Tom Brady’s water habit could kill an ordinary person
Tom Brady is peer pressuring you to drink too much... water. In his new book, The TB12 Method, the quarterback recommends a hydration routine that’s more than a little unusual. Brady reportedly drinks over 37 glasses of water per day, enough water to hydrate a healthy person for five days.
“Drink at least one-half of your body weight in ounces of water every day,” the book instructs. “That’s the minimum. Ideally, you’ll drink more than that, and with added electrolytes, too.”
He believes this regimen to be crucial for living an optimally healthy life. The logic involves the idea that you can flush out toxins and increase your chances of what he calls “pliability,” his term for leaner, softer musculature. He even thinks his excessive hydration can prevent sunburns - an entirely anecdotal claim.
“Sometimes I think I’m the most hydrated person in the world,” Brady triumphantly claims. Someone should get him a trophy.
But is drinking that much water every day a good idea?
Pumping his veins with huge gulps of water before a big game might have worked out OK for Brady, but the average person might not fare so well. Though you’ll probably get more exercise from round-the-clock trips to the bathroom, you would also risk hydrating too effectively - a danger Brady doesn’t seem to think possible.
But the danger is very real. After drinking too much water, you could die.
The condition is called hyponatremia; it occurs when you’ve flushed so much water through your system that there’s not enough sodium left. Your cells absorb too much fluid and swell, causing swelling of the brain and the potential of a stroke.
Professionals agree - drinking that much water is not only dangerous, but totally unnecessary. Nutritionist Ariane Resnick told The Daily Meal that she would never recommend this regimen since “your body can only process so much liquid.”
Resnick has encountered celebrity diets both superfluous and strange, even managing to cook meals for Gwyneth Paltrow, known for her company’s chic but sometimes reckless health recommendations. But Resnick knows there’s a line to be drawn.
“Increase your water intake by 2 to 4 glasses a day and you will be better hydrated, your skin may look less wrinkled, and you’ll likely feel better,” she explained, “but I’d avoid trying to become a human aquarium.”
Celebrities sure have some wacky diet secrets, don’t they? Speculate at will, just please don’t try this one at home. When we asked 10 nutritionists how much water you should really drink every day, their replies were far more modest.
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