New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady claims to be the most hydrated person on the planet, and with good reason.
In his book The TB12 Method, Brady recommends a hydration routine that's more than a little unusual. Brady reportedly drinks over 37 glasses of water per day. That's 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."
Brady believes this regimen to be crucial for living an optimally healthy life. The logic involves that idea that a person can flush out toxins and increase chances of what he calls "pliability," his term for leaner, softer muscles. He even thinks his excessive hydration can prevent sunburns, which is an anecdotal claim.
But is drinking that much water every day a good idea?
Consuming large amounts of water before a big game might have worked out for Brady, but the average person might not fare so well. Although a person will probably get more exercise from round-the-clock trips to the bathroom, that person would also risk hydrating too effectively -- a danger Brady doesn't seem to think is possible.
But the danger is very real. If a person drinks too much water, he or she could die.
The condition is called hyponatremia. It occurs when a person has flushed so much water through their system that there's not enough sodium left. The person's 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 TheDailyMeal.com that she would never recommend this regimen since "your body can only process so much liquid."
"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," Resnick explained. "But I'd avoid trying to become a human aquarium."
Blast from the past
The Philadelphia Eagles did everything they could to distance themselves from former coach Chip Kelly. They hired a new coach in Doug Petersen that's nothing like Kelly, overhauled two-thirds of the roster and traded quarterback Sam Bradford while shaping a new identity around Carson Wentz.
But in order to advance to the Super Bowl after Wentz went down with a season-ending injury, they had to take a page out of Kelly's playbook to reconstruct his greatest masterpiece -- the 2013 version of Nick Foles.
Foles completed 79 percent of his passes in the Eagles' victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game and tossed three touchdown passes for a quarterback rating of 141.4 against the best defense in the NFL. What seemed like a sudden, out-of-the-blue performance was actually the fruit of behind-the-scenes work.
During their first-round bye, Foles and the coaching staff looked through old film to figure out the concepts and style that fit him best after he struggled late in the regular season. One of the key takeaways was Foles is at his best when he's making quick, defined reads and playing fast.
"Sometimes the hardest things are just the simple things, like basically get out of your own head and go play the game you know how to play," Foles said.
Sports on 02/02/2018