → 2.7–3.15 L/day
That’s total fluids you drink (mostly water). You also get some water from food, so don’t treat this like a strict law.
Bottom line: start with 2 L/day, then adjust using the signals below.
The only hydration signals you should care about
Hydration isn’t a vibe. Your body gives you clean data.
1) Urine color chart (the fastest daily check)
Use this as your hydration “dashboard”:
- Pale straw / light yellow → usually fine
- Clear all day → you might be overdoing it (or you just drank a lot recently)
- Dark yellow → you’re likely behind
- Amber + strong smell → you’re definitely behind
- Brown / tea-colored → don’t ignore this — hydrate and consider medical advice, especially if it persists
You don’t need perfection. Just don’t live in the dark-yellow zone.
2) Thirst + dry mouth
Thirst is normal.
But if you’re thirsty all day, you’re usually playing catch-up.
3) Headaches, cramps, “flat” workouts
If training feels unusually hard and you get:
- headaches
- cramps
- heavy legs / low energy
…it’s often hydration + electrolytes (not always, but often).
Drink consistently (the #1 rule people mess up)
Classic mistake:
You drink almost nothing all day, then try to “fix it” at night.
That usually leads to:
- bloating
- worse sleep (night bathroom trips)
- still feeling dry the next day
A simple daily pattern that works
You don’t need a schedule app. Anchor drinks to moments:
- Morning: 300–500 ml within 60 minutes of waking
- Midday: 500–800 ml between lunch and afternoon
- Evening: top up, but don’t chug right before bed
Do that and you’re already ahead of most people.
Hydration on training days (before, during, after)
Before training (within ~2 hours)
Aim for:
- 500 ml in the 2 hours before training
- plus 200–300 ml if it’s hot or you sweat a lot
During training
You don’t need to micromanage.
- Sip if you’re thirsty
- If the session is 60+ minutes, sipping helps performance
After training
A good default:
- 500–750 ml after
- more if you’re drenched or training was long/hot
If you want the “serious” signal:
- weigh yourself before and after training
- each 1 kg lost ≈ 1 liter fluid deficit
You don’t need to replace it instantly, but it’s clean data.
(Training context page is here: Training guides.)
Do you need electrolytes?
Most people don’t need electrolytes every day.
But they do matter in specific situations — especially for workouts.
Electrolytes help when:
- you sweat a lot (soaked shirt)
- it’s hot
- sessions are long (60–90+ minutes)
- you train 2x/day
- you get headaches/cramps after training
- you feel “wired but weak” (common when you’re low on fluids + salt)
When electrolytes are usually unnecessary:
- normal day, light activity
- short gym session in cool conditions
- you eat normal meals (salt + potassium from food)
Simple rule:
If you sweat a lot and performance drops, try electrolytes on training days only for a week and see if it improves.
Common hydration mistakes (that ruin people quietly)
1) “Coffee counts so I’m fine”
Coffee contributes fluid, but caffeine can increase urination in some people.
If you drink lots of caffeine, you usually need more water, not less.
2) Drinking huge amounts at once
Chugging 1–2 liters doesn’t instantly hydrate you — it mostly increases bathroom trips.
3) Going low-salt while training hard
If you sweat a lot and avoid salt completely, you can feel:
- weak
- dizzy
- crampy
Salt isn’t evil. Overdoing junk food is the issue.
4) “I don’t sweat so I’m not losing water”
You still lose water through breathing and skin — even in winter.
A practical hydration plan (no tracking needed)
If you want a dead-simple plan:
- Start at 2 liters/day
- Add +500 ml on training days
- Add +500–1000 ml on hot days or heavy sweat days
- Use the urine color chart as the daily check
- Use electrolytes only when sweat + performance says you need them
That’s it.
Hydration FAQ
Is 2 liters of water a day enough?
For many people, yes — as a baseline. If you train, sweat heavily, or it’s hot, you’ll often need more.
How do I know if I’m dehydrated?
The simplest signs: dark urine, frequent thirst, headaches, cramps, and unusually “flat” workouts.
What’s the best time to drink water?
All day — but the best strategy is to drink consistently instead of trying to catch up at night.
Do electrolytes hydrate you better than water?
They help when you’re losing a lot of salt through sweat. Otherwise, plain water + normal food is enough.
The boring truth
Hydration is not a miracle lever.
But when you fix it, you usually get:
- better energy
- fewer headaches
- better training sessions
- better recovery and sleep
You don’t need fancy rules. You need consistency.