- The former NFL quarterback and current broadcaster Troy Aikman follows a strict health routine.
- One of Aikman's new habits is carrying around a water jug to make sure he's always hydrated.
- Aikman says Tom Brady turned him onto that trick, and it's made a difference in his everyday life.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman says he drinks up to 2 gallons of water a day — partly inspired by Tom Brady.
Aikman, who won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys from 1992 to 1995 and is now the lead color analyst for the NFL on Fox, told Insider he's always made a point to stay hydrated in addition to eating a Pegan diet and working out at least six hours a week.
But it wasn't until he noticed Brady walking around with a giant water bottle that he really upped his water intake.
Brady has spoken and written extensively about drinking up to 2.5 gallons of water a day — halving his weight (in pounds) and drinking that many ounces of water daily. About three years ago, he stepped into a meeting with Aikman, lugging "a big jug" of water, and it inspired Aikman.
"I was reading more about the benefits of water, making sure you're hydrated, and I thought, 'I'm going to get a jug' because Tom had one that one time."
Aikman says he's been relaying Brady's water-jug example to his colleagues at Fox ever since, and just last month his partner, the play-by-play man Joe Buck, turned up to the Week 15 Green Bay Packers-Baltimore Ravens game hauling a jug of his own.
Carrying a water jug around promotes thorough and frequent hydration, which is especially healthy for physically active people
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicinerecommends that men should consume about 125 ounces of fluids per day, while women need around 91 fluid ounces, but some individuals will need more than that based on their level of physical activity and protein consumption.
Brady previously told Forbes that he drinks up to 37 cups of water every day, which is 2.3 gallons. For Brady, who is an active NFL player on a high-protein diet, that much water is necessary to stay hydrated, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.
Aikman is not quite as active as Brady but does work out six hours per week. Drinking up to 2 gallons of water per day is appropriate for someone like Aikman, according to Healthline.
The NASEM also recommends that people drink water consistently throughout the day and not just reserve certain times to load up on fluids. Having a water jug at all times to regularly sip from to get a steady intake of water is a much healthier habit to depend on than simply relying on getting big gulps fewer times a day, according to NASEM.