<h3>Performance Takes a serious hit</h3>
When you lose water during activity, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/1601897#bib32" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a number of physiological stresses</a> begin to compound upon one another: your heart rate ticks upward, your core body temperature rises, and you start to burn through your stored energy (in the form of muscle glycogen) faster. The dehydration also decreases plasma levels and affects the water levels both inside and outside your cells. The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/1601897#bib32" target="_blank" rel="noopener">summed it up this way</a>:
“A water deficit of only a few percent will impair physical performance: a slightly larger loss will bring symptoms of tiredness, headache, and general malaise. If the loss of water reaches 10–15% of body mass, about 20–30% of total body water, death is the likely outcome.”

Man drinking water out of a TB12 water bottle

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TB12™ Electrolytes

<h3>Less blood flow to muscles and skin</h3>
Being dehydrated compromises blood flow to the skin, the critical process in enabling your body&#8217;s natural cooling mechanism. Dehydration also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7793.1998.895ba.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decreases the amount of blood that can flow to your working muscles</a>. 
<h3>Muscles Lose Elasticity</h3>
Dehydrated muscles impact both physical performance and your efforts to prevent injury. 
Throughout his book, The TB12 Method, Tom Brady frequently emphasizes that hydration is one of his most effective, accessible approaches to achieving peak performance, longevity,  and accelerated recovery from hits on the NFL football field. 
In the book, Tom uses the rough analogy of comparing a fresh cut of tenderloin to a piece of beef jerky to illustrate the value of having fully hydrated muscles.  
“The tenderloin is healthy and supple,” Tom explains, “whereas the beef jerky is shriveled and dried out. That beef jerky is what dried muscles look like.”Hydrated muscles are able to be pliable: long, soft, elastic, and primed for performance. Muscles that are dehydrated, like the beef jerky, are tight and brittle &#8212; making them incapable of 100% muscle pump function and at elevated risk for acute or chronic injury.

<h3>5 Quick Steps to Start Hydrating Right</h3>
Tom also emphasizes that anyone &#8212; not just NFL quarterbacks &#8212; can benefit from his approach.
“There’s been a misperception in the media that the TB12 Method has to be done one particular way, and that unless you reach a secret Ninja Level, you won’t see the benefits. That’s not true. The TB12 Method can benefit men and women of any age and any level of fitness or performance or ability.&#8221;
Here are a few of our favorite tips for healthy hydration:

<h2>5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Hydration</h2>

<div class="klaviyo-form-NQZBNS">To learn more about hydration, check out our free downloadable TB12 Hydration Guide!</div>

5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Hydration

TB12™ Electrolytes

Figure out your target amount of water

Add electrolytes

Incorporate flavor

Establish a hydration baseline

Get a reusable water bottle

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Tom Brady Explains the Importance of Hydration

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