Make That Ass Hydrate – Are You Drinking Enough Water?

Stop making your workouts harder than they need to be. This simple hydration fix will change how you feel during and after exercise.

Listen to the episode here

The One Thing You’re Ignoring That’s Sabotaging Your Workouts

Water. It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Yet it’s one of the most important things you can do for your workouts. I’m talking about H2O, that thing you probably aren’t drinking enough of right now.

Why Water Matters When You’re Moving

When you work out, you sweat. Your body loses fluids. If you don’t replace them, you’re setting yourself up for problems. We’re talking fatigue, cramps, dizziness, and workouts that feel way harder than they need to be.

I learned this the hard way. There were days I’d show up to class feeling sluggish, wondering why I couldn’t push through. Turns out I was dehydrated before I even started.

How Much Water Do You Actually Need?

The old “eight glasses a day” rule is a starting point. But if you’re working out, you need more. A lot more.

Think about it this way. If you’re sweating for an hour, you need to replace that fluid. Before your workout, during, and after. Make it a habit.

I keep a water bottle with me all the time now. It’s not fancy. It doesn’t have motivational quotes on it. It just holds water, and I drink from it constantly.

Signs You’re Not Drinking Enough

Your body will tell you when you need water. Listen to it.

Dark urine? You need more water. Headache after a workout? Water. Feeling exhausted when you shouldn’t be? Probably water.

The crazy thing is, by the time you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Don’t wait until you’re desperate.

Make It Easy on Yourself

Keep water where you can see it. In your car. On your desk. Next to your bed. The easier it is to grab, the more you’ll drink.

Some people like adding flavor to their water. Lemon, cucumber, whatever works. I’m a plain water person, but you do you. The point is to drink it.

Water and Weight Loss

Here’s something interesting. Drinking water before meals can help you eat less. Your body sometimes confuses thirst for hunger. When you think you want a snack, try drinking a full glass of water first. Wait ten minutes. You might be surprised.

I’m not saying water is some magic solution for weight loss. It’s not. But it helps. Your body works better when it’s hydrated. Period.

The Bottom Line

You can have the perfect workout plan, the best gym equipment, and all the motivation in the world. But if you’re not drinking enough water, you’re making everything harder than it needs to be.

Start today. Grab your water bottle. Fill it up. Drink it. Repeat.

Action Items

• Get a water bottle you actually like using
• Drink a full glass of water as soon as you wake up
• Keep water with you during workouts
• Check your urine color (yes, really)
• Drink water before you feel thirsty

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Full Transcript – Make That Ass Hydrate – Are You Drinking Enough Water?

00:00:18
What’s up, you guys? Welcome to More Movement,
00:00:19
Please. I’m famous Ashley Grant, and this is
00:00:21
the podcast that inspires you to move your body
00:00:23
more. So today we’re talking about something
00:00:26
that sounds super basic, but it’s critical for
00:00:28
your workouts, and it’s water. Yep. Good old
00:00:31
H2O. And I know, I know what you’re probably
00:00:34
thinking. Really? We’re dedicating a whole episode
00:00:37
to drinking water? But stick with me here because
00:00:39
I promise you, a lot of us are getting this wrong,
00:00:41
and it could be sabotaging your workouts without
00:00:43
you even realizing it. So let’s dive in. And
00:00:46
pun was absolutely intended here. So here’s the
00:00:49
deal. Your body is basically a fancy meat sack
00:00:52
that’s filled with about 60 % of water. Your
00:00:55
muscles, they’re about 75 % water. So when you’re
00:00:58
working out and you’re sweating like you’re in
00:01:00
a sauna competition, you’re losing the very thing
00:01:02
that your muscles need to function. It’s kind
00:01:05
of like you’re trying to run a car without oil.
00:01:07
Technically, sure, it’s possible for a little
00:01:09
bit. But is it smart? Absolutely not. And here’s
00:01:12
where things get really wild, right? You don’t
00:01:14
even have to be dripping in sweat to be dehydrated.
00:01:17
By the time you actually feel thirsty, you’re
00:01:20
already about 2 % dehydrated. And at just 2 %
00:01:23
dehydration, research shows that your performance
00:01:26
can drop by around 10%. 10 %! And according to
00:01:30
the American College of Sports Medicine, this
00:01:32
effect is even worse when you’re exercising in
00:01:35
the heat. That’s the difference between crushing
00:01:37
your personal record and feeling like you’re
00:01:39
moving through peanut butter. So how do you know
00:01:42
if you’re dehydrated during a workout? Well,
00:01:44
let me paint you a picture. Maybe you’re feeling
00:01:46
sluggish or a little dizzy, or your heart’s racing
00:01:50
faster than usual for the effort that you’re
00:01:52
putting in. You might even have a headache creeping
00:01:54
in. Or your mouth feels like the Sahara Desert.
00:01:58
And here’s a fun one. You stop sweating, even
00:02:01
though you’re going as hard as you normally do.
00:02:04
And that’s not because you suddenly became superhuman.
00:02:06
That’s actually your body waving a red flag.
00:02:09
Oh, and that muscle cramp that just won’t quit?
00:02:11
Yep. Dehydration could be the culprit there too.
00:02:14
So what do we do about this? And the solution
00:02:17
is so freaking simple, but the execution is what
00:02:19
takes a little planning. So let’s give you a
00:02:22
hydration game plan that’s backed by experts.
00:02:24
First up is pre -hydration. Start your workout
00:02:28
already hydrated. And I got to tell you guys,
00:02:31
I’m so bad at this. This is so hard for me. But
00:02:34
according to the National Athletic Trainers Association,
00:02:36
you should be drinking about 17 to 20 ounces
00:02:39
of water. or a sports drink two or three hours
00:02:43
before you start to exercise. Then you want to
00:02:46
knock it back to 7 to 10 ounces about 10 to 20
00:02:49
minutes before you start. It’s kind of like you’re
00:02:51
putting gas in your tank before a road trip.
00:02:54
And then during your workout, the American College
00:02:56
of Sports Medicine recommends drinking at a rate
00:02:59
of about 400 to 800 milliliters per hour during
00:03:02
exercise. Now, I get it. That probably sounds
00:03:04
like a lot of math for someone who’s just trying
00:03:06
to get their squats in. So here’s the simple
00:03:08
version. Just take a few sips every time you
00:03:11
transition between exercise or during your rest
00:03:14
periods. Just make it part of your routine. So
00:03:17
aim for about 7 to 10 ounces every 10 to 20 minutes
00:03:20
if you can. Now, if you’re going longer than
00:03:23
an hour or if you’re doing something really intense,
00:03:25
you might want to bring in electrolytes as well.
00:03:27
This is where we’re talking about sports drinks
00:03:29
or even those electrolyte tablets or powders.
00:03:32
When you sweat, you’re not just losing water,
00:03:35
you’re losing sodium, potassium. and other minerals
00:03:37
that your body needs. The research shows that
00:03:41
for exercises that are lasting more than an hour,
00:03:43
adding carbohydrates and electrolytes to your
00:03:45
drink can actually enhance your performance.
00:03:47
But for shorter workouts, water is totally fine.
00:03:51
Don’t let that sports drink industry convince
00:03:53
you that you need that neon -colored beverage
00:03:55
for your 30 -minute jog or 30 -minute workout.
00:03:58
But I will tell you this. If you’re going to
00:04:00
get a sports drink or an electrolyte drink, I
00:04:04
highly recommend the Gatorade. organic strawberry
00:04:07
flavor. Oh my goodness. My instructor turned
00:04:10
me on to this. It is so good. I’ll leave a link
00:04:12
in the show notes. So what do you do after your
00:04:15
workout? Well, this is your recovery time, baby.
00:04:18
According to Sports Nutrition Research, you need
00:04:20
to drink about 150 % of the fluid that you lost
00:04:22
during your exercise in order to fully rehydrate
00:04:25
your body. So what does this mean? Practically
00:04:28
speaking, it means chugging about 20 to 24 ounces
00:04:31
of water for every pound you lost during your
00:04:33
workout. And I can probably hear you asking,
00:04:35
how do I know how much I lost? Well, you could
00:04:38
weigh yourself before and after your workout,
00:04:40
but honestly, just drink when you’re thirsty
00:04:42
and keep an eye on your pee. Yep, I totally went
00:04:45
there. This brings us to the next point. Your
00:04:48
urine, I’m sorry, your urine is like a hydration
00:04:51
report card. And the National Athletic Trainers
00:04:54
Association actually recommends this as one of
00:04:57
the best ways to check your hydration status.
00:04:59
Now, it’s going to get gross, so if you want
00:05:01
to skip it, I totally understand, but we’re being
00:05:03
honest here, right? Full transparency. When it’s
00:05:06
pale yellow or clear, that means you’re crushing
00:05:09
it. But if it’s dark yellow, girl, you better
00:05:12
start drinking up. And if it’s the color of apple
00:05:15
juice, well, you’re definitely behind on your
00:05:18
water intake. This is the easiest and most reliable
00:05:20
way to check your hydration status, and it requires
00:05:23
zero special equipment or math. So let’s take
00:05:27
a quick moment to bust some myths. But I heard
00:05:30
you can drink too much water. Well, yeah, that’s
00:05:33
true. It’s a real thing where you dilate your
00:05:35
sodium levels by drinking excessive amounts of
00:05:37
water without replacing electrolytes. Research
00:05:39
from endurance events shows that this happens
00:05:41
when people drink more than about 700 to 800
00:05:45
milliliters per hour and actually gain weight
00:05:47
during exercise. But this is really only a concern
00:05:50
for endurance athletes doing ultra marathons
00:05:53
or Ironman competitions. Your average gym session
00:05:56
or run. you’re probably not going to accidentally
00:05:58
drink too much water. So don’t use this as your
00:06:01
excuse to skip hydration. And here’s another
00:06:03
myth. Coffee and tea dehydrate you. Okay, look,
00:06:06
caffeine does have a mild diuretic effect. The
00:06:10
water in your coffee or your tea, well, it more
00:06:13
than makes up for it. So your morning coffee
00:06:16
counts toward your hydration. You’re welcome.
00:06:19
And here’s the thing that nobody’s really talking
00:06:21
about enough. Proper hydration, it’s not just
00:06:23
about performance. It’s about safety. Severe
00:06:26
dehydration can lead to heat exhaustion, heat
00:06:29
stroke, all kinds of awful things. And this is
00:06:31
especially true if you’re working out in hot
00:06:33
conditions. Your body, it regulates your temperature
00:06:36
through sweating. And if you don’t have enough
00:06:38
liquid to sweat, things can go south fast. Plus,
00:06:42
when you’re properly hydrated, your workouts
00:06:44
are just going to feel better. You’re going to
00:06:46
notice that you have more energy, better focus,
00:06:48
and you’ll recover faster. And research consistently
00:06:51
shows that even mild dehydration, I’m seriously
00:06:54
talking just 2 % of your body weight, it can
00:06:56
really start to mess with your endurance, your
00:06:58
strength, and your overall performance. It’s
00:07:01
literally the easiest performance enhancer available.
00:07:03
And if you get it from, you know, your tap, it’s
00:07:07
technically free. And most gyms are going to
00:07:09
have water fountains too. So don’t give me the
00:07:11
excuse that you can’t get water. So here’s what
00:07:15
I want you to do after this episode. Get yourself
00:07:17
a water bottle you actually like. And yes, I’m
00:07:19
serious. It doesn’t have to be cute. It doesn’t
00:07:22
have to be motivational. But I want you to be
00:07:24
excited about the water bottle that you have
00:07:26
so that you will actually use it and keep it
00:07:29
with you during your workouts. For me, I actually
00:07:31
keep one that’s black and pink because anybody
00:07:33
who knows me knows that I’m obsessed with the
00:07:35
K -pop group Blackpink. So that’s why I have
00:07:38
blackpink as my colors. Set reminders on your
00:07:41
phone if you need to. Make drinking water as
00:07:44
much a part of your workout routine as your warm
00:07:46
-up and your cool -down. And keep in mind that
00:07:48
hydration starts way before you lace up your
00:07:50
sneakers, and it continues long after you finish
00:07:52
that last rep. It’s an all -day thing, people.
00:07:56
All right, that’s all I’ve got for you today.
00:07:58
I hope this was helpful. Onwards and upwards,
00:08:00
my friends. Have you worked out today?