Hydration in Poker

OK - So Hydration in all walks of life is important, not just for poker. This article is intended to give you knowledge about hydration to keep you in a peak mental condition!

People frequently abuse their minds and bodies and starve themselves of the hydration they need to have peak performance. There are a lot of numbers thrown around of how much we need, when and why. Here are the facts!

The key is choosing a healthy balance of drinks which can improve your performance and keep your mind working on when others will start to suffer.

Why do we need water?

Our bodies are made up of ⅔ water if we don't maintain hydration we can suffer from side effects such as feeling tired, getting headaches and not performing at our peak. All of these things would instantly take away from our poker profit and probably end up in us losing. We would not be performing optimally and giving away our edge.

A key fact is that hydration comes from not just water, it can be from milk, fruit juices hot drinks and even food. Food counts as 20% of our fluid intake per day!!!

How much water do we need?

This depends on a lot of factors such as age, gender and physical exercise. An average amount needed is 1.6Litres per day for females and 2Litres per day for males. This is all on top of the water provided in the food you eat. Strong alcoholic drinks such as wine and spirits DO NOT count towards your fluid intake.

Can we drink to much?

Yes! Taking on too much fluid will cause you to become uncomfortable. If you are urinating constantly and it's pale you may be taking on too much so scale it back a little. 

What are the best types of drinks to choose?

In taking on fluid the most harm that can be done when choosing anything apart from water is taking on calories and putting unknown ingredients into your body. It is also very bad for your teeth and gums which can cause side effects such as bleeding and rotting. 

Fluid breakdowns: 

Food:

Foods that contain high amounts of waters are fruits and vegetables, this are great to have and should not be counted towards your 2 litres per day needed. Also foods which have water added to them in preparation such as stews and soup contain a lot of water.

Water:

This is of course the best possible drink. It contains no sugars, no weird chemicals and contains no calories. It is also a drink that costs us the least (from a tap) and doesn’t have any adverse side effects such as making us feel sleepy or giving us headaches.

Fizzy Drinks:

Limiting drinks like this is a must, they contain sugars which harm our teeth and also contain ingredients which do nothing but damage to our bodies. The most damaging side effect of this is to our teeth which will become rotten and cause damage that cannot be reversed.

Hot Drinks:

Tea & coffee: These are fine to drink but be careful on your caffeine intake. Overdoing on this can cause nausea and shaking. Also replacing sugar with sweeteners will have you take in less calories and won’t damage your teeth like sugar will. 

Milk:

Replacing skimmed with semi skimmed is needed once we become adults. Skimmed milk contains saturated fat which can cause our body harm and increases the calories we take in per day. Milk is a great source of water and also contains vitamin B and calcium. Which all work together to give us a healthier body. 

Juices and smoothies:

A great drink to add in to your day. Containing plenty of water and also packed full of vitamins and minerals. 150ml of fruit juice counts as 1 or your 5 per day. This will help fight diseases and also improve your immune system. Preparing a couple of pre made bottles whilst grinding will boost your energy and also clean out your system.

Am i drinking enough water? 

The best way of spotting if you are dehydrated is the colour of your urine. If its dark yellow you will not be taking in enough fluid or prolonging how often you urinate. Both are very damaging. Your urine should be a pale straw colour if hydrated correctly. 

A few top tips:

• Drink slightly more when you are hot.
• Be prepared. Have water, juices or smoothies at the ready whilst grinding.
• Go to the bathroom when you need to urinate or have the chance to...no one likes sprinting to the bathroom inbetween hands. Make most of scheduled breaks!!!
• Always hydrate more when doing physical exercise.
• Always hydrate when your mouth is dry or you feel thirsty. This is your body crying out for a cold glass of water!