When most people hear the word hydration, they think of a big glass of water. The issue is that water by itself does not effectively hydrate the body. This isn’t just semantics, it’s a key part of succeeding at any fitness or training goal. In fact, behind sleep, it is the MOST important factor in succeeding. Many try to jump straight to exercise to lose weight or change their body and exercise might be one of the lowest priority lifestyle changes to make if you actually want to succeed long term.

The first part of hydration is drinking water. As simple as that is, it’s been astounding the amount of consultations I’ve done with people who do not do this intentionally. I just felt like I should clear up the obvious first. Drink water. Super good for you.

But the other components of hydration are just as crucial if you’re gonna win the long game here. Changing your physique and maintaining it is absolutely a long game and you need to view it that way if you want it to stick. Let’s break down all the pieces involved in helping the body actually utilize that water to keep you fully hydrated.

-Sodium: Sodium intake is key for retaining water and maintaining blood volume. This is particularly important for staying hydrated during intense exercise or when you’re dealing with heat. This can be a dangerous one because it’s often one of the electrolytes that people over consume which leads to its own issues. But if you do get low on sodium, especially while training, your body will most assuredly let you know.

-Potassium: This is a key teammate of sodium for cell hydration and muscle/heart function. You may remember sodium/potassium pumps from high Anatomy and Physiology. Or you may not. Regardless, if you want to keep up strength on a leg day or maintain intensity on a long run you’re going to want this duo working together for you.

-Magnesium: I cannot stress enough how important magnesium is for all kinds of physiological functions. If you are not getting Magnesium from the food you eat you should start supplementing it immediately. If you have access to a time machine, start doing it 3 years ago. It works with the Sodium/Potassium pump by regulating the movement of water into and out of cells to keep them from swelling or shrinking excessively. Low magnesium will often lead to potassium depletion which can make you feel dehydrated even if you’re drinking water. Magnesium is also required for ATP production (which is basically cellular energy). Long story short, get magnesium in your body.

-Calcium: Calcium also works alongside Sodium and Potassium by regulating the flow of water and electrolytes across cell membranes. Additionally, calcium is crucial for muscle contraction. When you do get dehydrated, low calcium levels can lead to cramping and muscle weakness. This is something the vast majority of people don’t know and are often surprised to learn. Consuming excessive amounts of sodium can also disrupt calcium’s ability to perform its functions. Balance with all of these is key.

-Chloride: This one is going to team up with Sodium to maintain extracellular fluid volume. This is important for controlling blood pressure and hydration. It’s also in stomach acid and acts to regulate your body’s pH levels. This is a significant part of overall hydration as your pH being regulated optimizes fluid regulation and enzyme function. It’s also present in the kidneys, which use chloride to hold or excrete water as your body needs.

-Phosphate: Phosphate is a core component of ATP. Without enough phosphate, the Sodium/Potassium pumps that move water in and out of the cells will lose their efficiency. They are also a significant factor in regulating pH along with Chloride. Phosphate depletion will be signaled by fatigue and reduced performance, especially during an intense training session.

As you can see, hydration is actually a complex physiological process that requires quite a few additional considerations outside of just going to the water fountain and shotgunning H20. The good news is that it’s not that difficult to get all of these daily!

It’s always good to aim to get anything your body needs from natural sources where you can. A solid list of high electrolyte foods is as follows: Avocado, spinach, bananas, sweet potatoes, yogurt, nuts/seeds, salmon (stupidly nutritious fish), olives, watermelon, coconut water (hidden gem), and bone broth.

Something I do to make sure I’m geared up for intense activity is add electrolytes to my water regimen daily. Some great brands are LMNT (crazy salty taste but good ingredients. Just make sure you put it in at least 16 oz of water), Liquid IV or Ultima. You can also whip up a homemade electrolyte concoction if you want to make sure you know what’s in it. Just mix water, lemon, sea salt, magnesium powder, and potassium salt (NoSalt is a good brand for this).

A lot of people love Gatorade or Powerade but, in general, avoid these sugar bombs unless you are going to training at high intensity for an hour or more or are going to be dealing with a lot of heat.

As far as supplements to consider to make sure the body is hydrating efficiently, look to take magnesium (citrate or glycinate). Taking this at night can also aid with sleep! I just want to repeat, magnesium is gold for your body.

If you got this far, you obviously care about your body and your health. If you execute on what you learned here you will absolutely improve your quality of life. There is no such thing as being too precise when you are trying to create and keep an exceptional body that keeps up with the lifestyle you want to have. The smarter you work, the better the result.