Step 2 of 7
Drink water. More than you think, less often than you fear.
Mild dehydration is the most common and most fixable reason people feel flat by mid-afternoon. Before you change anything about what you eat, fix what you drink.
How much
A simple, widely used target: about half your body weight in ounces of water per day, spread across the day. At 160 lb that is roughly 80 oz, or ten 8-oz glasses. Hot weather, hard training and coffee all push the number up. Your urine should be pale to clear at least once a day; thirst is a late signal, not an early one.
What counts
- Plain water: filtered, spring or distilled, still or sparkling. Sparkling is a good way to add variety; check that the label shows zero sugar and no artificial sweeteners.
- Herbal and green tea. Green tea is a good alternative to a second coffee.
- Your morning shake, which is mostly water.
What does not
- Fruit juice and sodas, including diet soda. Juice is fruit with the fiber removed; a glass carries as much sugar as a soda.
- Sports drinks unless you are training hard for more than an hour.
- Alcohol, which is a net dehydrator. Coffee in moderation is fine; count it as neutral rather than as water.
Make it automatic
- Keep a bottle in sight: desk, car, bedside. Out of sight is out of mind.
- Drink a full glass first thing in the morning and one with each meal. That is half your target before you have tried.
- Add lemon, cucumber or mint if plain water bores you. Anything that makes it a habit is allowed.
Give this a week on its own before you judge it. Most people notice the afternoon slump shrinking within days.
Continue to Step 3Next: The shake
