I read somewhere not too long ago that if one were in the desert (or other situation where they were dehydrated and had limited water), they’d be better off drinking it all at once, or at least in big gulps rather than small sips to “wet the whistle.” The reason given was that the body doesn’t distinguish between things that vitally need water and things that don’t. That is, nonessential functions (no examples were given) were just as likely (and even moreso the article intimated) to receive this water as, say, your brain.
Is this true? I read something from the Army that said the optimal amount of water to ensure adequate hydration was 20 ozs about one hour before exercise. This would allow the body to absorb the water and excrete any unecessary.
However, I recall some old-time physical culturists saying that drinking little water in sips was the way to go. These guys performed some truly amazing stunts and their careers were fairly long to boot.
A related question: during the Olympic marathon, I noticed that the announcers said the American runners, who took the water with them so they could drink it on the run (heh) were assuring themselves of better hydration than the other guys who just gulped and threw the cups away.
I presume that the water stands were placed at points that would be most helpful to the runners. During the last two miles, they said that there was no point in drinking the water because it wouldn’t have time to be absorbed. My question is: how long does the water take to get aborbed? Is the Army’s one hour correct?