A top nutritionist explains why elite athletes curb water intake after 4 p.m. — and why you should consider it too

Hydration plays a immense relation successful performance, intelligence focus, carnal stamina, and recovery. That's existent whether you're an NBA prima oregon a play warrior.

The pros person mastered the creation of optimal hydration, according to Matt Jones, a sports nutritionist who advises supplement marque Cadence and worked with the Boston Celtics during their 2024 NBA Championship-winning season.

"It's those routines that let them to execute to the champion of their ability, due to the fact that yet the astir important happening with immoderate nutrition involution is the consistency part," helium told Business Insider.

After years of acquisition coaching elite athletes and subject professionals, Jones has 5 cardinal tips to get capable h2o and electrolytes for amended absorption and vigor passim the day.

Use a three-part trial for dehydration

Drinking capable h2o is important to keeping your encephalon and assemblage performing good successful the bureau oregon connected the hoops court, according to Jones.

"It tin interaction your mood, your determination making, it tin interaction the mode you conscionable spell astir your mean life," helium said.

A cardinal portion of his occupation is being capable to archer whether athletes request to portion much water, which helium does utilizing a golden modular test. You tin usage the 3 steps to see if if you're dehydrated:

• Waking up thirsty. You tin suffer fluids overnight, truthful greeting thirst is simply a bully motion to commencement drinking water.
• Daily value changes. Slight changes successful your regular value are normal, but if decreases by 1% oregon much overnight, you could beryllium debased connected fluids.
• Dark urine. Normal urine is airy oregon transparent yellow, truthful a colour person to amber tin bespeak dehydration.

How overmuch h2o you should portion successful a day?

Jones said the golden modular proposal is 1 milliliter to 1.5 milliliters per calorie of energy expenditure.

For example, a idiosyncratic who burns done 2,000 calories a time would request astir 2 liters oregon eight cups of h2o per day — the proposal you astir apt heard arsenic a kid.

If you person higher calorie needs due to the fact that you're much progressive oregon measurement more, your hydration needs volition beryllium proportionally higher.

Drink astir of your h2o by 4 p.m.

Being well-hydrated tin backfire if you portion h2o excessively late, since predominant bath trips disrupt your sleep.

Jones said the solution for his athletes, including the Celtics, is to portion 80% of their fluids for the time earlier 4:00 p.m, truthful their bodies person clip to process each that liquid earlier bedtime.

Hydrate with fruit, coffee, and tea

Plain h2o is your archetypal precedence for hydration and a healthier prime than sugary foodstuff oregon soda, but different drinks and adjacent foods tin number toward your regular total.

For instance, your regular greeting java tin assistance support you hydrated. It's champion successful moderation to avoid the broadside effects of excess caffeine.

"Caffeine itself tin beryllium a diuretic, but erstwhile consumed successful the signifier of java oregon tea, the nett effect is simply a nett summation successful fluid," Jones said.

Hydrating foods similar fruits and veggies besides supply electrolytes to modulate the fluids successful your body.

We request sodium, oregon salt, but astir of america astir apt get capable successful our diets already. Jones said it's amended to absorption connected getting the close magnitude of potassium for equilibrium and to offset the broadside effects of too overmuch sodium, similar precocious humor pressure.

Good sources of potassium see bananas, avocado, coconut water, pomegranate, and watermelon.

Start drinking earlier you're thirsty

It's good to sip h2o erstwhile you consciousness similar it during the enactment day, but if you hold until you're thirsty during a sweaty workout, you'll already beryllium dehydrated.

"During aggravated exercise, peculiarly successful lukewarm environments, thirst is not a bully indicator of hydration status," Jones said. "People are often chasing their tails a small bit."

You tin calculate your sweat rate to estimation conscionable however overmuch h2o you request to regenerate during exercise, similar Jones does with the pros.

Prevent a dip successful show by drinking h2o astatine regular intervals.

"The archetypal precedence arsenic soon arsenic your large toed hits satellite world successful the greeting is to rehydrate," helium said.