Drinking water is key to any fitness program, but it’s especially crucial to strength training. I recommend all my clients drink 1 gallon of water each day.

Almost two-thirds of the human body is made up of water. Drinking 1 gallon of water a day offers softer, clearer skin, healthier hair and nails, and clearer thinking. Water also acts as a natural appetite suppressant and aids in metabolism. When you are dehydrated, your body often confuses dehydration as cravings for sugar. So, drinking water throughout the day will keep your body optimally hydrated, cravings for unhealthy foods at bay, and your goals in clear vision.

Drinking 1 gallon can seem like a lot if you are accustomed to drinking far less. So, here are a few tips that might help you:

• Carry water with you wherever you go

• If you don’t care for the flavor of tap water, invest in bottled or filtered water

• Drink chilled water or ice water

• Add a little flavor, like fresh-squeezed lemon

• Always have water accessible and convenient

• Act each time you think I should get a drink

• Drink from a 32 oz container rather than an 8 oz glass

• Just like planning your nutrition, pacing yourself throughout the day makes hydrating more simple:

  • Drink 16-20oz of water first thing in the morning

  • Drink 1-liter water during your workout

  • Drink 1 liter every 3-4 hours

  • Drink 1 glass of water each time you crave sweets

  • Drink another 2-3 glasses during down time such as watching TV, surfing the internet, or taking a bubble bath

Water is the only drink for a wise man.
~Henry David Thoreau