Moderation in all things is important, and that includes your water intake. Staying hydrated is critical, but don’t pursue it at the expense of listening to your body.

Our bodies are equipped with an exhaustive set of signals. They tell us we need to sleep by making us feel tired. They tell us to move our hand from a hot stove by making us feel pain. They tell us to eat by making us feel hungry. They tell us to drink by making us feel thirsty. Once we have satisfied these needs, we get a different set of signals. We feel well-rested after a night of sleep, full after a healthy meal and hydrated after quenching our need for liquid.

Not everybody recognizes this signal to stop drinking. I’m grateful, because the ensuing entertainment is lovely.

You’re on the recumbent bike (level 2) reading an article about Kim and Kanye’s new baby, North West (can’t get enough of that). Sleeveless shirt dude walks into your gym carrying a gallon of water. He trains and chugs, chugs and trains. You’re just peddling, so you observe. By the end of your session, he’s crushed the entire container and pissed four times. What gives? Does he know something that you don’t? Not really, he’s simply been a People magazine subscriber longer than you.

Y’all know we like to engage in myth busting ‘round here. All popular publications, the healthy ones included, have been trumpeting the benefits of drinking water for eons. Hell, you’ve seen my post about the king of the liquid universe. The benefits of staying properly hydrated should never be discounted, but there is a line.

You’ve all heard the instruction to drink at least 8 glasses (or a gallon) of water a day. This is hogwash for most folks. If you’re sweating your baseballs off in batting practice or running long distances, this is a different discussion. From health.harvard.edu:

So, how much should you drink? Harvard Men’s Health Watch suggests that you plan to drink two to three cups of water an hour, but boost the amount if you are sweating heavily.

Trying to drink more than another cat just because you read it in a magazine doesn’t make sense. How much is too much? Thankyourbody.com has a take:

Are you drinking too much water?

• Do you carry around a water bottle to drink throughout the day?

• Do you think drinking a tall glass of water will help curb your appetite?

• Do you pee frequently, including during the night?

• Is your pee clear as the day is long?

• Do you think that’s a good thing?

I don’t necessarily buy all of this, but I understand the point. Carry a bottle of water if you like; just don’t force yourself to drink it. Our best possible barometer is comfort. If you’re full, bloated and peeing constantly, chances are you’ve gone too far with your water intake. huffingtonpost.com agrees:

You know that old trick where you down H2O before a meal so that you don’t eat so much? It doesn’t work. Along those same lines you should never drink so much water that you feel physically full. This is overkill, and the full feeling is your body telling you so. Water toxicity occurs when large amounts are consumed in a short period of time. As long as you are spreading out your sips throughout the day, your kidneys should be able to handle and filter the water you are drinking.

Water toxicity is a real, albeit uncommon, thing. From scientificamerican.com, 2007:

Earlier this year, a 28-year-old California woman died after competing in a radio station’s on-air water-drinking contest. After downing some six liters of water in three hours in the “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” (Nintendo game console) contest, Jennifer Strange vomited, went home with a splitting headache, and died from so-called water intoxication.

As an aside, really? Folks, eating and or drinking contests of any kind are not advisable. It took everything I had to stop my fingers from typing harsher words.

My pitbull is so much smarter than us. He and I blaze through the Malibu hills and chase rabbits. He starts to pant as we gradually move uphill. I take a sip of water, because I assume I’m supposed to, even though my body feels pretty good. I pour some in the direction of his big ol’ chops. He looks at me like I’m nuts. He wants no part of it. Two hours later, after being home and relaxed for some time, I see the beast stand up, walk over to his H2O dish and go to town.

In my next life, I want to be Foos.

Kap