Is it possible to drink too much water?

I do a 5 mile walking tape with weights and bands....I drink 3-4 beer mugs of water during the workout (takes about an hour)

Is this okay? I get so thirsty and I sweat a lot as it's pretty intense.


cheers

If you are drinking because you are thirsty you are probably fine. If you are worried or you don't feel right, you could add a pinch of salt to the water and make sure you take a potassium supplement.

I'm only drinking it to curb the thirst.

Good to know that it's not unhealthy

you can drink too much water..hyponartemia..drink when you are thirsty and more when you excercise.

Animals drink when they are thirsty..period. My dogs do not drink 2-3 bowls of water a day(and we live in Az) They do not need 8 8oz servings a day..
So just drinking water because it is "suggested" is ridiculous and unecessary.

So again, drink when you are thirsty, alittle more when you are active.

It can get unhealthy if you are dehydrated and the water is making you more and more thirsty because you are not replacing lost electrolytes. But you would have to be drinking a lot for that to happen.

If you avoid salt and are drinking just water over time you can become hyponatremic. You lose a lot of sodium in sweat and urine. Early signs would be puffiness of the hands. A lot of people avoid salt but it's not necessary unless the person has a cardiac condition or hypertension. OTC salt tabs would solve the problem.

I do wake up every morning with puffy hands....but......the only time I drink a lot of water at once is when I'm exercising.

cheers

I would do something differently in that case.

There can be several reasons for puffy hands. In this case, it's caused by ingesting fluid but not sodium. The body can't get rid of the fluid fast enough so it sort of oozes from blood vessels. Also known as edema. The hands is where I first notice it but the swelling is happening in my legs as well. It leads to blisters sometimes if I don't stop to loosen my laces.

I think I will up my salt intake just a pinch...

Just a pinch in your water will do it. And take potassium supplements if you feel you need them.

I've added just a tad of salt to my food and alredy feel a difference.

Hyponatremia is rare and takes a truly excessive amount of water intake in a relatively short amount of time...3-4 beer mugs of water in an hour won't get you there. I normally drink at least that much when working out (in this awful los angeles heat...) and that's completely fine.

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/health/...e/hydration.htm

This article contains maximum guidelines. I would consider it a reliable source, the military. They lose a few recruits every year to overhydration, so they are concerned.

Hyponartemia is rare, but the suggested 8 glasses a day is really lame..who comes up with this number?? Why not 10 or 12..20?

I've said this a million times, but i used to lug around a gallon of water a day during my years as a wanna be bodybuilder.. I HAD TO FINISH THAT GALLON EVERYDAY, because it was recommended by an "expert" at the time.

I felt like crap..bloated, my kidneys hurt and I was always full. Not good when you are trying to take in a meal every 3 hours.

So again, drink when you are thirsty, more when you are active.