Tom Brady Drinks an Insane Amount of Water Every Day, But Is It Good For You?
Tom Brady’s achievements during his 20+ year pro football career have made him appear almost superhuman. At the age of 43, Brady is preparing for his 10th Super Bowl appearance, and he’s going after his seventh ring.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB has seemingly slowed down the aging process and has redefined what athletes can accomplish physically. He has achieved peak performance with an extremely disciplined routine that includes an insane daily water intake. But is it good for you?
Tom Brady revealed his hydration routine in his book ‘The TB12 Method’
Back in 2018, Brady released the latest edition of The TB12 Method. In the book, Brady explains his ideas about “how to do what you love, better and for longer.”
The former New England Patriots quarterback goes into detail about the revolutionary training, conditioning, and wellness system he used to keep him at the top of his game at an age when most NFL athletes are well into retirement.
Brady filled the book with lessons from his own training regimen. He also shared a step-by-step guide on how his readers could achieve their own peak performance. The QB discussed topics like functional strength and conditioning, nutrition, restorative sleep, and supplementation. He also revealed his approach to hydration.
“Drink at least one-half of your body weight in ounces of water every day,” Brady tells his readers. “That’s the minimum. Ideally, you’ll drink more than that, and with added electrolytes, too.”
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback reportedly drinks up to 37 glasses of water a day
While it may sound simple enough to drink “half your body weight in ounces of water every day,” Brady actually goes way beyond that in his own routine. According to Forbes, Brady drinks somewhere between 14 and 37 glasses of water per day. And on some days, he drinks even more.
“Sometimes I think I’m the most hydrated person in the world,” Brady wrote.
If Brady followed his own advice, he would be drinking about 112 ounces of water per day (14 8-oz glasses), since his weight is about 225 pounds. But for him, that’s the minimum. On active days, Brady will sometimes drink 300 ounces of water.
The quarterback says that staying hydrated is crucial for living your best, most healthy life. Brady explains in his book that drinking plenty of water can flush out toxins and increase the chance for “pliability.” According to The Daily Meal, this is Brady’s term for “leaner, softer musculature.”
This idea for excessive hydration might sound like a good idea. But is drinking that much water everyday really a good idea for those of us who are not MVP quarterbacks?
The answer is “no.” Normal, everyday people who don’t spend hours in the gym or on a football field every week can face serious consequences if they drink too much water. In fact, it can be fatal.
Tom Brady’s hydration protocol ignores the risk of hyponatremia
When you drink too much water, a condition known as hyponatremia can occur. Flushing too much water through your system doesn’t leave enough sodium in your body. Your cells will swell after absorbing all of the water, and this can result in swelling of the brain and potentially a stroke.
Nutritionist Ariane Resnick told the Daily Meal that “your body can only process so much liquid.” And, there’s no need to adopt Brady’s protocol if you want to get healthy. She does, however, advise increasing your water intake by two to four glasses each day if you do want better hydration.
This small increase could result in better skin, and you’ll likely feel better with that small change. She makes it clear that you should avoid “trying to become a human aquarium.”
Staying hydrated is definitely a good daily goal to have. But Healthline suggests that adult women should be drinking approximately 72 ounces each day. And adult men should be drinking around 104 ounces.
