Hydration 101: Tips and Tricks to Stay Hydrated

Do you ever stop and think to yourself, “I didn’t drink enough water today,” Or “wow, when is the last time I chugged my water!” Well, you’re certainly not alone. It’s no secret that drinking water is one of the most important things you can do to help your health and well-being. Just like most things “wellness”, the information is out there, and we are all aware. But knowing we need to be drinking water and staying hydrated and actually doing it are two completely different things. For such an easy task, staying hydrated has most people challenged and left completely stumped as to how they could be better each day. Your mind may be in the right place, the effort may be there, but if you aren’t following through and actually hydrating, it won’t matter. If you’re someone who goes to sleep wishing you had drank more water throughout the day or are like most of the world and suffering from dehydration, this one is for YOU!  

Why should you stay hydrated? 

Have you ever heard of chronic dehydration? Yes, it is a real thing and so many people suffer from it unknowingly. It goes way beyond missing a glass or two of water and can actually cause long-term damage to your organs. Chronic dehydration is when your body is consistently deprived of proper hydration and starts to suffer in many ways as a result. Some of the symptoms of chronic dehydration include constant headaches, trouble concentrating, tiredness and fatigue, dry skin and many more. If any of those sound familiar to you, you might be dealing with chronic dehydration.  

Aside from just chronic dehydration, there are several important reasons that drinking water is the most important way to nourish your body. Ultimately, if you want your mind and body to function properly, you need to be drinking water and hydrating constantly. Our bodies are made up of mostly water, and we are constantly shedding it through sweating and other bodily functions. In order to maintain that level of water composition – you have to replenish.

  Here are some tips and tricks to staying hydrated! 

1. Carry a water bottle on you at all times.

Not only will the planet benefit from you carrying a water bottle, if you are constantly holding a full bottle of water on you, you are bound to drink it! What’s the opposite of out of sight, out of mind? Whatever it is, THAT is the objective here. If you have something on your person throughout the day, you can’t forget about it. Carrying the water bottle not only serves as hydration, but it serves as a reminder to DRINK what’s inside. Get a really cute and quality one like THIS and you’ll be even better off!

 2. Know how much water you SHOULD be drinking. 

Here’s the rule of thumb: you should be drinking half of your total body weight in ounces of water each day. So if you weigh 140 pounds, you should be drinking 70 ounces of water per day (and even more if you are active or an athlete). It’s as easy as that. Sometimes just knowing the mark you need to hit, makes the goal more tangible. Instead of grabbing a glass and chugging a few times here and there, grab a 48oz water bottle and drink just a few of those throughout the day! That way, you are drinking consistently, AND you have a close to exact measurement of just how much water you’re taking in on the daily. 

3. Eat things that will optimize your water intake.  

A great way to stay hydrated without just drinking water, is to eat foods that also hydrate you. The main culprit; produce! Fresh fruits and veggies are packed full of so many vitamins and nutrients, but also a really high percentage of water. What a win, win! All of the juiciest fruits - watermelon, strawberries, oranges, peaches and cantaloupe, all have a water content in the high 90’s, ranking them at the top of the most hydrating foods you can eat. The same is true for veggies like lettuce and cucumber! Be intentional about adding things into your daily diet and watch your hydration levels be higher than ever. 

4. Live a hydration-friendly lifestyle. 

What do I mean by this? Look at your lifestyle choices, diet and drinking habits as a whole and assess which of the things you do encourages hydration, and which do not. 

·      Exercise - If you are moving your body regularly, that’s amazing! Keep it up, but also keep up the water intake as well. When you exercise, your body sweating and losing copious amounts of water quickly. It is important to drink water during your workout, but then just as important before and after.

·      Alcohol – alcohol is one of the most dehydrating things you can put in your body. It causes your body to remove fluids from your blood through your renal system and dehydrates you quickly. While having a few drinks with friends is a fun time, it’s important to know what it does to your body and respond accordingly. If you go to wine night with the ladies, make sure you drink water throughout the night and then following when you get home and as soon as you wake up!

·      Sun exposure and heat – being outside in the summer heat and soaking up the sunshine is one of the best ways to spend our time, but it comes at a cost. You will dehydrate at a much faster pace if you’re outside in the heat, especially if you’re doing any sort of physical activity. If you’re planning to be outside in the heat of summer, be sure to pack extra water! And if you’re participating in some sort of exercise or sport, you should be drinking 6-12 ounces of water every 15 minutes.

5. Drink GOOD water. 

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but water from the tap is not good enough. Not all water is created equal. It’s most important to stay hydrated. But if you’re going to do it, you should want to do it the most efficient and impactful way. That way is electrolyzed reduced water. Electrolyzed reduced water is rich in hydrogen, which means it has a high concentration of molecular hydrogen (H2). Hydrogen in water acts as an effective antioxidant that can reduce free radicals and suppress oxidative stress. This water can do so many MORE things than tap or bottled water, but the most powerful punch is the way it can hydrate you on a cellular level and FAST. It hydrates you most effectively, and it does it 6 times faster than other water. You just can’t beat that. It’s not just about how much you drink or when, it’s also about what you’re drinking. This water is the best, no contest. Learn more about it here.

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Hydration is more important to the body and brain health than we give it credit for. Drinking water is a task that can so easily slip through the cracks, but at the top of the list for things that shouldn’t. Hopefully after reading my tips and tricks, it will be easier for YOU to get out there and change your hydration habits. It’s time to enhance your health and wellness, so that you can be the person who KNOWS that they had plenty of water on any given. And if you want even more ways on how to do to that, contact me and we’ll chat about hydration!