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| I am curious how much water you guys are drinking? I belive I am not as good as I should be in terms of drinking enough water each day.
Namaste
jebaz |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
  
Location: A Blue State |
Are you doing Hot Yoga? If so, I'd suggest drinking an extra two or three litres every day. |
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| Jebaz
In general you should drink a gallon of water a day. I try... sometimes more, sometimes less. But I shoot for a gallon.
However, you should NOT be drinking water during yoga class. Except Bikram. In all other styles of hatha yoga you are creating heat/Tapas to burn the toxins from your body. Water will dowse the fire and negate any benefits you gained. Bikram yoga is often criticized for that reason, inter alia.
This runs counter to the common (western) thinking that you should drink water while you are exercising. Yoga is not just exercise and should not be treated as such. Drink plenty of water before and after. If you are exercising (running, biking, lifting, etc), please continue to drink water often. If you are practicing yoga, please refrain from drinking water during class. Always stay hydrated!
I learned this about 2 years ago and haven't had a drop of water in yoga class since. I don't even bring a bottle in with me. It feels good once you get used to it, but is tough if you aren't already properly hydrated. Therefore always stay hydrated.
Namaste,
Edited by YogaGuy 2004-09-27 5:12 PM
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| I was always taught that a good guideline was body weight, trying for 1 ounce of water per pound of weight. So if you were 150 lbs, try for 150 ounces of water a day. Which would be just over a gallon a day. For someone that doesn't drink much water to begin with, start with 1/2 ounce per lb. and work up till you're comfortable for your body.
It can sound like a lot initially, but if you work out the math it's not as much as you think. Seems last time I worked it out for myself, (before I put on a bunch of weight, mind you) it was only like 1/2 a cup of water for me every half hour. Not hard to accomplish at all when you break it down like that.
After you get used to adding more water to your diet, many find themselves craving it more, or perhaps more accurately, recognizing the craving for water more easily. I know most people mistake the feeling of thirst as a craving for food. So for many people they have to retrain themselves.
Of course that is just a "guideline" not the gospel.  But a good place to start in getting to know how much Your body needs.
Be Well |
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| Another clue that you may not be getting enough water is yellow piss. With proper hydration it should be almost clear. Don't forget that the water in foods also counts towards your daily requirement. By early afternoon I've had 3 pieces of fruit, which are full of water. |
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| This has been interesting to read what the expiernces of others is like. I am trying to drink 2 litters of water a day. beyond coffie or tea. I notice that when I drink less I don't feel as good I also have weighted myself before and after a run to see how much I might sweat to measure how much more water I need to drink to make up for what I lost. It is about 1/2 litter per 1/2 hour. I wounder if Bruce or other Birkim folks have done that? Weight yourself before and after class to see how much you lose in your 1 1/2 hour class. That would be interesting to hear about too.
Namaste,
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| Remember coffee and tea are diuretics which make you expel more fluids, thus they lead to quicker dehydration. Therefore, you should increase your water intake in relation to how much coffee or tea (or caffeine) you drink.
Although most foods and especially fruits contain a lot of water in relation to the fruit itself, the amount of water you ingest from solid foods is not enough to keep you properly hydrated.
Urine as indicator of hydration is not necessarily accurate. Clear urine can also result when you are not ingesting enough nutrients (vitamins and minerals). For example if you take a high dosage of vitamin C, it can turn your urine yellow because what the body doesn't absord is flushed out. This can happen even if you are properly hydrated. Conversely, if you were dehydrated and also ate a diet low in vitamins and minerals your urine would probably be clear due to the fact that all the nutrients were absorbed readily.
Proper hydration increases mental acuity, physical wellbeing and reduces cravings for food. Everyone should endeavor to properly hydrate themselves first and foremost. In my opinion, it should be the first thing people change or consider changing about their diets....after that? That's a whole other thread....
Edited by YogaGuy 2004-09-29 5:36 PM
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| The only thing one needs to do is: When one is truely thirsty, one should drink enough pure water (unfortunately, in today's times, one has to buy it, which is a sign of real poverty in all countries, almost) to satisfy the thirst. For some reason, if the Thirst is Lost, and it is causing dehydration, burning, constipation, etc effects, one should Meditate and Relax enough so that with the time the Thirst Returns. Same is to be done in case of Food and Anorexia.
In general, one should not look at how much water others are drininking, or how yellow/clear others urine is.
Best Luck
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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Water
