GLOSSARY

Water Replacement emphasizes replacing water; electrolyte assessment may also matter when losses include substantial salt.

After exercise, remaining deficit, time until the next session and continuing losses shape recovery. Meals and their sodium contribute, so restoration need not come from one large bottle. Short recovery windows warrant more deliberate planning, but rapidly forcing intolerable volumes to restore a scale reading is inappropriate. Distributing intake with food can be more practical than treating recovery as a single drinking event.

Retention describes how much ingested fluid remains over the observation period, not merely how much was swallowed. Urine, other losses, beverage composition and food affect it. A retention percentage needs a defined denominator and time interval. Greater retention in a short experiment does not automatically mean better health or performance, and may be undesirable in someone with fluid overload.

Water comes from more than plain drinking water: milk, tea, other beverages, fruit, soup and moist foods contribute. Total water intake therefore differs from beverage volume alone. Sugary drinks also supply energy that should match fueling needs. A product's water content by itself does not establish it as the best choice for every training situation or justify unnecessary calories.