Are you chronically dehydrated?

Recently I read an interview of California-based Dr. Herman Falsetti--a board certified cardiologist and former Team Physician of the U.S. Postal Service Team, USCF Olympic Team, Ironman Hawaii and other impressive teams/events.

The subject matter focused on hydration during workouts...what to drink, when and how much. Like many experts, Dr. Falsetti believes that most athletes--especially longer distance participants--under-hydrate during their training or racing which leads to a condition of chronic dehydration--negatively affecting performance and your overall well-being. Per hour, Falsetti recommends drinking three or four water bottles! Yes, you read that correctly, 3 or 4 bottles per hour!

With the help of their team cars and support crew, Falsetti points out that one rider in the Tour de France will go through 30-40 water bottles in a day. Half of those 30 are used to splash rather than drink, the rest are consumed.

Unlike the TDF riders, most of us lack a spouse or friends to act as our support crew on long rides or runs---we must fend for ourselves and supply our own nutrition and drink. So, for example, on a 3-hour training ride, Falsetti acknowledges that you will not be able to carry 9-10 bottles of water. Instead, he recommends drinking one or two bottles in the hour before your ride (not 15 minutes before lest the outhouse will become a frequent destination), bringing along 2 or 3 bottles to consume during, and making up the rest during the rest of the day.

These recommendations assume your're sweating quite a bit and the temps are "summer warm"--80's/90'sF, otherwise hyponatremia--diluting your system with too much water--can cause even more serious problems, including death. Always supplementing with food or gels will help prevent hyponatremia.

How can you tell whether you're chronically dehydrated? According to Falsetti:

1. Check your resting heartrate - an elevated resting heartrate (even just a couple beats) is typically a sign of dehydration;

2. Get on the scale - day to day weight fluctuations are due to water weight gain/loss. If you're 2 pounds under your typical weight, drink two bottles of water (1 bottle = 1 pound);

3. Are you light-headed? When dehydrated, getting up quickly will cause head rushes. Drink a glass of agua or two to start seeing straight again.