Hi,

I think sometimes we overcomplicate fueling. There's so much information out there that it's easy to get lost in it. But if you get the basics right (starting with hydration), you'll see a noticeable improvement in everything: your training, your energy, your racing.

The best athletes I've spent time with don't win because of one perfect workout. They win because of what they do every single day, from the moment they wake up to the moment they fall asleep. I've studied that for 20 years, and when it comes to the basics, one thing that can make a meaningful impact is getting your hydration right.  

That's not the hydration you already think about, the bottle you're sipping mid-workout. That part you've probably got handled. It's the other 22 hours of the day that most athletes leave on the table. So that's where we're starting.

My Daily Hydration Routine

Here's why it matters. Performance starts slipping at just 2% dehydration, that's where your endurance and strength measurably drop. Your heart also works harder to move thicker blood, so your heart rate climbs a few beats per minute for every 1% you lose. You feel that as those "off" days you can't quite explain.

Here's how I stay ahead of it.

Step 1️⃣: Two 1L bottles outside of training, every day.

Why not plain water? I've tried. I rarely get past the first liter, it's just too boring. A little flavor is the difference between drinking it and forgetting about it.

🥇 First 1L Bottle

Start with a low-to-medium sugar hydration mix for faster absorption and more sodium. The flavor sets me up to actually finish it. I drink this one in 30 to 45 minutes with steady sips. Pick one:

Feed Lab Hydration: Watermelon is so good that finishing the bottle is never the hard part

Gnarly Hydrate: All the electrolytes you need, light, and easy to drink

Skratch Labs Unsweetened: A great option when you want electrolytes without adding sweetness

🥈 Second 1L Bottle

Go even lower on sugar here, but keep enough flavor to make it easy to sip through the day. Pick one:

Hydrofy (NEW): Molecular hydrogen + electrolytes in one stick pack, in 3 flavors that actually taste good

Pillar Hydration: Citrus and Passionfruit are both light and easy to drink

Re-Lyte: Their salt isn't an afterthought. It's pulled from a 250-million-year-old underground deposit, so you're getting 60+ trace minerals + sodium

Step 2️⃣: The Boost (when you need it)

Some days you wake up already behind. When that happens, I reach for:

Skratch Labs Electrolyte Booster: An easy way to add more sodium and electrolytes to whatever you’re already drinking

Totum Sport Sea Water Packets: My go-to when I'm really depleted. An all-in-one way to rehydrate fast. I took two after a long ride last week

BPN Electrolytes: A complete profile of essential minerals and electrolytes

That’s it. Two bottles every day, then a boost when I need one.

Nothing complicated. Just a hydration routine I can actually stick with.

Shop all Daily Hydration.

- Matt

Founder
The Feed.

P.S. Still hunting for the perfect 1L bottle? I recently swapped over to the Camelbak Insulated Steel Bottle. It keeps my drink cold for hours and has quickly become the one I reach for every day.