Athletes’ Secret for Peak Performance.
Elitia Barnes 
Let’s keep in mind that Brady is a prestigious athlete. Emulating his diet, water intake and exercise regimen for us normal people would be foolish and possibly dangerous. Most of us should probably be drinking more water, but exactly how much water depends on your body and exercise habits.
A good place to start is drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. Others advise taking your body weight, dividing it by half, and drinking that many ounces of water a day. So if you weigh 140 pounds, you would drink 70 ounces of water a day. However you calculate the amount, the goal is to drink water regularly throughout our day. Staying hydrated helps our bodies and minds perform at peak performance.
Could hydration be the secret to Tom Brady’s success? I’ll leave that up for you to decide, but…I’m sure it doesn’t hurt. Staying hydrated is essential to getting the best performance out of our bodies. Whether you’re training for the next Super Bowl or just jogging around the block, water will help. When we workout, we sweat (some of us more than others). And it’s important to replenish all the fluid our bodies lose by staying hydrated before, during and after we exercise.
The American Council on Fitness outlines the following hydration recommendations:
Pre-workout
- Drink 17 to 20 fl oz of water two to three hours before exercise
- Drink 8 fl oz of water 20 to 30 minutes before exercise
During workout
- Drink 7 to 10 ounces of water every 10 to 20 minutes during exercise
Post-workout
- Drink an additional 8 ounces of water 30 minutes after exercise
Make Water a Part of your Morning Routine - Get into the habit of drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning. It wakes up your brain and helps kick off your day with more energy.
Make Water Part of your Eating Habits - Drink a glass of water before and after each meal. If you do that, you’re already six glasses in to your recommended eight! Plus, it can help curb cravings and over-eating.
Take Water on the Go - Get a refillable water bottle so you always have clean water to drink. Get a water bottle that reflects your personal style and inspire others to cut back on their plastic water bottle usage.
Yes, it is possible to drink too much water. It’s called Hyponatremia and it’s when you consume so much water, that it dilutes the amount of sodium in your body. This can cause your cells to swell, leading to serious medical problems. So, just because Brady can drink up to 37 glasses of water a day does not mean that is a healthy amount for us to drink. Water consumption habits need to be tailored to your body and level of athleticism. Thirst and the color of your urine is one of the easiest ways to tell if you’re getting enough water. If you aren’t thirsty and your urine is pale yellow, then you’re on the right track!
Happy hydrating my friends! I don’t know about you, but I will be watching closely on Sunday to see how many water breaks Tom Brady takes.