Water Ergo: Hydration and Nutrition
Math Time! Get Excited!
Poor Nutrition + Poor Hydration = Suboptimal performance out
Now let's level up the equation.
Proper Nutrition + Proper Hydration = Optimal performance
"What you put in is what you get out" isn't a new concept, but we tend to lose sight of it. Moreover, this concept is applicable in all aspects of our lives. Whether you want to nail an important presentation or go from Gold to Platinum in League of Legends (personal goal), you have to put in quality to get quality out.
So, why would fueling your body be any different?
In the third part of the Elemental Ergo series, we're tackling "Water: Hydration and Nutrition." As with the previous installments, I've brought in experts in their respective fields to bring home the message.
Kylene Bogden MS RDN, CSSD, CLT, IFNCP, who is the Cleveland Cavaliers Nutritionist and owner of FWDfuel Sports Nutrition.
HidrateSpark, makers of a smart water bottle. HidrateSpark has grown into the leading global brand, owning the smart water bottle category. Today, HidrateSpark is powering research studies at world-class hospitals, including the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic.
Why Hydration Matters
There's a simple and a more complex answer to this question. The first is simply because it's water and you need it to live.
The more complex answer is water is vital to processes such as:
waste elimination
temperature control
lubricating joints
brain function
Even mild dehydration causes a decrease in mental performance and physical symptoms like headaches, fatigue, and dry mouth.
For my gamers out there, dehydration can impair your aiming, reaction time, and decision making.
HidrateSpark's research has shown mental symptoms far beyond the typical tired feeling.
"In our research, we've seen that people who are even mildly dehydrated show decreases in mood, productivity, energy levels, and overall cognitive and physical performance."
Just wrap your mind around that quote. Simply drinking water can positively affect your output and mood throughout the day. Improved performance and less "tilt" can equate to better work outcomes, better ranks in gaming, and feeling better in general.
Up'ing Your Water Game
"I just don't like the taste of water" is a common phrase I hear from patients and athletes. The lack of incentive to drink more water; in many cases, is due to the lack of hydration education or user’s inaccessibility of quality water.
I can relate to this first hand as I grew up in rural Minnesota with well-based water. The water had heavy iron deposits and produced rust-colored residue in containers. Needless to say, water wasn't my go-to, but instead, I resorted to juices or pops (yes, it's called pop, not soda).
An easy fix for pumping up water’s taste is getting a filter. Buying a filter will do wonders, so here’s a Wirecutter article with a few solid choices for above sink filters/pitchers.
How can we increase our intake of water while making the experience palatable?
My #1 tip is to infuse your water with fruits like limes (a personal favorite), lemons, strawberries, or cucumbers. Infusing simply means that you cut up fruit and throw it in the bottom of your glass or water bottle, and you're done.
Kylene's tip is even better:
"Purchase an old school ice cube tray and fill each opening with half water half lemon juice. Next, add your favorite fruit- raspberries, blueberries, etc. Freeze and add these cubes to your water bottle. Refreshing flavor encourages hydration compliance!!"
(Water) Bottle Service
If you can take anything away from this article, I want you to get yourself a dedicated water bottle at your desk. This is a ridiculously easy way to increase your water intake throughout the workday. Kylene reverberates this concept below:
As weird as this may sound, for many of us, our lack of hydration is a result of the "out of sight, out of mind" concept. How do we prevent this?
Step 1: Keep a water bottle by your side at all times. Step 2: Actually, set a reminder on your phone every hour to drink. Treat this no differently than an important meeting. If you are consistent, you may start to notice more mental sharpness and less of a desire to chug caffeine.
Using a smart water bottle is still another way to incorporate more water into your daily routine. Smart water bottles provide gamification by challenging other users or closing rings on the app. Gamification has continually shown to increase participation in activities that suffer from lack of compliance (exercise, water intake, ergonomics).
HidrateSpark bottles level-up your hydration game even more by
"..taking the guesswork out of hydration and do so much more than just hold water. Our bottles set a personalized goal based on individual parameters, automatically track water intake on the HidrateSpark App, sync with popular fitness trackers, and even remind you to sip if you're falling behind on your goal."
How Much do you need?
I get asked this question regularly. My quick and easy answer is:
Body Weight (in oz) / 2 = Amount needed
190 oz / 2 = 95 oz for the day
This is a very simplistic answer to a complex question.
Numerous variables will change this equation ranging from daily activity, workouts, weather, and age, just to name a few. As you can see, many factors contribute to fluid demand, so I hate using the guesstimate method.
Once again having apps or smart bottles makes this significantly more manageable and allows the calculating to be passive (everyone loves less work) HidrateSpark breaks it down even further:
"Even mild dehydration can affect your overall health, so you must get the correct amount of water for your body. Water intake is not one-size-fits-all, and the old "8 glasses a day" trick won't cut it. Your physical parameters, like age, height, weight, and activity level, make a difference. Your location, including your elevation and the humidity levels, make a difference. If you're pregnant or nursing, that can make a difference too! HidrateSpark's proprietary Hydration Equation takes into account all of these factors and more to create the optimal hydration goal for every individual."
Another fantastic way to check your hydration level is by observing your urine. I've included a chart below which explains it perfectly.
Photo Credit to Healthline.com
The hydration goal is to increase your intake of water wherever you are starting. Substituting infused water for pop/energy drinks once a day can cascade to replacing them more and more. Eventually, you may even drink water by itself or my personal favorite on the rocks.
Water on the rocks
Nutrition: Let's Eat!
I'm going to be honest here and let you know out of the gate that nutrition is not my strong suit. However, I wanted to include it in this series as it is VITAL to performance at our desks. I'll be contributing where I can, but I want to give Kylene the floor to provide her expert insight.
"Sure, you've probably heard breakfast is important since your first day out of the womb. BUT, what are you ingesting first thing in the a.m.? A bowl of cereal and skim milk? A pastry? An energy drink?
Many of us take the simple sugar route because we assume it will give us that much-needed boost. Although, unfortunately, it does the exact opposite. Instead, eating a breakfast filled with simple sugar leads to a spike in cortisol and blood sugar. If this becomes a daily habit, over time, you may notice more belly fat, a constant feeling of hunger or need for sugar, less mental acuity, more general fatigue throughout the day, more mid-afternoon energy crashes, poor focus, and less restful sleep.
Here is a gamer pro tip that I want you to implement for the rest of your life: Breakfast must include some form of protein and plant-based fat.
Try these simple suggestions:
Add a scoop of guacamole on top of your omelet in the morning
Add a scoop of collagen peptides and almond butter to your overnight oats
Include 20-25g protein from a high-quality powder + 1 TBSP coconut oil in your breakfast shake
Blend a couple of ounces of silken tofu into your yogurt + nuts (and berries) on top instead of sugar-laden granola
If you enjoy getting a little creative in the kitchen, here are a few more breakfast recipes that won't leave you feeling sluggish or bloated."
Kylene nailed the concept of breakfast, which lays the groundwork for the rest your day. For a long time, I was the oatmeal/cereal and toast kind of guy. Things massively changed for me with the book "What the Heck Should I Eat" by Dr. Mark Hyman M.D. Overnight, I switched my breakfast to more eggs in the morning and incorporated quality fats into my diet. I noticed that I was more full throughout the day and snacked far less.
The book breaks down common food myths with scientific studies and his work at Cleveland Clinic. At the end of each chapter, Dr. Hyman divides common foods into things to eat and avoid. I can not recommend this book enough as it has changed the way I eat for the better.
Fat is Our Friend
Like most of you, I held on to the fear that fat (quality fat) wasn't my friend and should be avoided when necessary. "What the Heck Should I Eat" changed that concept in a heartbeat, and the benefits were almost immediate.
Recently there have been studies suggesting that the old school method of carb loading (I'm always reminded of Michael from the Office eating alfredo before the fun run) is out of date.
Kylene breaks down fat for us.
Contrary to popular belief, eating fat will NOT make you fat!! Not consuming enough plant-based fat, especially when working from home, can lead to poor focus, constant hunger/overeating, and intense sugar cravings. Going forward, let's focus on consuming a serving or two of fat at each meal.
For example
You may want to add a scoop of peanut butter to your oats or 1/4 frozen avocado to make a creamier smoothie.
Maybe at lunch or dinner, you begin incorporating extra virgin olive oil as your salad dressing, drizzle melted coconut oil on your sweet potato, or sauté your veggies in avocado oil.
For snacks, you may want to include more nuts and seeds. Throw a little ground flaxseed on your yogurt, dip an apple in almond or cashew butter, and give chia pudding a chance!
Speaking of snacks, Kylene hits us with a couple of substantial resources for my favorite pastime ….snacking.
Let's be honest here. In a dream world, all of your food would be made from scratch, and it would consist only of real ingredients, not food dyes and chemicals. However, our lives are so busy, and there are barely enough hours in the day to balance it all.
The solution? Choose convenient, portable snacks that only contain real food ingredients. Here are some of my favorite real food brands when it comes to snack bars.
And if sugar seems to be your biggest enemy, check out these sweet swaps.
I've also included some of my go-to's for snacks:
Final Pro Tip from Kylene:
MCT oil is one of my best-kept gamer secrets. Incorporating 1-2 TBSPs of this powerful brain fueling fat at breakfast can help improve your focus. You can add it to whatever you would like, but beverages such as tea, coffee, or smoothies/shakes tend to be the easiest method for incorporation.
Closing
Whether you’re drinking water or snacking down on some peppers and hummus, the fuel you put into your body will determine your output. Trash in equals trash out. If you want to gain an edge on your competition on the Rift or in the workplace, what you eat/drink will give you that small edge over the competition. That might mean hitting a clutch shot, stealing a baron, or finding that perfect layout for a pitch deck.
Try some of the changes above, educate yourself in nutrition, or try a smart water bottle to perform at your peak. Whatever you choose, take the first step to a healthier you.
Here’s a couple of follow up links:
Hidratespark smart water bottle
Kylene Bogden MS RDN, CSSD, CLT, IFNCP