Tom Brady's TB12 Hydration Challenge

Heading into summer we are seeing a lot of social media posting on hydration. We know the human body is mostly made of water and athletic performance is shown to decline rapidly with dehydration of just a few percent of body weight, but athletes workout and drink a lot of water, right?  In my practice I do find that most athletes, around practice or athletic events, do consume plenty of fluids. (I would always argue we need more water and clean electrolytes not so much sports drinks, but for now we will just focus on fluids.)  Many professional sports teams use bioimpedance testing to measure fluid balance in athletes understanding the importance of fluid for performance.  I often ask the young athletes I see, how much did you drink after practice yesterday and before you went to bed and it is not unusual to hear in response, not very much or even none.  I posted and linked to the TB12 challenge because it emphasizes the importance of hydration over time. Our goal with athletes is to be consistent with diet and hydration everyday to allow the body to perform at its best as well as optimize the ability to grow, heal and recover.  Remember pregame is not the day before or the day of an athletic event pregame is everyday that week heading into the event. We now have the science to understand that consistent diet and hydration around your training allows your body to adapt metabolically for performance.   

​ESTABLISH YOUR HYDRATION BASELINE IN 14 DAYSAs spring turns into summer, and in particular on a day like National Hydration Day (June 23), questions like ‘What’s the best way to hydrate?’ and ‘How long does it take to get hydrated?’ get asked. These are important questions to mention since survey research indicates that 75% of Americans don’t drink enough water.
Studies also indicate that dehydration can drain physical and cognitive performance as well as harm digestion. Here are some key facts explaining why hydration is so important for your recovery and performance:

1. Metabolic hydro-power. The billions of biochemical reactions your body needs to function normally are vitally dependent on the efficient flow of water.
2. Accelerates recovery. Recovery is either supported by good hydration or slowed by dehydration. If performance is important, then hydration is the first and most critical activity you can (easily) perform to get the most out of your training.
3. Joint health. Drinking water decreases joint soreness and pain.
4. Sense of thirst can decrease with age. Older athletes may reap tremendous hydration benefits when they make proper hydration a habit. Research shows that thirst declines as osmoreceptor sensitivity naturally declines when you age.
5. Pliability. Thorough and consistent hydration is the simple and most accessible goal one can take on to improve their pliability.
6. Cognitive health. What makes up 85% of the total weight of the brain? Water.
7. Oxygen flow. Your muscles are composed of 75% water. When you are chronically dehydrated, you are chronically depriving your muscles of optimal oxygen flow.
8. Lymphatic support. The lymphatic system is the body’s sewer system. It drains waste products from each of some 37 trillion cells in the human body. Twice the size of the arterial component of the circulatory system, the lymphatic system is 96% water.  Being hydrated helps the lymphatic system maximize recovery and pliability. Without enough water, the lymphatic system can’t flush out the built-up toxins in the body.

“IF THERE’S ONE SIMPLE THING EVERYONE CAN DO TO ENHANCE THEIR OWN MUSCLE PLIABILITY, IT’S TO DRINK ENOUGH WATER REGULARLY AND CONTINUOUSLY. REACHING A BASELINE TAKES AT LEAST 14 DAYS.”  — TOM BRADY
What does Tom Brady drink? The answer is 150 ounces of water (or more) supplemented with TB12 Electrolytes. This wasn’t always the case. When he was a college quarterback at the University of Michigan he drank relatively little water. “I drank a lot of other things—alcohol, juice, soda—that I later found out can be dehydrating,” he says. “I definitely experienced a lot more fatigue in my twenties than I do now.” He adds that unlike in his college years, he never gets headaches or cramps anymore.


BEST WAY TO HYDRATE & REACH YOUR BASELINE

1. A 14-day hydration challenge. The best way to hydrate is to build a routine. Start with a goal to hydrate for 14 consecutive days. Realizing the vast benefits of hydration will not happen if it’s on one day, off the next. Reaching a baseline of hydration takes a minimum of 14 days of consistent, complete hydration.
2. Hydrate. Drink at least one-half your body weight in ounces each day. If you weigh 160 pounds, your goal would be to drink at least 80 ounces of water. More if you exercise. More still if you exercise in hot weather.
3. Spread it out. The 160-pound example above would ideally reach this objective a glass of water every hour or two.  In general, it’s not a good idea to drink four 8-oz glasses during a one-hour time period.
4. Add electrolytes. Add TB12 Electrolytes to the water you’re drinking as often as possible. Electrolytes help you make the most of your hydration efforts, increasing absorption and supporting the nerve-to-muscle communication of your 650+ skeletal muscles.
5. Eliminate hydration drag. Dehydration has a compounding effect. Reduce or eliminate your intake of caffeine, soda, and alcohol. When you do, compensate with two additional glasses of water for every dehydrating beverage you consume. It’s worth mentioning that research shows how replacing soda consumption with drinking water (no surprise) helps lower daily caloric intake.

Recovery, optimal strength, and pliability can flourish by establishing and maintaining your hydration baseline. Expect to feel better every day in the course of a two-week challenge. Need a good start date? #NationalHydrationDay is June 23.

click here for the TB12 Hydration challenge article