Recommendation of the Third International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Development Conference, Carlsbad, California, 2015, as published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine: “Using the innate thirst mechanism to guide fluid consumption is a strategy that should limit drinking in excess and developing hyponatremia while providing sufficient fluid to prevent excessive dehydration.”

“Most of what we hear about hydration comes from companies and researchers with a vested interest in making it all seem complex and highly scientific. The current guidelines from the ACSM and the National Athletic Trainers’ Association have been updated to warn about hyponatremia, but they still promote the ideas that thirst is a poor indicator of hydration and that more than a 2 percent body weight loss should be avoided. The ACSM, NSCA and NATA all receive funding from sports drink makers, as do some of their members. If staying hydrated were as simple as just drinking to thirst, you wouldn’t need expert advice or scientifically formulated products like Gatorade.”

The Open is the world’s largest participatory sporting event and a showcase of the global CrossFit community. In 2019, for the first time, National Champions from around the globe will qualify directly from the Open to the CrossFit Games. Every country with a CrossFit affiliate in good standing has an opportunity to send its top female and male competitors to the CrossFit Games. More than 150 national leaderboards will host their own national competitions as part of the Open. Participants will see where they rank among their fellow countrymen and women throughout the five weeks.