HH525: Hydration Is Key!

Welcome back to another episode of health hacks as I start a new theme this month, and that is all about 12 easy hacks to better health. Who doesn't want better health and who doesn't want to have it the easy way? Now, you've heard me say before, there is no magic pill. However, what I'm sharing with you here are simple steps to take you to better health, and you don't have to do all 12 at once. I'm not even sharing all 12 at once. I'm sharing one per episode, and you can pick the one that you want to start with and master that and then add another one. So today I want to talk about hydration, because hydration is absolutely key to your health, and even mild dehydration can lead to fatigue, brain fog, headaches, cravings and a sluggish digestive system. And here's the thing, by the time you're thirsty, that is actually indicative of mild dehydration. So you don't want to even wait to get thirsty. You want to have a plan for maintaining your hydration levels throughout the day, and a really good way to do that is to have a big container. This is my tea container, my herbal tea have that buy at your desk all day long. Maybe it's a water bottle and it's helpful to have markers on it as you're getting used to this of the times and drink this much by 10am and this much by noon and this much by 2pm etc, as you get into the habit of how much you need to be drinking in order to keep yourself hydrated, every cell in our body needs water in order to function properly. And yet, most of us are not drinking enough, and there are some really simple ways to optimize your water intake that I've already suggested, and it's important to know how much you need to be drinking for your body. And when you do that, you will enjoy better energy, more mental clarity, and your overall well being will improve. So how much is the right amount? Well, it's 50% of your body weight under normal conditions. So if you weigh 150 pounds, then you want to be drinking approximately 75 ounces of water every single day. Now, if the temperature gets really hot and you're sweating a lot, then you're going to need to increase that. Or if you are exercising a lot, then you are going to need to increase that. Now, one cup is eight ounces, so 75 ounces is just under 10 cups of water. If you aren't hydrating that amount already, and you're not even close to that, you don't want to suddenly just start drinking all of that tomorrow, because your body's not going to be able to absorb it. Your body right now is like a brand new sponge that you buy at the store, and it's completely dried out. And when you put that under the tap and you let water run over it, it takes a while for it to moisten and become absorbent, and so you want to gradually increase your water intake over the next few days, few weeks, to get up to those almost 10 cups of water that you need to be drinking every day. Also, what is hydration? I've mentioned water several times, water, herbal teas and your shakes. So whether you have a protein shake or green shake in the morning that have you know, are made predominantly from water, coconut water, etc, those are forms of hydration. Coffee, caffeinated teas, alcoholic beverages, sports drinks, juices, those are not considered forms of hydration. So really be aware of what you are drinking and how much qualifies as a form of hydration, and you may find that you need to cut back on what doesn't qualify as a form of hydration in order to be able to get more hydration in. And another pro tip is that the body really likes room temperature drinks, and it is better able to absorb them rather than drinking ice cold water out of the refrigerator. And if you don't like the flavor of water, just flavor it with the juice of some lemon, some lime, some orange, etc, etc, and speaking of lemon, starting your day with a glass of lemon water is a really great way to wake up your digestive system gently before you have breakfast, as well as rehydrating your body after going all night without having anything to drink when you wake up, you are dehydrated. You. And you also want to another. Another way to boost absorption, besides drinking warm water, is also to consider adding electrolytes like sea salt, coconut water or trace minerals to your beverage in order to enhance absorption, especially if you are doing a lot of sports, and you're sweating a lot, and all of that is being sweated out. So again, it's really not hard to increase your hydration. You just need to bring it into your awareness, understand how important it is, and create an action plan so that you can do that. And also think about this. If you're feeling tired, moody or craving sugar, you might find that's caused by dehydration. So have a glass of water. Wait 20 minutes and then determine, Hmm, wow, I've forgotten all about the fact that I was moody or that I was feeling tired, because all I needed was a glass of water. So start with this one tip, and I'll be back next time to build on this for you.