As the temperatures begin to warm up and many of us take our exercising outdoors, the need for proper hydration increases. Drinking water is one of the most basic concepts yet missed or displaced by the most educated of us all. Many times when you encounter a headache, shakiness/dizziness or constipation, its dehydration. If you are thirsty, chances are you are not drinking enough water. The color of your urine is another indication of whether or not you are staying hydrated. Your urine should not be yellow or rusty/amber in color. It should be relatively clear and light with certain supplements altering this of course.
Water carries oxygen and nutrients to your cells as well as lubricates your joints– paramount to your performance. Staying hydrated helps your muscles work more efficiently and allows the heart to pump blood through the blood vessels to the muscles with greater ease. As we sweat, we of course experience water loss which needs to be replaced, but what some might not realize, is even in dry temperatures and climates such as the desert, just because you are not sweating doesn’t mean you don’t need to hydrate. Dry temperatures are very dehydrating, so be sure and take water with you and ingest water as you go about your day.
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How do you get in the habit of drinking more water? I tell the majority of my clients to carry around liter bottles (BPA free) of water to keep refilling until they create a habit of consistently drinking enough. Filtered water is essential as you cannot depend on tap water to provide you with “clean” water. By having the bottle as a reminder and to see how much you have consumed throughout the day really does help. The other option that works is setting the alarm on your phone calendar to “drink water” and really drink it! I have some of my clients set this for every hour-two hours throughout the day until… it becomes a habit! Adding chia seeds, lemon slices or your favorite sliced fruit is also another way to enjoy more water and further hydrate.
How much water should you be drinking? The old adage of 8 glasses of water a day isn’t necessarily true and usually requires much more than that for the majority of us! Most recommend taking your body weight and dividing it in half to get the number of ounces you should drink. If you are active/exercising, sunbathing, traveling or in an environment as mentioned above, you should be drinking more. Also, if you are on certain medications, they can also cause dehydration. Get to know what works for you and most of all listen to your body, the signals and symptoms it is sending you and check the color of your urine. These are all easy ways to help your body operate at its best and it’s depending on YOU!! Happy Hydrating xx, a-m
p.s. prepare for glowing skin as another benefit of increased water consumption…you can thank me later! 😉
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