The following Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson

and is narrated by Tina Lehman.

Do you know how to properly hydrate?

Hydration. It seems like it should be so easy. Drink some water. Do you know how to properly hydrate?

Hydration. It seems like it should be so easy. Drink some water. Go about your day. The end.

If only it was that simple. In fact, there are many often contradictory opinions out there about what we should be drinking and how much and when, especially for the athletes among us.

I have written about hydration before and kept up to date with breaking research in recent years.

Now, as I'm working on the completely revised, updated, and expanded edition of the primal

blueprint, slated for release in December 2016, I'd like to share a more

sophisticated and nuanced opinion on the subject. As you might recall in the original primal

blueprint, I essentially said, obey your thirst like Groch did, and left it at that. So let's dig a

little deeper, especially for those of us who are active and

athletic. Hydration is a critical component of optimal health. It's important for digestion,

muscle contraction, circulation, thermal regulation, and neurological functioning, among others.

My seemingly flippant, obey your thirst message,

actually has good scientific support. Your body has a built-in, well-regulated thirst mechanism

that will tell you if you need to drink additional fluids. If you're low, besides initiating

thirst to get you to drink more, your body is able to respond by releasing

an anti-diaretic hormone called vasopressin, or AVP, to retain more fluid in your body.

To hydrate optimally, you simply need to tune into your body's thirst sensations,

tailor your fluid intake to your individual needs, and make appropriate adjustments for exogenous

factors like climate, drink more if it's hot, and exercise, replenish water lost through sweat.

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