#honestly ml is a pretty interesting case study

[jattendschaton]

Genuinely, where are ML people congregating these days. None of the Discord servers I'm in are super active anymore and I barely see people in them posting about new episodes/specials and definitely not as they're airing. Where is the new episode camaraderie

There used to be so many active Discord servers and groups on Tumblr/Instagram who talked about where to find links for whatever was coming out and livestreamed episodes themselves and went crazy while watching them all together and I can't tell if this is something that has gone by the wayside fandom-wide or if I am a loser who just isn't invited to be part of these things

[prodigious-ladybug]

wishmaker thoughts

in terms of it being a single installment in the larger narrative of miraculous ladybug, i don’t have a lot of thoughts on wishmaker other than ‘haha cool someone knows both of their identities at the same time wonder where this will go’ bc like. i am unable to separate myself from the idea that i absolutely cannot judge something (in this case, season- and series-long arcs) until i see it in its Entirety, in its Proper Complete State (which i know doesn’t exactly mesh with television as a serialised art form but jhdfghj wtvr thats a whole other discussion) so i don’t, and won’t, really have an opinion on luka knowing their identities until i see what the show does with it

on the other hand, in terms of its own merits as an episode (as in, the parts of the episode that are self-contained and are supposed to have their own story arc within the 20min) wishmaker was probably one of the weaker episodes of the show? alec’s akumatisation practically came out of nowhere - the show usually does a pretty good job of setting up the through lines that lead to a character’s akumatisation right from the start of the ep (you know, like with actual foreshadowing and good writing and shit) but wishmaker felt more concerned with the interactions between luka & adrien & marinette than having the villain feel natural within the story. which is all well and good, like this episode is about those three and should be focused on luka’s relationship with adrien & marinette if it wanted to have the proper impact of luka finding out their identities, but it just seemed like the episode couldn’t balance being both a run of the mill, monster of the week episode and an Event episode at the same time (that being said, i doubt this episode would’ve been enough to hold its own across a two parter so i get how the unbalance arose). instead of throwing alec’s characterisation out of whack they couldve used his early screen time to lead up to his akumatisation more naturally - surely something about being a tv presenter and having to be fake all the time for a living and not staying true to what his younger self wanted or SOMETHING would like. be putting him down in the dumps or smth. idk. that’s just off the top of my head surely the writers could come up with something more substantial. and yeah this might take away some attention from the emotional core of luka, adrien & marinette but it’d at least 1. tie in with the theme of the episode and 2. set some precedent for his negative feelings instead of him getting akumatised in like. ten seconds hgfdfghjk

the only other thing that kinda rubbed me the wrong way was how wishmaker’s power seemed especially contrived, even for this show? like i Know half of the akumatised powers are to either get ladybug and chat noir to kiss (contrived for the sake of romance which is. generally fine in a romance show and also approved by my shipper brain) or reveal their identities (which actually ties into the plot and the villain’s motivations and therefore makes it...not really contrived) so wishmaker being used to reveal their identities is fine. but um. the leap hawkmoth made in how his powers would do that is. wild. it’s like:

reveal people’s childhood wishes

???

reveal lb & cn’s identities

profit

and again, i know hawkmoth has given an endless list of powers to people that make you think ‘what the fuck was he hoping to accomplish with that?? what did he THINK would happen?’ and i’m all for hawkmoth having dumb plans, being soundly beaten and then having to figure out smarter ways to beat lb & cn, but i guess my problem here is that in this episode he was actually proven RIGHT. like he had no guarantee that lb & cn wouldn’t have childhood wishes a la dino man and mr banana, but he really put out this fairly weak akuma with the immediate assumption that it would reveal their identities and like?? if viperion wasn’t there he’d have achieved it! (well, idk abt ladybug, he’d at least probably hit chat noir, which is. an interesting au to think about). the link between revealing childhood wishes and revealing lb & cn’s identities seemed like a massive leap in logic to me (more than this show usually makes), and idk if anyone else felt that when watching the episode but like kjhdfghjk hawkmoth buddy can you explain your thinking for just a second like i’ll accept what you’re doing i just need to know why the fuck you’re doing it and how you got there

but other than that! i really really liked this episode and i was hyped up the entire fucking time!! i had to keep pausing it bc i was getting overwhelmed LMAO. i guess one thing i will say so that this doesn’t seem like a wall of negativity (which i swear i didn’t mean for it to be, there were only two (2) things i didn’t like about the episode that i felt weakened it, it just takes me a billion words to get to my point) is that however they handle luka knowing their identities in future episodes, i fucking loved the way they handled it in this episode. for some background, i’ve honestly never cared much either way abt luka, i have zero negative feelings about him, it’s just that he has the unfortunate case of not being a character type i particularly care abt, and the writing hasn’t done anything much to endear him to me. he’s fine, and i certainly like him more than other characters, but i’m pretty much as neutral on him as you could get. UNTIL THIS EPISODE! okay not really, something abt him agreeing to be friends with marinette in crocoduel made me go ‘:) what a nice boy :)’ BUT! THIS EPISODE! i’m proud to announce i’m officially a luka stan. LYING BALD-FACED TO LADYBUG? KING. LYING TO LADYBUG AFTER THE SEASON OPENER OF HIM GETTING AKUMATISED OVER MARINETTE LYING??? i am SO here for internal character conflicts YES! this is what i WANT! set up a character who has a strict line in the sand and put them in a situation where they’re forced to cross it anyway, and see what happens next!!!! i really would not mind a whole character study on luka after this. like....the fucking intrigue.......why did he lie, and how does he feel about it? does he regret it? does he consider it a necessary evil? i’m sure all of this will be answered in like. a single line from him five episodes down the road bc that’s how this show handles shit like this but. those last few minutes were really just straight bangers i’m still not recovered

well this was. longer than i thought it’d be. and again, i liked this episode a lot, idk what compelled me to write all this out. i usually don’t have a lot of formulated thoughts like this after an episode of ml; i think that it was just bc there were a couple things i could actually critique in the ep that it made it easier to pick apart my feelings. but anyways!

TL;DR wishmaker, in its self contained elements, felt a bit weak as an episode bc 1. alec’s akumatisation was mad rushed and 2. the way his powers were used to further the plot felt contrived to me (yes, even for miraculous). but, in the episode’s over-arching elements within the season/show, i immensely enjoyed it, primarily because of the amount of intrigue it set up in 1. luka’s characterisation and 2. the possibilities emerging from luka knowing lb & cn’s identities

[vgckwb]

ML: Isolation Chapter 11: Symbiosis

The day of Adrien’s shoot arrived. He and Nathalie approached Vincent, who was helping set everything up. Vincent turned to Adrien and walked up to him. “Ah! Adrien! Another Ladybug shoot today! I bet you’re excited.”

“Of course” Adrien said.

“You’ll be excited too,” Nathalie said. “See, Ladybug got in contact with me and wishes to watch this particular photoshoot. If that is alright with you, I would like to video conference this with Ladybug.”

Vincent looked surprised. “Oh, but OF COURSE! This is such a joyous day! I get to see the lady behind the designs of Ladybug!”

“I hate to disappoint, but that’s not actually happening” Nathalie said. “She still wishes to remain anonymous, so while she is looking at everything, we won’t be able to look back.”

“Huh” Vincent said. “Well, I can’t say that I’m surprised. But I am disappointed.”

“Don’t worry Vincent,” Adrien said. “I’m sure the two of you will meet one day.”

Vincent nodded. He turned to ready his crew. “Alright, places everyone. We’ll be on as soon as Adrien is ready!”

“Thanks again Nathalie,” Adrien said.

“The pleasure is all mine” Nathalie said. She took out her tablet and called Marinette. When she picked up, there was nothing but a Ladybug pattern on the screen. Nathalie asked “Are you ready Ladybug?”

“Mh hmmmm” Marinette answered.

“Great. So, the first thing you get to see is Adrien changing” Nathalie said.

“WHAT?!” Adrien and Marinette said in unison.

“That was a joke of course,” Nathalie said. Marinette and Adrien laughed nervously.

“Well, I should change,” Adrien said. “I gotta go.”

“OK,” Marinette said. Adrien left.

“So, are you excited?” Nathalie asked.

“Umm yeah” Marinette said. “Adrien’s really good.”

Nathalie smiled. “I’ve done some research on Lila’s family.” Marinette was confused. “Apparently, she only has her mom. She is a diplomat, and as a result, Lila gets to do many interesting things. On paper, Lila is the epitome of pristine. Of course, I assume you know that.” Marinette was silently angry. “I’m sorry. There isn’t much more I can do on this front. What I’m allowed to research is limited to how it can be used for the company. I had to justify my research into Lila as a potential candidate for a new model.”

Marinette was angry at that last part, but then sighed. She told Nathalie “It’s OK. I’m thankful that you’re even willing to help out this much. But, may I ask why you’re helping me?”

Nathalie grew a stern look on her face. “My reasons are personal.”

“Oh. OK…” Marinette said.

Nathalie smiled. “Relax Marinette. Look, Adrien’s about to get started.” She turned the tablet to face Adrien. Adrien was wearing Marinette’s latest design. It was a normal blazer and pants combo, where they were dark brown with a black plaid pattern, but on his right shoulder was a field of green. As the green gets lower to about halfway down the blazer, the green parts start breaking off into bits and change color to represent the changing leaves of a tree.

Everyone was ecstatic about the design. There was a lot of murmuring about it amongst the crew. “Alright, settle down everyone” Vincent said. “Of course Ladybug’s newest creation is magnificent, as always, but we have a job to do. Adrien, are you ready?”

Adrien nodded. He turned to face Nathalie and saw the Ladybug pattern on the tablet. He waved gently, then got into position. He began posing, and Vincent began taking pictures. Marnette looked on through the camera. She is in awe at Adrien’s modeling. Every pose is like poetry in motion.

Once the shoot is over, Adrien relaxed. “Adrien!” said Vincent walking over. “You were MAGNIFICO today!”

“Thanks Vincent,” Adrien said. “But I was just doing what I always do.”

“Yes, but you did it with such poise, such grace, such elegance!” Vincent shouted. “What happened? I must know!”

Adrien thought about it. “I’m not really sure.”

Vincent glanced at Nathalie. “Ah, perhaps it was the fact that Ladybug herself was watching, yeah?” he asked. “I know I wouldn’t want to disappoint her.”

Adrien looked over. He was getting a light blush and said. “Yeah. Maybe.”

Nathalie turned the tablet towards her and asked “Well Marinette, what did you think of the shoot?”

“It was amaaaaaaazing” Marinette said.

Nathalie giggled. “All thanks to you.”

“Oh no,” Marinette said, “I mean, I just design the clothes. Adrien really brings them out. He’s, well, amazing!”

“Trust me Marinette,” Nathalie said, “ you’re doing more than you think you are.”

“Huh?” Marinette asked.

“Don’t worry about that,” Nathalie said. “For now, just know that this is the happiest I’ve seen Adrien in a long time.”

“Huh” Marinette said. Nathalie turned the tablet toward Adrien and Adrien waved and came over.

“Hey Marinette. How’d you enjoy the photoshoot?” he asked.

“Oh, it was just splendid,” Marinette said. “You did such a good job.”

Adrien smiled. “Well, it helps that I was modeling your designs.”

“Oh, psh, don’t be so modest,” said Marinette. “You brought out the best in them.”

“I think you both did well,” Nathalie said. The two laughed nervously in unison.

“So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” Adrien asked.

“Yeah” said Marinette. “See yeah.” Marinette hung up the call.

Adrien got in the car, as did Nathalie. “So Adrien how did you think that shoot went?”

“Honestly, I think it went pretty well.” Nathalie chuckled. “What?”

Nathalie sighed. “It’s just, you normally say things like ‘Oh, it’s alright’, or ‘yeah, whatever.’ This is the first time I think you’ve been so upbeat after a photoshoot.”

“Huh” Adrien said quizzically. 

That night, Adrien was staring at the ceiling, thinking about what Nathalie and Vincent had said. Did Marinette watching me make that big of a difference? Well, I’ve never had someone watching one of my shoots who wasn’t working on it as well. Well, I guess Marinette did WORK on it, but she wasn’t there to work. She was there to have fun. Adrien smiled. Maybe if I got some of my other friends to watch my shoots, I might enjoy them more.

The next day, Adrien found Marinette sketching again. He walked up to her. She turned around and Adrien waved. “Hi there.”

“Oh, hello,” Marinette said. She continued to draw.

Adrien sat down next to her. “By the way, thanks for watching the shoot.”

“Huh?” Marinette said.

Adrie smiled. “Everyone’s been telling me I did much better in that shoot. I’ve been feeling better about it as well. Compared to other shoots.” Marinette looked at him curiously. Adrien sighed. “I really only became a model because I had nothing else to do. For a while, it was just whatever studies my parents had me doing. I was bored out of my mind, doing the same things over and over again. When I heard that my father needed a model, I volunteered just so I could have something to do.

Of course, he was ecstatic. I just went along with it because it gave me a chance to talk to people who weren’t my parents, Nathalie, or my bodyguard regularly.” Adrien sighed deeply. “It’s not that I don’t enjoy being a model. It has its benefits. It’s just… I don’t feel my heart is in it 100%.” He grabbed Marinette’s hand. Marinette blushed. “However, I loved that you were watching it. Having someone supporting me not because it’s their job to, but because they wanted to; I loved that.

I would love it if you would keep watching. I’d feel a lot better about this all if you were there. Of course, you don’t have to…” Adrien said.

“N-no. Of course I’d love to” Marinette said nervously, breaking her hand from Adrien’s. “I totally get it.”

“You do?” Adrien said.

Marinette nodded. “It’s been nice, you know. You being around and talking to me and such… I totally get the thrill of having someone in your corner. It’s a feeling I haven’t felt in a long time. A feeling I’ve missed…”

Adrien looked at her with awe. He then smiled and said “Don’t worry. We’ll get through this. We have each other after all.”

Marinette shared his look of determination. “Yeah.” She then remembered something. “Oh right.” She dug in her bag. “Here.” She gave him a phone case that was black with three green claw marks on it. “It’s your Cat Noir phone case.”

Adrien looked at it. “Marinette. This is amazing! Thank you!”

“Tee hee. You’re welcome” Marinette said.

Adrien put it away. “So, what are you drawing now?” he asked.

“Oh” Marinette said. “Well, I was thinking of doing some people watching. I’ve been thinking about what you’ve said. And the whole incident with Manon as well.” Marinette sighed. “When I was still in school, I would tell people that I would design fashion for all kinds of people. Not just the ideal people you usually see in magazines and stuff. Ah, no offence.” Adrien giggled. 

Marinette continued. “Fashion is an expression of one’s self. I’ve always felt that everyone should be able to express themselves however they want to. However, when I started working for Gabriel, I followed the letter of that idea, but not the spirit. I was designing stuff so that people could be themselves and share their joy with the world. However, I was just fully content with letting the world pass me by like I meant nothing to it. Everyone was being themselves, except for me.

It wasn’t until you got in contact with me when I started feeling like I could be a part of the world again. Your constant reassurance, boundless energy, and endless helpfulness helped me see that I am allowed to be part of the world again. However, it’s been a while, so I want to get more accustomed to it. I want to see how people have changed.”

“So, that’s why you’re people watching?” Adrien asked. Marinette nodded. “Heh. Sounds awesome. I’m not fully used to people either just yet, so I’ll be glad to join you.” The two of them sat there, spending hours watching people. Marinette sketched different outfits for different people every so often, and Adrien loved each of them.

When Adrien returned home, he went to Nathalie’s office to try out his voice modulation app. “Hey Nathalie” he said in an altered voice.

Nathalie turned around with a serious look on her face and a stun gun drawn. Adrien put his hands up, one of which was holding his phone with the Cat Noir case. Nathalie lowered the stun gun. “What are you doing?” she asked, exacerbated.

“Well, I can’t keep not talking to people,” Adrien explained. “So I had Marinette make this phone case for me so that I can use this voice modulation app without people recognizing my cell phone.”

Nathalie glared at him and then sighed. She got something out of her drawer. “Here” she said, handing him a headset with a microphone. Adrien was confused. “This is so you can speak through it without having to hold your phone up to you all the time. That way you don’t drop it.”

“Oh” Adrien said.

“Why so disappointed?” Nathalie asked.

“It’s just, I asked Marinette to do this, and now there’s not a good reason to have it anymore,” Adrien said.

Nathalie smiled. “I wouldn't say that.” Adrien looked surprised. “You would still need to take your phone out for things.”

“That’s true…” Adrien said.

“I like that you’re thinking ahead, but please, run your ideas by me next time” Nathalie said. “It’s what I’m here for.”

Adrien nodded. “Thank you Nathalie. Though, I am curious. Why are you doing so much for me on this?”

Nathalie smiled. “When the time comes I will explain everything.”

Adrien was confused. “Well, OK then… I’m going to my room now. I have a Cat Noir assignment tomorrow, and I want to be ready.”

Nathalie nodded. “Good luck.” Adrein went to his room for the night. He was excited, but concerned about this assignment. Still, he chose to accept it, and hopefully he can figure this person out.

[angelofthequeers]

Hold Me By Both Hands: Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don’t own ML.

Chapter 4 | Chapter 6 | AO3 link

“Nino, Sabrina, and Kim,” Ms Bustier calls.

“What?” Chloé snaps. “Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! Everyone knows that Sabrina and I always work together!”

“Well, I thought that it could be fun to assign you group members for this exercise that you might not ordinarily work with,” Ms Bustier says. “Our next group will be Adrien –”

Marinette crosses her fingers.

“– Lila, and Marinette.”

Yes! Finally, Marinette’s put in a group with Adrien! Even the fact that their third member is Lila, who’s shown a definite interest in Adrien, isn’t enough to taint her sheer elation.

“And that leaves Juleka, Max, and Chloé,” Ms Bustier says. “Now, I’ll assign you all your English exercises, and the first group to successfully complete all of them will get a little sweet treat!”

Everyone immediately starts shuffling around to form their groups. Since they’re only sitting a desk apart, Marinette and Adrien wait for Lila to come down to them from the back.

“I’m so happy that I’m working with you two!” Lila says, sliding into Nino’s vacated seat. Drat, why didn’t Marinette think to take that seat first? “And it’s so great to finally talk to you for real, Adrien! I haven’t gotten the chance to introduce myself since last week. I’m Lila!”

“Nice to officially meet you!” Adrien shakes Lila’s hand, then turns to Marinette. “The bench is wide enough for all three of us, Marinette. Why don’t you come sit down here? It’ll be easier to work together that way.”

“What a great idea!” Lila rests her hand on Adrien’s arm. “You’re so considerate, Adrien!”

Adrien’s inviting Marinette to sit with him? And Lila, sure, but with him? Marinette practically floats down to his table, where he shuffles over so that she can slip onto the end of the bench and he’s sandwiched between her and Lila. Oh. Gosh. She’s touching his arm. His warm skin! This is a dream come true!

“Exercise first what?” she babbles. “I mean – what’s our first exercise?”

Adrien pulls his worksheet towards him. “We have to translate these sentences into English.”

“Oh, this’ll be easy!” Lila says. “I studied English at Harvard when we were in America! Of course, they don’t accept children, but one of the professors just took such a liking to me that he simply had to teach me!”

Marinette’s eye twitches. Again with the lies! What’s this girl’s problem? At least Adrien looks just as disbelieving, if only politer about it.

“How about you do this first set of exercises, then?” Adrien says. “Marinette and I can work on translating these English sentences into French in the meantime.”

“Oh!” Lila’s eyes widen. “I’m so sorry, I really would, but I sprained my wrist the other day! You know, when Alya took me to watch the fight against Green Giant! I can’t write in case I make it worse…I’m ever so grateful that I was partnered with you, Adrien!”

“But your wrist was fine just before! And Miraculous Ladybug fixes everything!” Marinette says. No way is Lila getting her claws into Adrien! That niceness last week really had been an act!

“I…didn’t want to ask for help,” Lila sighs, drooping. “I was afraid to inconvenience anyone. But since we have to do these worksheets together, I thought…no, it’s okay. I understand if I’m being too troublesome.”

“That’s not what I said at all!” Marinette resists the urge to slam her forehead into the table.

“Um –” Adrien tries to say.

“In fact, it might be better if I just work by myself,” Lila continues. “You and Adrien seem like such good friends…I’d hate to come between you –”

“I didn’t say that!” Marinette says. “You don’t have to work by yourself!”

“I’m sure Marinette’s just concerned for you and wants to make sure she’s got the information right,” Adrien says with a pacifying smile.

“Oh!” Lila beams. “That’s so considerate of you, Marinette! Would you mind filling out my worksheet for me? Only if you’re okay with it, of course!”

What can Marinette do? If she says yes, Lila wins. But if she says no, she looks like a raging bitch in front of Adrien! Eventually deciding that it’s better in the long run to give Lila this little victory, Marinette pastes on her sweetest smile and pulls Lila’s worksheet towards her.

“I think this sentence says, “I would like to buy a pair of blue pants”,” Adrien says, frowning down at his sheet. “But my professional lessons are in Mandarin, not English, so I’m pretty useless here.”

“You’re not useless!” Marinette says immediately. “You’re pretty – uh, good at anything you put your mind to!”

“Marinette’s right,” Lila says, shifting so that she’s snuggling into Adrien’s side. He automatically leans away and straight into Marinette, whose heart spontaneously combusts in her chest. “Someone as smart as you couldn’t possibly be useless!”

“Um…thanks,” Adrien says. “Marinette, what do you think the next sentence is?”

“Your eyes are forest green,” Marinette sighs. Her insides chill when she realises what she’d just said. “I – ah, I mean – your dress is green!”

“Hey, that’s right!” Adrien writes out the sentence in his gorgeous handwriting. “Good job, Marinette!”

“Yank thou – um, thank you!”

“Marinette is right, though,” Lila says, resting her chin on her ‘un-sprained’ hand. “Your eyes really are such a gorgeous shade of green.”

“Thanks.” Adrien once again shifts away from Lila. “I think this third sentence is –”

“And your hair is so golden!” Lila continues. “Oro come il sole!”

The nerve of this bitch! Can’t she see that Adrien’s clearly uncomfortable with her touching him? And Marinette was here first, so how dare Lila just barge in and –

Marinette freezes. What is she thinking? Why on earth is she treating Adrien like some possession that she’s entitled to? Is she really that…fixated on him? The realisation is like icy water straight to her insides. She’s fighting over a boy! And sure, Lila’s totally a liar, but it’s not like that’s the only reason why Marinette dislikes her…

“Marinette?” Adrien says. Marinette blinks and looks up from her worksheet, where she’s been absently doodling her signature flowers on the side of the paper. “Are you alright?”

“I hope I didn’t upset you in some way!” Lila seems to feel the need to add.

“You honestly didn’t,” Marinette says with a weak smile. “I just…got lost in thought, I guess. English has never been my best subject.”

“Well, it’s lucky that you’ve got me working with you, isn’t it?” Lila says brightly.

“What’s this next sentence, then?” Adrien says with a friendly enough smile. “Marinette and I have each translated one, so it’s your turn.”

“Oh…gosh, I wish I could help, but I think my dyslexia is flaring up!” Lila says. “I’m so sorry, you must think I’m such an awful burden –”

“Not at all!” Marinette says, resisting the urge to slam her head against a brick wall. Or at least the desk. “You’ve been in class for a week and you haven’t told anyone? How have you been coping? Surely you must need help? As the class representative, it’s my duty to take care of these kinds of things!”

“Oh – I wouldn’t want to impose…” Lila says. “But if there was someone who could help me…” She bats her eyelids at Adrien. “Someone really smart…”

“Of course!” Adrien says. Lila’s face lights up, while Marinette tries – and fails – to squash the mild nausea in her gut because no, she’s not a bad person and she won’t sink to the level of some possessive, entitled weirdo! “Max is super smart, so I’m sure he’d help you if you asked!”

Lila’s face falls quicker than a superhero on the Eiffel Tower. “Oh – yes, I suppose, but I don’t know him very well and I wouldn’t want to –”

“Oh, Max is so approachable!” Adrien says. “He wouldn’t mind at all! I’d offer to help you but between my fencing and my Mandarin lessons and everything else, I don’t think I’d have the time. You deserve better than an unreliable tutor.”

Ha. Okay, so Marinette’s trying her best to not be jealous, but it really is satisfying to see the way Lila’s face twists as she tries to suppress her displeasure.

“I appreciate your concern, Adrien,” Lila says with a smile that, to her credit, is pretty well-faked. “I just might ask Max at lunch.”

“Great!” Adrien says, then smooths out his worksheet. “Quick, let’s get these done! I haven’t had sweets in –”

“Finished!” Max slams his worksheet down. How the heck his group finished first, especially with Chloé refusing to lift a finger, is beyond Marinette. All she knows is that the look of disappointment on Adrien’s face simply cannot be allowed to exist. Purely by instinct, she rummages in her purse for one of the cookies that she keeps for Tikki.

“Here!” she says, presenting it to Adrien as Ms Bustier awards Max, Juleka, and Chloé their little wrapped chocolates. “We may not have won, but you still get a sweet treat!”

Adrien’s smile is as bright as the sun when he accepts the cookie. “Thank you, Marinette! Freshly baked?”

“This morning!” Marinette says. Adrien immediately bites into the cookie and moans, and Marinette’s forced to look away to prevent him from seeing her undoubtedly scarlet face.

Man, she’s got some serious thinking to do when she gets home.

.

“You’ve been doing that for half an hour now,” Tikki says as Marinette just lies face-down on her bed, face making a permanent imprint in her pillow. “What’s got you so upset?”

Marinette doesn’t answer at first. It’s odd; she’d thought she’d be a hysterical mess, shrieking and pacing and tearing her hair out as she tries to sort out everything currently battering her brain. Instead, she’s deathly silent, just trying to suffocate herself in her pillow to escape her own mind.

“Nothing…” Marinette rolls onto her side so that she can speak actual words instead of pillow-muffled mumbles. “I’m just completely re-evaluating my life.”

“Is this about class today?” Tikki says. “Lila did seem very –”

“No, it’s not about Lila,” Marinette says. “It’s about me. Seeing how I was acting around Adrien because of Lila…it just made me realise how fixated I can be. I just…” She blinks rapidly to dispel the stinging in her eyes, though she’s unsuccessful. “I feel like so much of what I do is because of Adrien. I entered that game tournament because he did, even if I won fair and square and I genuinely enjoyed it – I always ‘happen’ to be around when he’s doing his photoshoots – Tikki, what normal girl does all this? I even stole his phone because of an embarrassing voicemail!”

“And you only deleted the voicemail,” Tikki says. “You didn’t snoop. It wasn’t right to take his phone in the first place, but a true stalker would have gone through everything to get all the information they could about him! You were scared of being embarrassed, not trying to creep on him.”

“I still took his phone,” Marinette says. “Do I even really like him? Or am I just so wrapped up in this crush I’ve got on him that I don’t even know?”

“Well, what do you know about him?” Tikki says, and oh boy, getting Marinette to talk about Adrien is most definitely a sure-fire way to get her to not shut up.

“I know how much it meant to him to think that the scarf I knitted was from his father,” she says. “I know when it’s Adrien the model smiling and when it’s Adrien Agreste smiling. I know that he likes video games and he feels so lonely because he misses his mother and his father treats him like – like – gah, I can’t even think of the word! I know how much he hates all the public attention he gets and how everyone throws themselves all over him. I’ve seen how uncomfortable he gets when girls cling to him!”

“Does that sound like a stalker?” Tikki says when Marinette pauses for breath. “Or does that sound like someone who cares deeply for their friend, who they happen to have a crush on?”

“But you don’t get it! I was so possessive over him today! Lila was touching him and sure, I was annoyed that he was uncomfortable, because I’m so sick of people grabbing him and treating him like he’s a toy or something, but I was also jealous! I literally thought that she had no right because I was here first! I called her a bitch in my head!”

“Mhm,” Tikki says. “And clearly you’re not a bad person, or you wouldn’t be agonising over this right now.”

Marinette just blinks at her.

“I’m thousands of years old,” Tikki says. “I’ve seen a lot of creepy and bad people, and you’re neither of them! You’re just a normal teenage girl who happens to get enthusiastic about her crush and hates it when people put their hands all over him. If you were really a stalker, you’d have taken credit for that scarf to gain his attention. You wouldn’t have let Manon be in that photoshoot with him. You would have gone through his phone when you had it. You wouldn’t have tried to step down and let Max play in the tournament. You’d constantly be touching him and invading his personal space like Chloé and Lila do. You wouldn’t have gotten the whole class involved in a protest so that he could come back to school! You’ve made mistakes, yes, but you’ve realised that you were wrong, and you tried to better yourself! That’s what makes you a good person, Marinette.”

Marinette can’t help but smile at her tiny friend. “Thanks, Tikki. How do you do that?”

“I’m an ancient, wise being,” Tikki says playfully.

“You got the ancient part right,” Marinette teases. Tikki pokes her tiny tongue out.

“So, what do you plan on doing about your crush?” Tikki says.

“Well, I can’t just forget about my feelings,” Marinette says. “I wish it was that easy.”

“Who says you have to forget about them?” Tikki says. “Chat Noir has feelings for Ladybug –”

“So he claims.”

“– and he never stumbles over his words with you.”

“He’s Chat Noir,” Marinette says. “He’s not awkward, clumsy, hot-mess Marinette.”

“Stop that right now!” Tikki’s azure eyes blaze as she rests her tiny hands on her tiny hips. “Stop putting yourself down, Marinette! Ladybug is smart, confident, talented, brave, and always driven to do the right thing. And you are Ladybug, therefore you’re all of those things too!”

“Only behind the mask.”

“You were chosen to be Ladybug because you’re all of those things,” Tikki says. “Your mask makes it easier for you to openly display those qualities, but you have them even as Marinette. You certainly weren’t behind Ladybug’s mask when you proved yourself to Master Fu.”

“All I did was help him across the road.” Why is Marinette fighting against Tikki’s words so much? Maybe it’s because every time she tries to be confident about herself, she’s smacked back down, whether by Chloé or something else. “Are you saying that he would’ve given you to any old person who helped someone across the road?”

“You didn’t just help him across the road,” Tikki says. “You put your life in danger when no one else would. You saw how everyone froze and stood there! And you sacrificed the macarons your father made when it would have been easy to worry about your own problems and how you were negatively impacted. Master Fu told me all about it when he was informing me of who my holder would be. He saw that you had the potential to be Ladybug, and you proved it when you saved Alya and defeated Stoneheart! Yes, he might have given the earrings to anyone who helped him, but you’re that someone who helped him when it would’ve been easier to look the other way. You’re that one who jumped into action rather than panic, which is essential in a superhero. And you’re the one who’s made Ladybug into who she is. Every Ladybug I’ve ever had is different because it’s the holder who makes the hero, not the other way around.”

Something warm blossoms in Marinette’s chest, and she smiles and draws Tikki in for a hug. “Thank you, Tikki. You do always know what to say.”

“I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t the truth,” Tikki says. “You’re smart, confident, talented, brave, and you always do the right thing because that’s who Marinette Dupain-Cheng is!”

“You’re right!” Marinette says. “I’m Marinette! I can do anything if I put my mind to it!”

“Including talking to Adrien normally!” Tikki says. Marinette promptly wilts.

“Y-Yeah…”

“Remember everything you just told me about Adrien. You don’t act anything like his other fans, and you don’t hang off him like Chloé and Lila do,” Tikki says. “You know things about the true Adrien that only his family and friends really know. I personally don’t think you put him on a pedestal. You’re a teen girl with a crush and when your crush is famous, there’s bound to be at least some influence from his public image. Especially when you’re around other teen girls who are fans.”

Marinette’s eyes sting with tears she tries to hold back, because Tikki is the one of the best things that’s ever happened to her and she doesn’t know what she’d do without her wise little friend. “Thanks, Tikki. But…how do I do this? I can’t just flip a switch! What if I never stop acting like a goof and he never notices me and he falls in love with someone else and –”

“Marinette!” Tikki says loudly, stopping Marinette in her tracks. “Adrien’s your friend. And you don’t have much of a chance with him if you can’t even talk to him, do you? Even if you did become his girlfriend, how could you date someone you can barely talk to?”

“You’re right,” Marinette mumbles. “I should just accept the fact that I’ve got no chance with him.”

“Is it really that important to be his girlfriend?” Tikki says. “Is romance really that much more important than friendship? You and Chat Noir trust each other with your lives and you’re not a couple. And of all the Ladybugs I’ve served, many of them never even kissed their Black Cat, but they still had a friendship as close as the relationship between the ones who did marry each other. Friendship is just as beautiful as romance.”

“I never even thought of it that way,” Marinette says, blinking at her kwami friend. Tikki’s totally right! Alya is easily one of the closest people in her life and there’s nothing romantic between them. Marinette would do anything for Alya. Would that relationship really lose its importance if she ever got together with someone? Would that someone really become more important than Alya purely because of the romance?

“Of course you didn’t, silly,” Tikki says with a small grin. “Humans are so obsessed with romance that I’m not surprised you’d see it as the most important thing ever.”

“Maybe being friends with Adrien isn’t such a bad thing,” Marinette says firmly, although whether she’s trying to convince herself or Tikki, she’s got no idea. “I’ve got more of a chance of having a close relationship with him if I’m his friend rather than stammering and sneaking around to watch him and “conveniently” run into him. And if we do ever get together, at least I can say that it’s built on friendship.”

“Exactly,” Tikki agrees. “You don’t have to stress over trying to get rid of your crush. Just focus on interacting normally with him instead of trying to ask him out, because you always seem to be able to string together more than two words when you’ve forgotten about asking him out. So, how are you going to do this? You enjoyed playing video games with Adrien, didn’t you? Maybe invite him over again!”

“Maybe,” Marinette says, although she’s not sure she’s ready for Adrien to see her true competitive side yet. She hadn’t gone too hard on him last time, since they’d had to work together as a team for the tournament, but there’s a reason her papa teasingly calls her a little princess when she plays multiplayer games and it’s not because of beauty or daintiness.

Her eyes land on the pictures of Adrien plastered across her wall near her computer, and she sighs and heaves herself out of bed. Tikki beams and whizzes over to her as she’s removing the pictures of model Adrien from her wall carefully so that they’re not damaged. Although she probably won’t be putting them back up, it doesn’t hurt to keep them in case she needs them as a reference when she’s designing. And really, Adrien makes the best designing reference.

Okay. Enough, Marinette!

“I’m proud of you, Marinette,” Tikki says as Marinette stashes the pictures away. “It’s super admirable that you can recognise what you need to improve on and how to work on it! That’s exactly what makes you such a great Ladybug.”

“Thanks, Tikki,” Marinette says with a wistful smile at her stack of Adrien modelling pictures. The only photos of Adrien left on her wall are those where he’s either with friends or smiling for a dorky photo: selfies from their phones, silly pictures shared between them and Alya and Nino, even the fun ones that the whole class (minus Chloé and Sabrina) had done together after Juleka had been akumatised. There’s a sense of rightness settling inside her as she examines the photos on her wall that show the real Adrien, happy with his friends, rather than Adrien the model that the world gets to see. In that moment, she knows she’s made the correct choice.

[fantasyfandommaiden]

ML Counsellor AU: The One Where Plagg And Carmine are Seen Together

Plagg drops in for another visit with the school Counsellor to chat and get some more Camembert, however the two are seen together.

Carmine had been enjoying a nice, quiet afternoon in her office, that was until a small black blob phased through the ceiling of her office “Sup Doc.” Plagg said grinning widely before landing on her desk.

Carmine looked at him with a raised brow, before opening a drawer on her desk and brining out a small, squishy stress ball and placing it on her desk. The kwami grinned widely and all but jumped on it, enjoying his small ‘beanbag chair’ that Carmine had brought in for any Kwami that chose to visit her. No one was the wiser either, thinking the small stress ball was used to help destress.

“Plagg, I keep telling you that you should remain close to your chosen.” Carmine lightly scolded, however still opened her small mini fridge and brought him out a small piece of Camembert, curtesy of a silent bodyguard.

“Ah don’t worry doc, he is close. He’s up there with his friends in the library, doing research for a project.” He said, pointing up at the ceiling before taking the cheese “Honestly, my chosen is so weird, liking coming to school instead of staying home. I’ve never had anyone like-“ the small black kwami let out a hiccup before he could finish his sentence and a small bubble came out of his mouth.

Carmine looked at the bubble curiously, before brining up her pen and popping the bubble “... this is an effective, if odd method so you never say your chosen’s name out loud... does it taste like soap?”

Plagg shook his head, taking the Camembert from the woman’s hand “Thanks, but Nah, doesn’t taste like anything, it’s more uncomfortable than anything else.” He explained with a small shrug, taking a bit of his cheese “So, any kids come complain about their lives to you today?”

Carmine rolled her eyes at the tiny gods lack of tack “Even if I did, I couldn’t tell you.” She reminded him, taking a sip of her tea. It was a lovely white jasmine blend today, and she was enjoying it “How is your charge?”

Plagg let out a loud, insufferable groan “He won’t stop pinning after the bug. ‘She’s so pretty Plagg!’ ‘She’s amazing Plagg!’ ‘I’m gonna marry her Plagg!’” He finished his impression of his chosen with a small gag “It’s gross, he should focus on the important things in life, like cheese, he should treat life like cheese.”

Carmine looked at him with a raised brow at the comment, placing her tea cup down “And how exactly should you ‘treat life like cheese’?” She asked in a curious manner.

Plagg grinned widely “Well, I’m glade you asked Doc!”

~~~~

Adrien was going to kill Plagg. He had noticed well studying with his friends he hadn’t heard the small kwami move, puff of anything for far too long and when he discreetly checked his pocket, low and behold, he was gone.

Adrien had excused himself, saying that he needed to make a call to Nathalie to ask about this weekend if he could hang out and gone on a kwami hunt for Plagg.

‘Seriously, this is like Stormy Weather all over again! What if an akuma appears?!’ The blonde teen thought furiously, begining to slow down when he smelt the distinctive scent of Camembert. He found that his sense of smell had began to improve since becoming Chat Noir, which was both a blessing and a curse at time.

He walked towards the smell but stopped short when he heard the kwami speaking, out loud.

“So, you need the correct kind fo milk, but depending on what kind fo cheese will depend on what kind fo milk you need, as well at the correct ingredients. Than you have to work hard to make the cheese using the right method, weather it’s turning it, or mixing it or whatever. Than you have to sit and wait, let it age to perfection. Than, once your creation is made with all your pride in it, you eat it!” He heard the kwami speak.

Adrien opened the door without even looking to see who’s door it was, still mad at the small Kwami “There you are you mangy-“ he saw Mlle Regal look up at him and every part of him froze.

He looked at Plagg, who was sitting on a stress ball like a bean bag chair, looking at Adrien innocently, and back at Mlle Regal who looked at him with a raised brow.

“... Mr. Agreste, I know for a fact that Nathalie would have taught you to knock before entering someone’s office.” She said in a dull tone, before taking a sip of her tea.

Adrien needed to think fast. There was a very, VERY slim chance he could get out of this and keep his secret identity a secret, he just needed to play this smart.

He pointed at Plagg “T-that um... that’s ah....” smooth.

Mlle Regal blinked in a surprised, curious manner “Oh, does this belong to you?” She asked curiously “It has been spurting cheese facts since I found it. Quite an interesting toy isn’t is?” She said gesturing towards Plagg and the stress ball.

Adrien’s eyes widened “YES!” He said rather too loudly. He let out a small cough before continuing “My father knows a toy maker in Tokyo, who is tentively trying out this new toy that tells you about cheese, and he gives facts about the cheese he eats.” He said smoothly “Father is having me beta test it for him, but he wants me to keep quiet about it since it’s still not ready for market...” he began to slow down as he saw the look Mlle Regal.

She wasn’t looking at him accusingly, or with her deadpanned stare, or with a neutral expression. She just gave him a warm, understanding smile. She didn’t say anything as she gently picked Plagg up, who had gone limp and held him out to Adrien.

The teen quickly took him, giving the small Kwami a slight glare as he placed Plagg in his pocket “Its a very interesting toy, Adrien.” She said simply, still smiling “Take good care of it.”

Adrien looked at Mlle Regal carefully, feeling dread spread through his system. She knew, she had to. Ladybug and Master Fu would never trust him again, and he would never know what was going on, what if they took his ring away?!

“Y-you find it interesting?” He asked shakily, feeling a slight tremble.

Mlle Regal looked at him surprise “Of course! A toy that gives you facts about cheese well it eat it? I was so surprised when I saw it eat some of my Camembert and start giving me facts about it!” She said truthfully, smiling “Just make sure you don’t loose it again Adrien, you wouldn’t want someone to try and sell that idea on your fathers friend, right?”

Relief spread across his system, as he smiled, nodding. “Of course Mlle... and thank you.” He said, walking out of her office. He secret identity was safe for now, that’s all that mattered.

~~~~~~

Carmine let out a loud groan, rubbing her temples. That boy was too gullible for his own good, she really needed to talk to Nathalie and G. about that, since it was obvious Gabriel Agreste wasn’t going to do anything about it.

She leaned back in her chair and took another sip of her tea, making a mental note to pick up more Camembert later in case Plagg needed it.

[lindafrancois]

How Much Water Do I Really Need? (A Guide for Proper Hydration)

So you want to know, “How much water should I drink a day?”

The short answer: drink enough to not be thirsty (maybe slightly more).

The long answer: read this guide for that!

Proper water consumption is a must for health and fitness, which is why we discuss it with every single member of our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. We even assign them fun missions to make sure they’re adequately hydrated.

Are you drinking enough water? Let our coaches help you decide!

Here’s what we’ll cover to answer the question, “How much water do you really need?”

Should you drink 8 glasses of water a day? (The controversy)

How much water a day do you really need? (Follow your thirst)

How to drink more water (Tips from a NF Coach)

Can you lose fat by drinking lots of water? (Weight loss and water intake)

Can I be overhydrated? (Too much of a good thing)

Are sports drinks more hydrating than water? (Water, sugar, salt, and you)

Does coffee dehydrate you? (Caffeine as a diuretic)

A note on bottled water (Invest in a water filter)

Staying properly hydrated (Next steps)

Pour yourself a glass of water (duh), then let’s do this thing!

Should You Drink 8 Glasses of Water a Day? (The Controversy)

First and foremost, yes you need water.

Boom. Article done. I’m going on break.

I kid, I kid.

Water is good for you; a significant portion of your body is composed of water, and when you lose fluids through sweat, exertion, bodily functions, etc, consuming water can help you replenish fluids.

HOWEVER…

The whole “8 glasses of water a day” thing is not law. 

In fact, there’s no real proof of this being a proper amount at all.[1]

As we’ve told you before (the perfect workout, the perfect diet), we are all unique snowflakes, and we all require different amounts of water!  

Somebody that exercises with regularity and goes on a lot of long runs will require more water than somebody who exercises less regularly. 

There’s no exact amount of water that works for each person.

So where did this magical “8 glasses of water a day” number initially come from?  

Nobody really knows.  

According to Snopes[2]:

Back in 1945 the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council stated that adults should take in about 2.5 liters of water per day (which is roughly the equivalent of eight glasses of water), but it also noted most of that intake level was already satisfied through the consumption of food without the need for the additional drinking of water.

That’s right, you get a SIGNIFICANT amount of water from the food you are consuming. A huge percentage of our body is water, a huge percentage of the planet is water…why wouldn’t a huge percentage of our food be water too?

So, yes. Consuming water is important. 

But the 8 glasses a day case doesn’t hold water (ha!), as we get a significant portion of our daily H2O from the food we consume.  Things like fruits and vegetables (and even meat) are composed of a tremendous amount of water, all of which counts towards our ‘hydration quotient’ for the day.

Do you know what else counts? 

EVERY OTHER BEVERAGE WE DRINK!

Things like tea, coffee, even dreaded sugary beverages, milk, and juices, and even alcoholic beverages. [3] 

How Much Water a Day Do You Really Need? (Follow Your Thirst)

So you now know you don’t need to always drink 8 glasses of water.

It could be less and it could be more. 

So how much exactly do you need?

Honestly? Drink when you are thirsty. 

That’s it. I’m going on vacation!

Kidding again. 

Seriously though, your thirst is a pretty damn good indicator of when you should consume more water. Do you think dogs and cats and elephants worry about hydration levels?  

Nope – they simply consume water when their body tells them that they are thirsty.

As nerds, we tend to overthink, overanalyze, and drive ourselves crazy with too much info.

Now, if you happen to be one of those people that needs MORE advice than that, check your urine color.

Weird, I know.

This chart provides a great test for the proper shade of urine: 

You want to aim (not literally) for the first three categories from the top, or “lemonade” color.  

If your pee is starting to resemble Lemon Lime Gatorade (4th category down), you’re dehydrated. From here, the darker and browner the color, the more dehydrated you are. 

If your pee comes out a different color altogether, I would probably seek medical attention immediately. You’re welcome 🙂

What if your pee doesn’t have ANY color to it? You might actually be “overhydrated,” which we talk about in this section.

So what are the telltale signs that something is wrong, that you are dehydrated?

According to the National Institute of Health,[4] your primary signs of dehydration are:

A feeling of thirst (duh)

Dry or sticky mouth

Low or no urine output; urine looks dark yellow

Sunken eyes

Lethargy

If you are feeling one or some of these symptoms, you may be dehydrated. We want to take this seriously, because SEVERE dehydration can be terrible for your health, even resulting in a coma.

Not good. So drink water whenever you get thirsty.

There’s a myth running around that says “if you are feeling thirsty, it’s too late and you’re already dehydrated.”

This is also not true.[5] If you are feeling the signs of dehydration, consuming some water can get you right back on track.

If you are regularly dehydrated, let’s discuss a quick hack to make sure you’re consistently hydrated.

How to Drink More Water

The above video comes from our Daily Win series as part of Nerd Fitness Prime. 

The series is based on quick actions you can take (5 minutes or less) to help you build healthy habits.

In this video Coach Lauren walks you through a quick hack if you find yourself constantly dehydrated during the day: drink a glass of water first thing in the morning!

That way you can start off properly hydrated before the chaos of the day takes over:

It can also help you wake up to seize the day!

Here are some more tips for drinking plenty of water:

Fill up a water bottle before bed, leave it in plain sight, and drink it first thing in the morning.

If you don’t like the taste of water, you can try adding some cucumber slices and mint leaves to your overnight bottle. Your morning water will soak up the flavor!

If cucumbers or mint ain’t your thing, you could also try some frozen berries or some cut-up lemon.

We’ve heard from many of our coaching clients that water first thing in the AM helps them feel more energized throughout their day.

Next, I want to address a question we get quite often from our readers. 

Can You Lose Fat by Drinking Lots of Water? (Weight Loss and Water Intake)

It’s common advice to drink lots of water for weight loss. 

Is it legit? 

Is there any evidence that drinking plenty of water can help one lose weight?

Eh, there’s a little!

One study conducted had two groups go on the same diet, the only difference being one group had 500 ml of water (about 17 ounces) 30 minutes before breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The result?[6]

The Water Group: lost about 4.4% body fat

 The Non-Mandated Water Group: lost about 1.1% body fat

This isn’t a TREMENDOUS difference, but it is interesting!

What might be going on? 

Here are two reasons why drinking plenty of water might help with weight loss:

You’re full. Drinking water takes up room in your stomach. There is less room now for food, but also other water like drinks (which may have sugar and hidden calories in it, like fruit juice). 

Water consumption may slightly raise your metabolism. I’m not talking a crazy impact here, but one study found your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate or how many calories you burn at rest) is raised by 24% for 60 minutes after drinking 500 ml (17 oz).[7]

Let’s provide some context here. 

As we address in our guide “Why Can’t I Lose Weight?”, our bodies obey the Laws of Conservation of Energy and Thermodynamics: 

To lose weight, we need to burn more calories than we consume regularly. 

The two factors above might lower your “calories in” and raise your “calories out” respectively (a concept we discuss in our Guide to The CICO Diet). This may help someone get in shape. 

However, I wouldn’t bet the farm (note to self: buy a farm) on solely drinking water for weight loss. When we highlighted the study above on water consumption and weight loss, it’s important to remember that the two groups were both on a calorically restricted diet. It’s not like strategically drinking water alone made people lose weight. 

If you are on a weight loss journey, and wondering what might help, I have two resources for you to check out:

How to Lose Weight Without Dieting (The 5 Rules of Weight Loss): you’ve probably been on a diet before. You might even be on a diet right now. We discuss why they generally don’t work (temporary changes create temporary results) and provide a less conventional but more permanent solution (tiny changes for the win).

Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program: many of our clients spent years yo-yoing their weight, going from one diet to another. It’s only when working with one of our coaches that they were able to achieve sustainable weight loss. 

Want to lose weight without hating life? Learn how we can help!

I now hear you saying: 

“Okay Steve, I got it. I don’t want to be dehydrated, and drinking water before meals may make me feel full. Why don’t I just start pounding water all day long?”

Great question, my dear friend.   

Can I Be Overhydrated? (Too Much of a Good Thing)

While being properly hydrated is good, it doesn’t mean chugging a gallon of water during your gym session is a good idea either. 

If not, then why is this so common to see?

From Outdoors[8]:

A single individual working for the U.S. military decided that water was a tactical weapon. 

That if the military could be encouraged to drink more during maneuvers, they’d have less heatstroke and less illness and they’d be more productive and could be better soldiers. It was purely his idea. It had no scientific basis at all. 

Two years later he published a paper supposedly saying that if the US soldiers drank 1.9 liters per hour [64 ounces] when they were exercising in the heat they would perform much better. There was utterly no concrete evidence that that was true. 

The problem was, his advice was embraced by the U.S. Military. They changed their drinking guidelines to say that you should now drink 1.9 liters per hour. The same people who drew up those guidelines were then invited by the American College of Sports Medicine to get involved with drawing up guidelines for runners.

In 1996, that culminated with the new American guidelines,[9] which said that you must drink as much as tolerable during exercise, up to 40 ounces per hour. 

That became the mantra—that you had to drink before you became thirsty, and as much as possible during exercise. It was after that the problems of hyponatremia really become problematic around the world.

Combine this with the sports beverage industry (which I’ll skewer in a minute) and the bottled water industry (one of the best scams going, which I’ll get to as well), and you have a marketing engine that won’t slow down:

“Drink before you’re thirsty or it’s too late.”  

“Running a marathon?  It’s better to over hydrate then not drink enough!” 

“Better safe than sorry!”

Actually, you CAN overhydrate, and it can be dangerous – it’s called hyponatremia, it’s an electrolyte imbalance from too much water consumed, and it’s bad news bears.[10]

Want to know the people who suffer from hyponatremia the most?

Marathon and ultra-runners.

Dr. Timothy Noakes, the author of Waterlogged, explains that the overconsumption of water can lead to our body developing a severe imbalance of sodium in our system, which can lead to a litany of side effects, even death.[11]

What Noaks discoveredof people who have dealt with cases of exercise-induced hyponatremia:

“What I’ve found is that all of these people were probably drinking 1.2 liters per hour [40 ounces]. They continue to drink like that for four or five hours. Now, normally, if you’re drinking at that rate, you simply pass it out as urine. 

A person who is overdrinking will start passing urine so frequently that they’ll realize, this is stupid. I’m going to stop drinking.

But what happens in hyponatremia is that, for some reason, the brain interprets that the person is dehydrated and secretes the antidiuretic hormone. As a consequence, that prevents all urine production. 

Although they are sweating, they may be sweating at a rate of 20 ounces per hour, but they are drinking at a rate of 40 ounces per hour. Every hour they are accumulating 20 ounces. You can do that for a couple of hours, but once you’ve accumulated about 60 to 80 ounces of water in your body, all of your tissues become bloated, and the organ that becomes most affected is the brain.

The brain swells, and because it is in a rigid skull, it cannot swell very much. The more it swells, the more pressure, and that eventually squeezes the arteries supplying blood to the brain. Ultimately, there is less oxygen getting to the brain, and certain parts become damaged.“

Not good. 

One 2002 study found that 13% of Boston Marathon runners experienced hyponatremia. While many experience hyponatremia without being in immediate danger, it certainly isn’t healthy.[12]

So, how do you combat this? 

Drink when you are thirsty!  

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!

Time to answer your next question: “If drinking too much water causes an issue with sodium imbalances, what about sports drinks? They have electrolytes and sodium in them!”

Allow me!

Are Sports Drinks More Hydrating Than Water? (Water, Sugar, Salt, and You)

Michael Jordan is famously seen drinking Gatorade during his flu game in 96, which tells us that without Gatorade he wouldn’t have been able to play:

Little do they tell you that Michael also had another secret weapon at his disposal that helped him play up to snuff in that game: apple sauce!

So why is that famous commercial all about Gatorade and not about apple sauce? 

One word, and it rhymes with “honey.”

There’s wayyyy more money in the sports beverage industry, and they can sell on the term “replenish electrolytes” which is actually way simpler to do than they make it out to be.

We’re promised that without the careful combination of electrolytes and ingredients in Gatorade, we’re going to get dehydrated when exercising and suffer.

Here’s what happens: When you sweat, you lose fluids and electrolytes, especially sodium and chloride (which is why your sweat tastes salty…stop tasting your sweat). Now, when you’re lacking fluids and electrolytes, your muscles and performance can suffer.

So that’s where Gatorade ALLEGEDLY will solve all of your problems.

Here’s the truth: unless you are exercising for hours and hours and hours, your electrolyte imbalance will not cause a drop in performance.  If you are exercising for an hour or less, some sips of water to quench your thirst is more than enough. 

If you are exercising for hours upon hours, then additional products may help.

In these instances, Gatorade could help potentially, but there’s nothing in Gatorade that’s magic. It’s sugar, water, sodium, potassium, and then some artificial and natural flavoring to make it taste and look the way it does.

Want the benefits of Gatorade while on your marathon run without having to buy Gatorade? Make your own!

As Al Kavado talks about here, try mixing water, honey, salt, and/or lemon juice. Try different combos (mixing in some OJ or using coconut water!)

And just like that, you have your sodium, some sugars, and rehydration. No fancy marketing required.

THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO?  

Do some boring cardio for 20 minutes (which burns a minimal number of calories), and then chug a 32 oz Gatorade (200 calories and 50+ grams of sugar!) and think you’re healthier. 

Negatory!

Water works just fine for 98% of the activities you will ever do.

Does Coffee Dehydrate You? (Caffeine as a Diuretic)

Time to put the myth-busting cap back on: You’ve probably been told that drinking caffeinated beverages will dehydrate you.

That by consuming caffeinated beverages, you’re actually expelling more water than you are consuming.

This is another one of those bits of conventional wisdom that gets blown out of proportion.

Yes, caffeine is a mild diuretic. However, our bodies are pretty darn smart, and because all drinks are composed almost entirely of water, it more than makes up for the effects.

As pointed out here in this study:[13]

Ingestion of caffeine in large doses (at least 250-300 mg, equivalent to the amount found in 2-3 cups of coffee or 5-8 cups of tea) results in a short-term stimulation of urine output in individuals who have been deprived of caffeine for a period of days or weeks. 

A profound tolerance to the diuretic and other effects of caffeine develops, however, and the actions are much diminished in individuals who regularly consume tea or coffee. 

Doses of caffeine equivalent to the amount normally found in standard servings of tea, coffee and carbonated soft drinks appear to have no diuretic action.

So coffee can actually help you stay hydrated.

What about alcohol? 

Same thing.

Alcohol has diuretic properties, but only causes dehydration when consumed at beyond normal levels. (Here’s our Guide to Drinking, which covers our thoughts on being a healthy nerd that can still enjoy an occasional cocktail.)

What ALLLLL OF THIS MEANS: 

Drink when you are thirsty. 

All liquids you consume count towards hydration, and only in cases of overconsumption can they negatively affect your hydration.

A Note on Bottled Water (Invest in a Water Filter)

In 2019, total U.S. bottled water consumption increased to 14.4 billion gallons, up from 9.1 billion gallons in 2011.[14]

Every person in America drank an average of 43.7 gallons of bottled water last year.  

Bottled water sales increased by 3.6 percent in 2019, and now total $34.6 billion.

Only in America can an industry selling tap water in a plastic bottle become an absolutely juggernaut, as Lewis Black so eloquently points out (NSFW Language):

It is very likely that your local tap water is fine! Check your local government for more information, but if you live in the United States, chances are your tap water is equal or better to the bottled stuff! Heck Coca-Cola knows this, as their Dasani Brand is ultimately filtered tap water.[15]

Want that bottle of Fiji water because it’s clean and pure and provides you with magical abilities like a waterbender?

There is less arsenic in Cleveland Tap water than Fiji water![16] Much less expensive too 🙂

If you don’t like the taste of, or are concerned about your local tap water, try a Brita filter or something equivalent. Stop going through hundreds of plastic bottles of water every year, and drink the water you already have available to you.

Yes, if the choice is between no beverage, a Coke, or a bottle of water, go with the bottled water!

Just don’t go out of your way to buy water from the polar ice caps, Hoth glaciers, or the Swiss Alps because you think it’s going to be healthier for you, provide you with more of a benefit than regular water.  

That’s all hype, sucka!

Staying Properly Hydrated (Next Steps)

There you have it, the long answer on how much water you should drink. 

Water keeps your body functioning properly. Consume it when you feel the need and your thirst will be quenched, your body will stay regulated, and you will live to see tomorrow.

On top of that, consuming water before a meal can help you feel fuller and thus prevent you from overeating. 

If this works for you, keep doing what you’re doing!

Water should definitely be consumed when you are thirsty!  

But the importance of water has been overblown, and you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars each year on fancy bottled water from glaciers.

Here’s how often you should drink H2O::

Chill out about water, don’t overthink it.

Drink when you feel thirsty.

If your pee is a darker color than normal, drink more water.

Don’t stress about drinking water neurotically throughout the day.

Don’t bother with sports drinks unless your exercise is intense, over several hours, or in very hot conditions.

I think that about does it for today’s guide.

If you’d like to join our community, I have three ways for you to continue your journey with Nerd Fitness:

#1) Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently.

You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the image below for more details:

#2) Liked the video we showed in today’s guide? Want to watch more like them live and get your questions answered? Join Nerd Fitness Prime!

Nerd Fitness Prime is our premium membership program that contains live-streamed workouts with NF Coaches, a supportive online community, group challenges like drinking more water, and much more! 

Learn more about Nerd Fitness Prime!

#3) Join The Rebellion! We have a free email newsletter that we send out twice per week, full of tips and tricks to help you get healthy, get strong, and have fun doing so. 

I’ll also send you tons of free guides that you can use to start leveling up your life too:

Download our free weight loss guide

THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life

Follow our 10-level nutrition system at your own pace

What you need to know about weight loss and healthy eating

3 Simple rules we follow every day to stay on target

Have any more questions for me?  What else do you need to know about water?

Let’s hear it.

-Steve

PS: We walk about how water fits into a proper diet in our Guide to Healthy Eating. Check it out if you’re just embarking on leveling up your nutrition game.

###

photo source: Han Shot First: Aquaman, jDevaun: Gatorade, RLhyde: Glass,, philografy: bottled water, 27147: coffee cup,, Adventures With My Dogs: Waterfall, Urine Color, 1upLego: Lego Dawn of Justice Aquaman, Kristina Alexanderson: Maybe the droids we’re looking for are at the bottom of the pool, Jeanne Menjoulet: building in a glass of water, Lisa Zins: The Facuet, az: d-136 I’m not just going too far, I’ve arrived, 

  Footnotes    ( returns to text)

Read, “‘Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.’ Really? Is there scientific evidence for “8×8”?” Source, American Journal of Physiology.

You can check out their article right here.

Yep, I’ve heard “coffee and alcohol make you dehydrated” too. See the entire section below for an explanation on BOTH!

Read their report here.

The HuffPost has a good interview with Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, which discusses this issue. Check it out here.

The study was called, “Water consumption increases weight loss during a hypocaloric diet intervention in middle-aged and older adults.” Source, PubMed.

Read, “Water drinking induces thermogenesis through osmosensitive mechanisms.” Source, PubMed.

Their article is right here.

Read, “American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Exercise and Fluid Replacement.” Source, PubMed.

Wikipedia has a solid explanation.

Dr. Noakes is interviewed in this great piece from Outside.

Read, “Effects of Hyponatremia on the Brain.” Source, PubMed.

Read, “Caffeine ingestion and fluid balance: a review.” Source, PubMed.

The Shelby Report has all relevant data here.

This article took an interesting look at the scandal.

The Washington Post took a look here.

How Much Water Do I Really Need? (A Guide for Proper Hydration) published first on https://dietariouspage.tumblr.com/

[angelofthequeers]

Little Devil part 2

Disclaimer: I don’t own ML.

I had way too much fun designing Chloé’s outfit. She’s such a diva, she practically begged for me to do so because no way was she going to have a similar outfit to Marinette’s. I love Marinette baby but her outfit is so boring :(

The fic idea came from @gale-of-the-nomads and Little Devil from @zoe-oneesama (in case you want a picture reference). Little Devil’s speech about why she’s doing this is from zoe-oneesama’s post right here. It was so brilliant that I had to incorporate it, so full credit to them.

Part 3 coming tomorrow, once I stop screaming and start rewriting because my laptop battery fell out and I lost the ENTIRE 3K DOCUMENT.

Part 1 | Part 3 | AO3 link

“Marinette, don’t you dare go all akuma on me!” Chloé snaps. She’s keenly aware that sassing the villain probably isn’t a good idea, but she’s probably going to be attacked anyway so she may as well get some jabs in first. Then she can at least claim that she tried. “I stood up to everyone for you and this is how you repay me?”

Little Devil looks down at Chloé, black lips curved in a wicked little smile that distorts the black hearts dotting her cheeks. “Chloé Bourgeois,” the akuma says in her deep, smooth voice. “The one person I never thought I would spare.”

“What?” Chloé splutters. Spare her? Is Little Devil high? Does Hawkmoth need Chloé for something?

“You stood up for me,” Little Devil says. “You and Adrien came for me when nobody else did. So, the two of you will be spared. Everybody else?” Her eyes gleam wickedly. “Everyone has a little devil on their shoulder. I just need to make them listen.”

Chloé scrambles away from Little Devil as the akuma floats past, no doubt off to search for victims. And if Chloé’s right, those victims will probably be their classmates.

“Best thing I can do is hide!” Chloé decides, ducking into the bathroom. “After all, Ladybug needs to be able to find me, and she can’t do that if I get myself hit.”

Okay, so she’s being a coward. But she’s totally right as well. Come on.

In the bathroom, her eyes land on the earrings that Marinette had flung away, and her curiosity is unavoidably piqued. Why had Marinette been so desperate to keep them from Hawkmoth? What, are they some family heirloom or something that she didn’t want akumatised? Pfft, how utterly ridiculous. Everyone knows that whatever gets broken during an akuma attack gets fixed by Miraculous Ladybug. Speaking of which, Ladybug had better get her butt there pronto so that Chloé can help.

She shuffles over to swipe the earrings to pocket for Marinette. No, she totally doesn’t care about Marinette at all. But after the day that girl has had, she doesn’t need something else to upset her, like broken earrings. Heaven forbid she get akumatised again.

The moment Chloé makes contact with the earrings, they emit a bright red light that forces Chloé to squeeze her eyes shut, while her stomach sinks because damn it all, she knows this light. She’s seen it with –

“Chloé?” the small red thing hovering in mid-air squeaks. “What are you –” It zips over to the door and gasps. “Oh no!”

“I – you – kwami!” Chloé splutters. No. Way. There’s no way this can be happening. There’s no way that Marinette Dupain-Cheng can be Ladybug. But it makes sense. The constant absences that conveniently align with akumas, the similar hair and eyes that Chloé had dismissed in a way she couldn’t now –

She’s been sucking up to Marinette this whole time. Why? Why is life so unfair? But it explains why Marinette had thrown the earrings away. Hawkmoth had proven just how dangerous an akumatised Miraculous holder could be, and she was Ladybug. At least now…

At least now there’s still a chance.

“This is awful!” the kwami cries. “Poor Marinette! I tried so hard to calm her down!”

“Oh, relax,” Chloé says, already fitting the earrings into her earlobes as a daring plan starts to form. Queen Bee won’t be appearing in this battle, that much is certain, but that doesn’t mean Ladybug has to sit this one out. “What do you say to transform?”

“You can’t do this!” the kwami says. “This isn’t right –”

“Listen, kwami whose name I don’t know,” Chloé snaps. “It’s either I be Ladybug for this battle or you don’t get your precious Marinette back. I’ve been akumatised three times and rescued way more. I was Antibug. I know better than anyone else how this works. Other than Chat Noir, of course. And if Marinette remembers that she threw her earrings in here, she’ll be back for them when Hawkmoth gets naggy.”

The kwami stares at Chloé for a few moments, tiny face twisted as though stuck in an internal battle. “Tikki,” the kwami finally says. “My name is Tikki.” She floats up in front of Chloé’s face, studying her intently. “Are you sure you can be trusted with this, Chloé? This isn’t a game!”

“Was it a game when I was Queen Bee?” Chloé crosses her arms. “I know lives are at stake. Even more if I’m Ladybug.”

“Why would you want to do this if you don’t like Marinette?”

“Because if Marinette goes around zapping people then Lila wins. And not even Marinette deserves the simply awful day she’s had.”

Tikki beams at Chloé. “I knew you could be a good person if you put your mind to it!” she says. “I’m so glad that you’re starting to care about other people!”

“I don’t care about Marinette!” Chloé argues a little too quickly. “I’m doing this because I can’t stand Lila. Look, just tell me what to say so I can get out there and kick akuma butt.”

“Spots on to transform,” Tikki rattles off. “Spots off to turn back. Remember, you only have five minutes after you use your Lucky Charm –”

“Before I transform back, yes, yes, I know. And I need to capture the akuma in the yo-yo and then use Miraculous Ladybug. Tikki, spots on!”

It’s nice to know that she’s just as big a diva transforming into Ladybug as she is when turning into Queen Bee, as her transformation sequence is damn awesome and involves a lot of dramatic posing and hand-on-hip, pretty much like Queen Bee. The magic washing over her feels…different to when Pollen had turned her into Queen Bee. Cool, fresh, like being outside on a nice spring day and basking in the sunlight and the joy of living things around you. When the magic fades away, Chloé immediately heads for the mirror so that she can look over her outfit.

It’s very different to the real Ladybug’s outfit. Marinette’s suit is just red with black dots all over – and really, if Marinette’s trying to be a fashion designer then her outfit should be a little more interesting. But Chloé’s consists of a black-spotted red corset-style leotard over black garter leggings and a sheer, long-sleeved black undershirt, both underneath knee-length boots and elbow-length gloves that match her leotard. Two strips of ladybug-patterned cloth over her shoulders and back complete the outfit, almost like little ladybug wings even though Ladybug can’t fly. Her hair is still in its signature ponytail but tied with a red ribbon and streaked with red, with little antennae sticking out of her hair like Chat’s ears. Her mask and the yo-yo around her waist are the only things identical to Marinette’s Ladybug.

“I look awesome,” Chloé preens, turning this way and that to admire herself. Honestly, if she never had to give the Miraculous back then she’d be doing everyone a favour. Paris deserves a much more stylish Ladybug to save the day. She pauses and grimaces. Okay, so this is only temporary. But maybe she can give the real Ladybug some fashion tips when she totally saves everyone. Which means actually going out there. And fighting.

“Lila is so paying for my next nail appointment,” Chloé grumbles as she sprints out of the bathroom. Come to think of it, she should just charge every villain she has to fight as Queen Bee. Maybe even send the bill to Hawkmoth. No, he should use that money to get himself a new outfit, because his current one is utterly ridiculous.

Lost in her thoughts, Chloé doesn’t notice that she’s on a collision course with someone until she slams into a figure clad in black and they go tumbling down the hallway, groaning and cursing.

“Watch where you’re going!” Chloé snaps, untangling herself from the other person so she can stand up and dust off her outfit. She’s so committing this suit to memory and having it commissioned so she can remember the day she was Ladybug, even if she has to keep it to herself. Truth be told, though, she kind of misses being Queen Bee. As Ladybug, it just feels like she’s playing pretend as someone else.

“Sorry, m’lady!” the other person says as he deftly jumps to his feet. Oh, great. It’s that mangy Chat Noir. But at least Chloé now has backup and she knows that Chat Noir hasn’t been affected by the akuma. The thought of a solo fight is daunting as all hell.

“Oh, good, you’re here,” Chloé says. “Come on, Marinette got akumatised, so we need to –”

“You’re not Ladybug.” Chat Noir backs away, holding his baton in front of him like he’s warding off evil. “Where’s the real Ladybug?”

“I’m the temporary Ladybug,” Chloé says. “It’s me, Chloé.”

“You expect me to believe that Ladybug would just give you her earrings?”

“She didn’t give them. Duh. But she can’t really use them now, can she?”

The moment that Chat Noir puts two and two together and realises the implication of what Chloé’s telling him is painted blindingly across his annoyingly cute face. With a sigh, Chloé grabs his arm and drags him into the nearest empty classroom, locking the door behind them.

“Marinette – Ladybug?” Chat Noir babbles, grabbing at his messy blond hair.

“Hey! Snap out of it!” Chloé gently slaps him across the face. “Have your mental breakdown later, okay? Look, do I need to detransform so you can talk to Tikki?”

“I – yes?” Chat Noir says. “No offence, Chloé, but I need to –”

“Yes, yes, I get it. Spots off.” She can’t even find it in herself to feel hurt as the magic washes off her and consumes her outfit. Honestly, she would’ve been more worried if Chat Noir had just straight-up accepted her explanation.

“Tikki?” Chat Noir takes a step towards the little kwami, eyes fixed on her.

“Chat Noir!” Tikki says. “I wish I could say it’s nice to meet you but…” She droops. “Not like this. Marinette’s going to be so upset that she was revealed like this and that she was akumatised. Everyone thought she would be the one person who would never give in and she really took that on her shoulders.”

“So…you’re telling the truth?” Chat Noir says to Chloé.

“Of course.” Chloé rolls her eyes. “Marinette pulled out her earrings so Hawkmoth couldn’t akumatise them. And really, if I hadn’t picked them up then not only would you have no Ladybug, but Marinette would’ve gone straight back for them if she remembered them. Do you really want to take that risk?”

Chat Noir still doesn’t look like he fully trusts Chloé, but there’s new respect in his eyes. Chloé wonders if she knows his civilian identity. Hmm. If any of the boys start treating her differently, like they respect her now, then she’ll have her answer. It pays to have people think that you’re a dumb blonde sometimes.

“Look, is this really the time to sit here and have a little party?” Chloé says. “Tikki, spots on!”

Once she’s transformed again, she unlocks the door and she and Chat take off running down the hallway to her classroom, which is where Little Devil would be if anywhere.

“We need a cover story that doesn’t out Marinette,” Chat Noir says as they skid around a corner. “Everyone’s going to notice that you’re not Ladybug and that Marinette’s akumatised!”

“Good point,” Chloé says, her mind racing. “How about…Ladybug got caught in civilian form by whatever this akuma does. And since I’m Queen Bee, she knew she could trust me, of course.”

“Little less vanity, but sure,” Chat Noir says. “That’s purrfect.”

Chloé groans loudly. “I’m not Ladybug, so don’t think I won’t kick you for those ridiculous –”

A scream cuts her off before she can finish her threat. With a long-suffering sigh, Chloé changes direction with Chat Noir, and they turn down another hallway and find a familiar brunette girl curled in a ball, sobbing and pulling her hair.

“Alya?” Chloé nudges the crying girl with her foot. Not very heroic, sure, but she never claimed to be a good little hero in the first place. “Alright, what did she do to you?”

“You can’t hear them?” Alya looks up, her red-rimmed eyes similar to how Marinette’s had looked after emerging from her bathroom stall. “The voices! They won’t stop!”

“What voices?” Chat Noir looks around, perplexed. “I don’t hear any voices.”

“No! I’m sorry!” Alya shakes her head wildly. “I’m not selfish! I didn’t mean to dump Marinette – I’m sorry – I’m the worst friend –”

Chloé and Chat Noir back away when Alya’s shoulders slump and her cries trail off. Blood red splotches start to appear on her skin, the same colour as Little Devil’s skin, and they rapidly spread like an ugly rash until every inch of skin is that colour. Her orange-brown hair turns pitch black and two red horns push themselves out, while her clothes turn black as though someone spilled ink over every thread.

“Alya?” Chat Noir carefully approaches her, while every spidey sense that Chloé has blares at once.

“Chat Noir!” She grabs his arm and pulls him back, and just in time; Alya lets out an inhuman shriek and launches herself at Chat Noir, fingers grasping for his throat. Her eyes are now fully yellow behind her glasses, just like Little Devil’s sclerae, and her face twitches and distorts every few seconds like she’s possessed.

“It never ends!” Alya shouts, her voice warped with an otherworldly influence like Little Devil’s had been. She pauses, head tilted like she’s listening to a voice they can’t hear, and then she bellows and advances on Chloé and Chat Noir. “Give me your Miraculouses! Little Devil says that’s the only way I can make the pain stop! That I can make it all right again!”

“So, she forces you to hear your darkest thoughts?” Chat Noir says as they prepare to take down Alya.

“Looks like it,” Chloé says. “And if you give in, you turn into…” She gestures at Alya. “That. Really, for an aspiring fashion designer, Marinette has a lot of work to do.”

“I don’t think that’s Marinette’s fashion sense,” Chat Noir says.

“Ugh. Right. Hawkmoth and his ridiculous outfits.”

Although they don’t have the same almost-telepathic connection that Ladybug and Chat Noir have, they do have enough of an acquaintance by now that they’re not totally useless as a team. Although Chat Noir accidentally smacks Chloé in the head with his baton and Chloé’s yo-yo ensnares his foot while she’s tying up Alya, they manage to work together well enough that it’s not that difficult to leave Alya out for the count, snarling and crying.

“We need a way to keep her here,” Chat Noir says. “We can’t keep her tied up in your yo-yo.”

Chloé’s ponytail whips around as she scours the classroom for something she can use to keep Alya subdued. A lightbulb goes off in her brain, and it only takes a few moments for her to rip one of the curtains off the window and tie Alya to a desk, manoeuvring carefully so she can undo her yo-yo as she goes.

“Nice thinking,” Chat Noir says. “But you’ll never be able to replace my lady.”

“I don’t plan on it,” Chloé says. “I’m fine without the villains targeting me.”

“That’s…oddly mature of you,” Chat Noir says as they dash out of the classroom.

“I caused so many akumas that after Mlle Bustier was akumatised…it kind of sank in,” Chloé says. “And then…I got my daddy akumatised. I realised that I was causing half the problems that Ladybug had to fix. And now that I’m being Ladybug and I have to do what she does, it’s a kick up the butt.”

“You didn’t cause those akumas,” Chat Noir says. “Everyone feels upset from time to time. It’s Hawkmoth who makes it unsafe to feel those emotions and uses those people so he can make his selfish wish.”

“I still had a part to play,” Chloé says. “You can’t honestly look at me and tell me that I didn’t make it easier for him.”

Ugh. Is she really having this conversation? Thankfully, she’s saved from having to deal with Chat Noir trying to be all nice and ‘not your fault’ and stuff when they emerge onto the walkway above the courtyard and freeze.

“Oh,” Chloé says faintly. There are little devils everywhere, either already transformed and attacking each other with shrill shrieks or curled up and trying to fend off the dark thoughts before inevitably succumbing. On the opposite side to them is Little Devil, perched daintily on the railing as she surveys the chaos with a wicked little smile.

“Well, at least you can say that you got an interesting first akuma,” Chat Noir says with the best fake grin that Chloé’s ever seen. And considering who she is, she’s the queen of fake smiles. “Rena Rouge got a bunch of cloning monsters. And Carapace just had a spider to deal with.”

“My first akuma was Malediktator,” Chloé says. 

“Oh, right. Queen Bee and all. My meowstake.”

Chloé shoots him a poisonous look. “And I’d prefer the spider, to be honest.”

“I wouldn’t.”

“Only because you were stuck in her web for the whole battle.”

“Thanks for that.” His smile this time is more blatantly fake, like he’s not even trying to pretend anymore. “I seem to get stuck a lot. And now I couldn’t even help my lady because I left her –” He breaks off, like finishing his sentence will give himself away. Chloé just squints at him. There’s only one person who had tried to help Marinette but had been forced to leave.

“If you’re who I think you are,” she says, “then both Marinette and I told you to leave even though you didn’t want to. And Little Devil told me that she’s sparing the both of us because we were the only ones who went after her.”

Chat Noir’s so stiff that one tap could probably shatter him like glass. Chloé wants to do a victory dance at knowing both secret identities, but such an undignified action would be beneath her.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” she says airily.

“How’d you figure it out? Ladybug doesn’t even know who I am!”

“Marinette? Think you’re Chat Noir?” Chloé scoffs. “Please. That girl’s crushing on you so hard that it’s a miracle she hasn’t melted yet when you smile at her.”

Okay, so it’s kinda counterproductive to her own goals of securing Adrien for herself. But honestly, learning that Adrien is Chat Noir kind of turns her off because she simply can’t be seen with anyone who makes puns that annoying and awful. And on a more serious note, knowing that he’s Chat Noir comes with the realisation that there’s no chance he’ll ever be into her when he’s pining after Ladybug, whose identity he now knows. The stunned look on his face just confirms that. And Chloé Bourgeois doesn’t do second place.

She also just wants her friend to be happy, not that she’d ever say that out loud. She doesn’t need people thinking she’s soft or something.

“If you think you’re useless, you’ve got another thing coming,” is what she finally says when Chat Noir says nothing.

“Ladybug can get the job done just as well with Rena Rouge or Carapace or Queen Bee,” he argues. “You literally saw me under Malediktator’s control when you were Queen Bee.”

“And then we all got akumatised and you didn’t,” Chloé says. “And all the times you’ve been put down is because you were protecting Ladybug so she could get the akuma. Which isn’t healthy behaviour, but whatever. Look, she needs you just as much as you need her. I see how she talks about you in interviews. I see how well you two work together in battles. There can’t ever be another Chat Noir, just like I can’t be another Ladybug. Even if another person was better with Chat Noir’s powers, she wouldn’t want another Chat Noir.”

Chat Noir – Adrien – stares at her in a new light. Then he beams and pulls Chloé into a quick hug.

“I knew you had a heart in there,” he says.

“Ugh, stop it, you’re going to wrinkle my outfit!” Chloé says. Even though she now knows this is Adrien, there’s just something about Chat Noir that makes it easy for her to not think of him as Adrien. Which is probably how Marinette never clued in as to who her partner is. “I didn’t do it so we could be all sunshine and rainbows. I did it because if Little Devil hits you, I don’t need to be dealing with devil dead weight. You better fight that off or you’ll hear about it.”

But Chat Noir’s annoying smirk lets her know that he doesn’t buy that excuse one bit. Huffing, Chloé flips her hair and turns away.

“The akuma’s in her cravat,” she says. “It was the handkerchief she was using to make a mess of her face.”

“Well, we can’t stand around all day,” Chat Noir says. “Let’s get down there and have a devil of a time.”

“Chat, I swear!” Chloé huffs, following him as he runs around the walkway to Little Devil. Looks like stealth is out of the question. Then again, with so many little devils, it would probably be impossible to sneak around without at least one of them noticing and alerting Little Devil.

“Marinette!” Chat Noir skids to a halt in front of Little Devil, who looks around with a lazy smile. Chloé wants to slap him. He’s totally forgotten that he’s Chat Noir, not Adrien, and Little Devil only promised to spare Adrien. But she can’t exactly yell that at him now, can she? Ugh, she so shouldn’t have let on that Marinette was Ladybug. Both of them are very much aware of how knowing identities messes things up.

“Hello, Chat Noir,” Little Devil greets. “I’d ask if you’re here to give me your Miraculous, but we both know the answer to that.” Her gaze slides over Chloé and she frowns. “Who are you?”

“I’m being Ladybug, since the real Ladybug can’t really make it,” Chloé sniffs, hands on her hips. Little Devil’s face contorts but not maliciously; more like she’s working out who this Ladybug could be.

“That won’t make a difference, Chloé,” she says. Wow, maybe Chloé needs to give Marinette more credit. “You just saved me a lot of trouble by bringing the Miraculous to me.”

Chloé’s slightly worried that Hawkmoth will figure things out through his mental connection to his akuma. Then again, Hawkmoth’s kind of proved himself to be an idiot when it comes to making akumas who do more than just yell for the Miraculouses and cause a bit of trouble, so she’s not too worried. Heroes’ Day was an exception but whatever. He totally had help there.

“Marinette, why are you doing this?” Chat Noir says almost pleadingly. Chloé shoots him a warning look out of the corner of her eye because this is not how he’s going to reveal himself if she can help it.

“I made them who they are,” Little Devil shrugs, turning back to survey her domain. “Demons who’ll go for the throat as soon as you show weakness. I gave them everything, but as soon as I needed their support, they turned their backs on me. This is what it means to be their friend. They’ll take and take but when it’s time to give? Poof, they’re gone.”

“Everyone messes up,” Chloé says, staying well away from the reflex of shouting that it’s not true because invalidating an akuma’s feelings is a sure-fire way to annoy them. “I know that better than anyone else. But you gave me a second chance when I didn’t deserve it.”

“You don’t hide behind broken promises and poisonous lies, Chloé Bourgeois,” Little Devil hisses. Her narrowed eyes bore into Chloé’s, as though she can read Chloé’s soul from just a glance. “You never pretended to be my friend. You never turned an entire class against me because of compulsive lies. I can trust you to be nasty. I can’t trust the others to be nice. Except for Adrien.”

Chat Noir’s face twitches. Thankfully, Little Devil doesn’t seem to notice.

“I gave you a chance, Chloé,” the akuma says. “But clearly you’re against me if you’re wearing those earrings.”

Maybe if Chloé had more experience than a few rounds as Queen Bee and if Chat Noir wasn’t distracted by knowing that this was his lady, they wouldn’t have been so thoroughly taken by surprise. Before either of them can react, Little Devil brandishes her pitchfork and tiny devils, who look eerily like corrupted versions of Tikki with horns, come flying out from behind Little Devil and latch on to Chloé and Chat Noir.

Immediately, the whispers start.

[lindafrancois]

How Much Water Do I Really Need? (A Guide for Proper Hydration)

So you want to know, “How much water should I drink a day?”

The short answer: drink enough to not be thirsty (maybe slightly more).

The long answer: read this guide for that!

Proper water consumption is a must for health and fitness, which is why we discuss it with every single member of our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. We even assign them fun missions to make sure they’re adequately hydrated.

Are you drinking enough water? Let our coaches help you decide!

Here’s what we’ll cover to answer the question, “How much water do you really need?”

Should you drink 8 glasses of water a day? (The controversy)

How much water a day do you really need? (Follow your thirst)

How to drink more water (Tips from a NF Coach)

Can you lose fat by drinking lots of water? (Weight loss and water intake)

Can I be overhydrated? (Too much of a good thing)

Are sports drinks more hydrating than water? (Water, sugar, salt, and you)

Does coffee dehydrate you? (Caffeine as a diuretic)

A note on bottled water (Invest in a water filter)

Staying properly hydrated (Next steps)

Pour yourself a glass of water (duh), then let’s do this thing!

Should You Drink 8 Glasses of Water a Day? (The Controversy)

First and foremost, yes you need water.

Boom. Article done. I’m going on break.

I kid, I kid.

Water is good for you; a significant portion of your body is composed of water, and when you lose fluids through sweat, exertion, bodily functions, etc, consuming water can help you replenish fluids.

HOWEVER…

The whole “8 glasses of water a day” thing is not law. 

In fact, there’s no real proof of this being a proper amount at all.[1]

As we’ve told you before (the perfect workout, the perfect diet), we are all unique snowflakes, and we all require different amounts of water!  

Somebody that exercises with regularity and goes on a lot of long runs will require more water than somebody who exercises less regularly. 

There’s no exact amount of water that works for each person.

So where did this magical “8 glasses of water a day” number initially come from?  

Nobody really knows.  

According to Snopes[2]:

Back in 1945 the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council stated that adults should take in about 2.5 liters of water per day (which is roughly the equivalent of eight glasses of water), but it also noted most of that intake level was already satisfied through the consumption of food without the need for the additional drinking of water.

That’s right, you get a SIGNIFICANT amount of water from the food you are consuming. A huge percentage of our body is water, a huge percentage of the planet is water…why wouldn’t a huge percentage of our food be water too?

So, yes. Consuming water is important. 

But the 8 glasses a day case doesn’t hold water (ha!), as we get a significant portion of our daily H2O from the food we consume.  Things like fruits and vegetables (and even meat) are composed of a tremendous amount of water, all of which counts towards our ‘hydration quotient’ for the day.

Do you know what else counts? 

EVERY OTHER BEVERAGE WE DRINK!

Things like tea, coffee, even dreaded sugary beverages, milk, and juices, and even alcoholic beverages. [3] 

How Much Water a Day Do You Really Need? (Follow Your Thirst)

So you now know you don’t need to always drink 8 glasses of water.

It could be less and it could be more. 

So how much exactly do you need?

Honestly? Drink when you are thirsty. 

That’s it. I’m going on vacation!

Kidding again. 

Seriously though, your thirst is a pretty damn good indicator of when you should consume more water. Do you think dogs and cats and elephants worry about hydration levels?  

Nope – they simply consume water when their body tells them that they are thirsty.

As nerds, we tend to overthink, overanalyze, and drive ourselves crazy with too much info.

Now, if you happen to be one of those people that needs MORE advice than that, check your urine color.

Weird, I know.

This chart provides a great test for the proper shade of urine: 

You want to aim (not literally) for the first three categories from the top, or “lemonade” color.  

If your pee is starting to resemble Lemon Lime Gatorade (4th category down), you’re dehydrated. From here, the darker and browner the color, the more dehydrated you are. 

If your pee comes out a different color altogether, I would probably seek medical attention immediately. You’re welcome 🙂

What if your pee doesn’t have ANY color to it? You might actually be “overhydrated,” which we talk about in this section.

So what are the telltale signs that something is wrong, that you are dehydrated?

According to the National Institute of Health,[4] your primary signs of dehydration are:

A feeling of thirst (duh)

Dry or sticky mouth

Low or no urine output; urine looks dark yellow

Sunken eyes

Lethargy

If you are feeling one or some of these symptoms, you may be dehydrated. We want to take this seriously, because SEVERE dehydration can be terrible for your health, even resulting in a coma.

Not good. So drink water whenever you get thirsty.

There’s a myth running around that says “if you are feeling thirsty, it’s too late and you’re already dehydrated.”

This is also not true.[5] If you are feeling the signs of dehydration, consuming some water can get you right back on track.

If you are regularly dehydrated, let’s discuss a quick hack to make sure you’re consistently hydrated.

How to Drink More Water

The above video comes from our Daily Win series as part of Nerd Fitness Prime. 

The series is based on quick actions you can take (5 minutes or less) to help you build healthy habits.

In this video Coach Lauren walks you through a quick hack if you find yourself constantly dehydrated during the day: drink a glass of water first thing in the morning!

That way you can start off properly hydrated before the chaos of the day takes over:

It can also help you wake up to seize the day!

Here are some more tips for drinking plenty of water:

Fill up a water bottle before bed, leave it in plain sight, and drink it first thing in the morning.

If you don’t like the taste of water, you can try adding some cucumber slices and mint leaves to your overnight bottle. Your morning water will soak up the flavor!

If cucumbers or mint ain’t your thing, you could also try some frozen berries or some cut-up lemon.

We’ve heard from many of our coaching clients that water first thing in the AM helps them feel more energized throughout their day.

Next, I want to address a question we get quite often from our readers. 

Can You Lose Fat by Drinking Lots of Water? (Weight Loss and Water Intake)

It’s common advice to drink lots of water for weight loss. 

Is it legit? 

Is there any evidence that drinking plenty of water can help one lose weight?

Eh, there’s a little!

One study conducted had two groups go on the same diet, the only difference being one group had 500 ml of water (about 17 ounces) 30 minutes before breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The result?[6]

The Water Group: lost about 4.4% body fat

 The Non-Mandated Water Group: lost about 1.1% body fat

This isn’t a TREMENDOUS difference, but it is interesting!

What might be going on? 

Here are two reasons why drinking plenty of water might help with weight loss:

You’re full. Drinking water takes up room in your stomach. There is less room now for food, but also other water like drinks (which may have sugar and hidden calories in it, like fruit juice). 

Water consumption may slightly raise your metabolism. I’m not talking a crazy impact here, but one study found your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate or how many calories you burn at rest) is raised by 24% for 60 minutes after drinking 500 ml (17 oz).[7]

Let’s provide some context here. 

As we address in our guide “Why Can’t I Lose Weight?”, our bodies obey the Laws of Conservation of Energy and Thermodynamics: 

To lose weight, we need to burn more calories than we consume regularly. 

The two factors above might lower your “calories in” and raise your “calories out” respectively (a concept we discuss in our Guide to The CICO Diet). This may help someone get in shape. 

However, I wouldn’t bet the farm (note to self: buy a farm) on solely drinking water for weight loss. When we highlighted the study above on water consumption and weight loss, it’s important to remember that the two groups were both on a calorically restricted diet. It’s not like strategically drinking water alone made people lose weight. 

If you are on a weight loss journey, and wondering what might help, I have two resources for you to check out:

How to Lose Weight Without Dieting (The 5 Rules of Weight Loss): you’ve probably been on a diet before. You might even be on a diet right now. We discuss why they generally don’t work (temporary changes create temporary results) and provide a less conventional but more permanent solution (tiny changes for the win).

Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program: many of our clients spent years yo-yoing their weight, going from one diet to another. It’s only when working with one of our coaches that they were able to achieve sustainable weight loss. 

Want to lose weight without hating life? Learn how we can help!

I now hear you saying: 

“Okay Steve, I got it. I don’t want to be dehydrated, and drinking water before meals may make me feel full. Why don’t I just start pounding water all day long?”

Great question, my dear friend.   

Can I Be Overhydrated? (Too Much of a Good Thing)

While being properly hydrated is good, it doesn’t mean chugging a gallon of water during your gym session is a good idea either. 

If not, then why is this so common to see?

From Outdoors[8]:

A single individual working for the U.S. military decided that water was a tactical weapon. 

That if the military could be encouraged to drink more during maneuvers, they’d have less heatstroke and less illness and they’d be more productive and could be better soldiers. It was purely his idea. It had no scientific basis at all. 

Two years later he published a paper supposedly saying that if the US soldiers drank 1.9 liters per hour [64 ounces] when they were exercising in the heat they would perform much better. There was utterly no concrete evidence that that was true. 

The problem was, his advice was embraced by the U.S. Military. They changed their drinking guidelines to say that you should now drink 1.9 liters per hour. The same people who drew up those guidelines were then invited by the American College of Sports Medicine to get involved with drawing up guidelines for runners.

In 1996, that culminated with the new American guidelines,[9] which said that you must drink as much as tolerable during exercise, up to 40 ounces per hour. 

That became the mantra—that you had to drink before you became thirsty, and as much as possible during exercise. It was after that the problems of hyponatremia really become problematic around the world.

Combine this with the sports beverage industry (which I’ll skewer in a minute) and the bottled water industry (one of the best scams going, which I’ll get to as well), and you have a marketing engine that won’t slow down:

“Drink before you’re thirsty or it’s too late.”  

“Running a marathon?  It’s better to over hydrate then not drink enough!” 

“Better safe than sorry!”

Actually, you CAN overhydrate, and it can be dangerous – it’s called hyponatremia, it’s an electrolyte imbalance from too much water consumed, and it’s bad news bears.[10]

Want to know the people who suffer from hyponatremia the most?

Marathon and ultra-runners.

Dr. Timothy Noakes, the author of Waterlogged, explains that the overconsumption of water can lead to our body developing a severe imbalance of sodium in our system, which can lead to a litany of side effects, even death.[11]

What Noaks discoveredof people who have dealt with cases of exercise-induced hyponatremia:

“What I’ve found is that all of these people were probably drinking 1.2 liters per hour [40 ounces]. They continue to drink like that for four or five hours. Now, normally, if you’re drinking at that rate, you simply pass it out as urine. 

A person who is overdrinking will start passing urine so frequently that they’ll realize, this is stupid. I’m going to stop drinking.

But what happens in hyponatremia is that, for some reason, the brain interprets that the person is dehydrated and secretes the antidiuretic hormone. As a consequence, that prevents all urine production. 

Although they are sweating, they may be sweating at a rate of 20 ounces per hour, but they are drinking at a rate of 40 ounces per hour. Every hour they are accumulating 20 ounces. You can do that for a couple of hours, but once you’ve accumulated about 60 to 80 ounces of water in your body, all of your tissues become bloated, and the organ that becomes most affected is the brain.

The brain swells, and because it is in a rigid skull, it cannot swell very much. The more it swells, the more pressure, and that eventually squeezes the arteries supplying blood to the brain. Ultimately, there is less oxygen getting to the brain, and certain parts become damaged.“

Not good. 

One 2002 study found that 13% of Boston Marathon runners experienced hyponatremia. While many experience hyponatremia without being in immediate danger, it certainly isn’t healthy.[12]

So, how do you combat this? 

Drink when you are thirsty!  

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!

Time to answer your next question: “If drinking too much water causes an issue with sodium imbalances, what about sports drinks? They have electrolytes and sodium in them!”

Allow me!

Are Sports Drinks More Hydrating Than Water? (Water, Sugar, Salt, and You)

Michael Jordan is famously seen drinking Gatorade during his flu game in 96, which tells us that without Gatorade he wouldn’t have been able to play:

Little do they tell you that Michael also had another secret weapon at his disposal that helped him play up to snuff in that game: apple sauce!

So why is that famous commercial all about Gatorade and not about apple sauce? 

One word, and it rhymes with “honey.”

There’s wayyyy more money in the sports beverage industry, and they can sell on the term “replenish electrolytes” which is actually way simpler to do than they make it out to be.

We’re promised that without the careful combination of electrolytes and ingredients in Gatorade, we’re going to get dehydrated when exercising and suffer.

Here’s what happens: When you sweat, you lose fluids and electrolytes, especially sodium and chloride (which is why your sweat tastes salty…stop tasting your sweat). Now, when you’re lacking fluids and electrolytes, your muscles and performance can suffer.

So that’s where Gatorade ALLEGEDLY will solve all of your problems.

Here’s the truth: unless you are exercising for hours and hours and hours, your electrolyte imbalance will not cause a drop in performance.  If you are exercising for an hour or less, some sips of water to quench your thirst is more than enough. 

If you are exercising for hours upon hours, then additional products may help.

In these instances, Gatorade could help potentially, but there’s nothing in Gatorade that’s magic. It’s sugar, water, sodium, potassium, and then some artificial and natural flavoring to make it taste and look the way it does.

Want the benefits of Gatorade while on your marathon run without having to buy Gatorade? Make your own!

As Al Kavado talks about here, try mixing water, honey, salt, and/or lemon juice. Try different combos (mixing in some OJ or using coconut water!)

And just like that, you have your sodium, some sugars, and rehydration. No fancy marketing required.

THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO?  

Do some boring cardio for 20 minutes (which burns a minimal number of calories), and then chug a 32 oz Gatorade (200 calories and 50+ grams of sugar!) and think you’re healthier. 

Negatory!

Water works just fine for 98% of the activities you will ever do.

Does Coffee Dehydrate You? (Caffeine as a Diuretic)

Time to put the myth-busting cap back on: You’ve probably been told that drinking caffeinated beverages will dehydrate you.

That by consuming caffeinated beverages, you’re actually expelling more water than you are consuming.

This is another one of those bits of conventional wisdom that gets blown out of proportion.

Yes, caffeine is a mild diuretic. However, our bodies are pretty darn smart, and because all drinks are composed almost entirely of water, it more than makes up for the effects.

As pointed out here in this study:[13]

Ingestion of caffeine in large doses (at least 250-300 mg, equivalent to the amount found in 2-3 cups of coffee or 5-8 cups of tea) results in a short-term stimulation of urine output in individuals who have been deprived of caffeine for a period of days or weeks. 

A profound tolerance to the diuretic and other effects of caffeine develops, however, and the actions are much diminished in individuals who regularly consume tea or coffee. 

Doses of caffeine equivalent to the amount normally found in standard servings of tea, coffee and carbonated soft drinks appear to have no diuretic action.

So coffee can actually help you stay hydrated.

What about alcohol? 

Same thing.

Alcohol has diuretic properties, but only causes dehydration when consumed at beyond normal levels. (Here’s our Guide to Drinking, which covers our thoughts on being a healthy nerd that can still enjoy an occasional cocktail.)

What ALLLLL OF THIS MEANS: 

Drink when you are thirsty. 

All liquids you consume count towards hydration, and only in cases of overconsumption can they negatively affect your hydration.

A Note on Bottled Water (Invest in a Water Filter)

In 2019, total U.S. bottled water consumption increased to 14.4 billion gallons, up from 9.1 billion gallons in 2011.[14]

Every person in America drank an average of 43.7 gallons of bottled water last year.  

Bottled water sales increased by 3.6 percent in 2019, and now total $34.6 billion.

Only in America can an industry selling tap water in a plastic bottle become an absolutely juggernaut, as Lewis Black so eloquently points out (NSFW Language):

It is very likely that your local tap water is fine! Check your local government for more information, but if you live in the United States, chances are your tap water is equal or better to the bottled stuff! Heck Coca-Cola knows this, as their Dasani Brand is ultimately filtered tap water.[15]

Want that bottle of Fiji water because it’s clean and pure and provides you with magical abilities like a waterbender?

There is less arsenic in Cleveland Tap water than Fiji water![16] Much less expensive too 🙂

If you don’t like the taste of, or are concerned about your local tap water, try a Brita filter or something equivalent. Stop going through hundreds of plastic bottles of water every year, and drink the water you already have available to you.

Yes, if the choice is between no beverage, a Coke, or a bottle of water, go with the bottled water!

Just don’t go out of your way to buy water from the polar ice caps, Hoth glaciers, or the Swiss Alps because you think it’s going to be healthier for you, provide you with more of a benefit than regular water.  

That’s all hype, sucka!

Staying Properly Hydrated (Next Steps)

There you have it, the long answer on how much water you should drink. 

Water keeps your body functioning properly. Consume it when you feel the need and your thirst will be quenched, your body will stay regulated, and you will live to see tomorrow.

On top of that, consuming water before a meal can help you feel fuller and thus prevent you from overeating. 

If this works for you, keep doing what you’re doing!

Water should definitely be consumed when you are thirsty!  

But the importance of water has been overblown, and you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars each year on fancy bottled water from glaciers.

Here’s how often you should drink H2O::

Chill out about water, don’t overthink it.

Drink when you feel thirsty.

If your pee is a darker color than normal, drink more water.

Don’t stress about drinking water neurotically throughout the day.

Don’t bother with sports drinks unless your exercise is intense, over several hours, or in very hot conditions.

I think that about does it for today’s guide.

If you’d like to join our community, I have three ways for you to continue your journey with Nerd Fitness:

#1) Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently.

You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the image below for more details:

#2) Liked the video we showed in today’s guide? Want to watch more like them live and get your questions answered? Join Nerd Fitness Prime!

Nerd Fitness Prime is our premium membership program that contains live-streamed workouts with NF Coaches, a supportive online community, group challenges like drinking more water, and much more! 

Learn more about Nerd Fitness Prime!

#3) Join The Rebellion! We have a free email newsletter that we send out twice per week, full of tips and tricks to help you get healthy, get strong, and have fun doing so. 

I’ll also send you tons of free guides that you can use to start leveling up your life too:

Download our free weight loss guide

THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life

Follow our 10-level nutrition system at your own pace

What you need to know about weight loss and healthy eating

3 Simple rules we follow every day to stay on target

Have any more questions for me?  What else do you need to know about water?

Let’s hear it.

-Steve

PS: We walk about how water fits into a proper diet in our Guide to Healthy Eating. Check it out if you’re just embarking on leveling up your nutrition game.

###

photo source: Han Shot First: Aquaman, jDevaun: Gatorade, RLhyde: Glass,, philografy: bottled water, 27147: coffee cup,, Adventures With My Dogs: Waterfall, Urine Color, 1upLego: Lego Dawn of Justice Aquaman, Kristina Alexanderson: Maybe the droids we’re looking for are at the bottom of the pool, Jeanne Menjoulet: building in a glass of water, Lisa Zins: The Facuet, az: d-136 I’m not just going too far, I’ve arrived, 

  Footnotes    ( returns to text)

Read, “‘Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.’ Really? Is there scientific evidence for “8×8”?” Source, American Journal of Physiology.

You can check out their article right here.

Yep, I’ve heard “coffee and alcohol make you dehydrated” too. See the entire section below for an explanation on BOTH!

Read their report here.

The HuffPost has a good interview with Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, which discusses this issue. Check it out here.

The study was called, “Water consumption increases weight loss during a hypocaloric diet intervention in middle-aged and older adults.” Source, PubMed.

Read, “Water drinking induces thermogenesis through osmosensitive mechanisms.” Source, PubMed.

Their article is right here.

Read, “American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Exercise and Fluid Replacement.” Source, PubMed.

Wikipedia has a solid explanation.

Dr. Noakes is interviewed in this great piece from Outside.

Read, “Effects of Hyponatremia on the Brain.” Source, PubMed.

Read, “Caffeine ingestion and fluid balance: a review.” Source, PubMed.

The Shelby Report has all relevant data here.

This article took an interesting look at the scandal.

The Washington Post took a look here.

How Much Water Do I Really Need? (A Guide for Proper Hydration) published first on https://dietariouspage.tumblr.com/