Chris Carmichael with Jim Rutberg write Being properly hydrated has its perks. A well-hydrated body suffers less fatigue, fewer headaches, clearer skin, greater flexibility, and in general, puts you in a better mood. The majority of the US population, however, lives in a chronic state of dehydration. I have often told athletes that the first and best response to feeling “off” is to start drinking fluids immediately. It’s actually one of the simplest ways to improve your performance.

Being dehydrated by as little as 2-percent can hinder performance by as much as 10 percent. That might not seem like a lot, but if you can typically run a 5k in 21:45 (a 7-minute pace), a 10-percent drop slows you down over two minutes! And even worse, when dehydration increases to 5 percent, performance declines by 30 percent (that’s over 6 minutes in the same 5k course). And here’s the bad news: If you’re already 2-percent dehydrated when you start a workout, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll be 4- to 5-percent dehydrated during it.

The problem is that most of us have been chronically dehydrated most of our lives—we don’t know any other way to live. Here’s the good news: when you increase you daily fluid intake to ¾ to 1 gallon a day you see almost immediate results. You feel more energetic, your workouts are better, you focus better, and you’re less irritable. Sure, you visit the little boys and girls room more often, but isn’t that a better trade off than poor health, moods and performance?

Now, here’s the tricky thing: Instantly increasing the amount you drink won’t instantly improve your hydration status. You’ve adapted to this chronic state of hydration and suddenly flooding your body will simply increase urine production. Don’t worry about it. As your body adapts, you’ll start to retain more fluid. Just make the increase gradual and top out at 3 quarts or a gallon a day.

If you’re on a training program, add 20-ounces of fluids per hour of workout time to your 3/4-1 gallon of fluids a day. Add even more fluids if it’s a strenuous workout on a hot day.

Here’s some way to get more fluid into your system throughout the day:
Carry a water bottle with you. If you have some nearby, you’re more apt to drink it.
Keep it at a temperature you enjoy. If it’s too warm, you won’t drink it.
Color it. Studies have shown that colored water gets consumed more, so mix in some juice or add lemon or tea.
Change the taste. We also don’t drink it if we can’t stomach the taste, so add a scoop of your favorite sports drink.

Adapted from 5 Essentials for a Winning Life by Chris Carmichael with Jim Rutberg