Making a Habit of Hydration

Hydration is essential. It’s one of the most important pillars for optimal health. If you want energy, clear skin, good immune and cognitive health, then making a habit of hydration should be a high priority. To stay hydrated, water and other hydrating liquids must be consumed daily.

But, if you are like me, you might get confused about what is hydrating and what is dehydrating. Furthermore, you may not have that ‘natural thirst’ you observe in others around you. I can go a whole day and not realize I haven’t really drank anything. Let’s discuss hydration and then follow up with tips on making a habit of hydration.

Dehydration and How it Affects Your Body

Dehydration, losing more liquid than what you take in, impacts our bodies physically and mentally. This is because dehydration, whether it’s caused by illness (diarrhea and vomiting) or sweating, or not drinking enough, does not allow your body systems to function properly.

The early signs of dehydration to look out for are headaches, low energy, darker urine and sometimes dizziness. Other effects of dehydration may include weight gain, poor detoxification, signs of faster aging, a weakened immune system and increased chance of chronic disease.

It’s actually astounding to me how much dehydration can affect our body. I read recently that a study at Virginia Polytechnical Institute and State University concluded that even very mild dehydration(a loss of just 1-2%) can impair cognitive performance. Just this fact alone helps motivate me to make this my number one habit to work on right now.

For more information on dehydration here on My Wellness Basket, see this article.

Hydration Goals

Drink Enough Liquids

The first goal for hydration is simply drinking enough liquids. Your aim here should be to drink half your body weight in ounces of water or hydrating fluids each day. So if the scale says 144 pounds, your aim would be to drink 72 ounces of hydrating fluids. If the scale says 220, your aim should be 110 ounces.

Please note that on high exercise days and when you are more active on a hot day, this amount should be increased to counteract the extra fluids leaving your body on those days by way of extra sweat.

Avoid Diuretics as Your Main Liquid Intake

Over the years there’s been a lot of debate over the whole coffee/tea as hydrating liquids. There still seems to be debate but a lot of sources are now saying that they DO count as hydrating. Here’s why in a nutshell.

Coffee, black teas and even some other teas are diuretics. This means the coffee or other product causes your body to pass more urine. The truth is, however, that these effects are generally too mild to cause dehydration.

That said, if you are drinking diuretic coffee all day and not drinking water with electrolytes, you are not giving your body optimal hydration.

I’ll not be one to tell you to give up your coffee. I usually drink a cup a day myself. Don’t feel bad about your own cup or two a day. Just don’t make it your only liquid intake. Aim for water with electrolytes (see below) or non-diuretic herbal teas as your primary hydrating beverages.

Keep Alcohol Intake Low

Alcohol is definitely a diuretic and dehydrating. Therefore it’s also not your go-to drink for hydration goals.

That said, there are some alcohol drinks that are less dehydrating than others. Basically, the higher the alcohol level, the more dehydrating it is. Of course, how you drink it makes a difference too. Your vodka has a higher alcohol content than a glass of wine but if you are putting it in a mixed drink with water or juice, you have decreased the alcohol content you are ingesting.

This is just information to help you think things through when you are faced with deciding what to drink through the day or with dinner this evening. It’s better to avoid the alcohol. But if you want an alcoholic drink, take into consideration what you are choosing and maybe have a glass of water along with it.

Hydrating Foods

While food should never be your number one source of hydration, they can help your body become and stay more hydrated.

Foods that are hydrating include broths, soups, and smoothies. Keep in mind as well that some fruits and vegetables are more hydrating than others! For example, watermelon, kiwi, pineapple, grapes and berries are highly hydrating fruits. Hydrating vegetables include celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, and zuchinni.

Electrolytes

While you are being mindful of hydrating foods and liquids, be sure to stay mindful of electrolytes.

Electrolytes, found throughout the body, are of great importance for optimal health and play a large role in the fluid balance of your body. Electrolytes are particles that carry a positive or negative charge in water. The electrolytes you are probably most familiar with include magnesium, phosphorous, sodium, potassium, chloride, and calcium.

Electrolytes regulate fluid balance, nerve and muscle function, support heart health, improve bone strength, and maintain brain health and much more.

My Favorite Sources for Electrolyte Beverages

LMNT – simply open a packet of the flavor of your choice and add it to water. I love the flavor when I add mine to about 30 ounces of water. Delicious! Zero sugar and nothing artificial!

Homemade Electrolyte Drink Recipe – here’s a great recipe from one of my favorite bloggers.

8 Tips For When You Are Just Not Into Drinking Water

Now that we’ve discussed the importance of hydration and electrolytes, we get to the part where you need to do something about it.

But what if you are like me? Full disclosure here, when it comes to drinking water all day, I’m just not that into it. I can literally go all day before I realize my lips are dry, my mouth is dry and oh, yeah…I haven’t drank anything today.

I have to really work at this hydration thing. That’s why it’s my number one health habit I want to focus on this year.

I have to stay conscious of it all day. In fact, I’m sitting here right now with my cold cup of coffee, realizing that my water intake has been practically nothing. So hold on….I’m going to go get a drink. You go get one too. I’ll meet you back here in about 5 minutes….

Okay. So now let’s discuss 8 basic tips on how to increase your hydration or how much water you drink each day.

#1 Change It Up

Try ALL the tips/tricks that appeal to you for increasing liquids and making a habit of hydration. Change up the things you do to keep it fresh and appealing. Write down all the tips below that you think may be helpful, browse the web for some others, and try a new one each week.

#2 Keep Track of Your Intake

Whether you use a bottle with measurements, an app on your phone, or a piece o paper on the fridge is up to you – but keep track somehow of the things and amounts you are drinking.

This is a big deal for me because when I don’t, that’s when I end up at the end of the day realizing my lips are parched and I haven’t drank anything all day and now it’s time for bed which is not the time to down 30-60 ounces of water. UGH!

Another way I keep track of intake is by setting up my hydration plan in the morning. I fill up my tumbler with LMNT and set out a mug and herbs for my teas before I even make my cup of coffee. If it’s all set out in the containers I plan to use to achieve my personal goal of 72 ounces, I have a much better chance at achieving it.

#3 Use A Straw

Some people swear by this. I do think it makes a difference. And I love my new Brumate spillproof stainless steel tumbler I got for my birthday. I love the straw and I love that I can switch it to seal so it won’t spill when I’m carrying it around with me.

Even around the house with or without my Brumate, I find that when I have a straw I tend to drink more. Try it and let me know if it makes a difference for you too.

#4 Take It With You

My Brumate makes this easier too. Because it’s a great size that fits in my cupholder and has a handle that’s easy to grasp (and a seal so it won’t spill), I am finding that I grab it to take around the house with me as well as out on errands.

If you don’t have a Brumate, that’s okay. The point is, take water or other drinks like ROAR along with you to increase the likelihood that you will drink it!

#5 Set A Timer

Chances are you have a watch or a phone with a timer that’s with you all day. Set the timer or set alarms to remind you to take a drink. I once had an app that gave me a running water sound every hour or so. I wish I knew which one it was because I’d go back to it. I do set alarms sometimes though and it reminds me to stop and not just take a sip but I make sure to drink a few ounces or more each time.

#6 Drink it Cold – OR Warm

Play around with the temperature of the water or herbal teas you drink. I find I do MUCH much better with room temperature or even warm water or teas. I never order water with ice because it will just sit there all through my meal untouched. Experiment with various temperatures with different drinks and see what works better for you.

#7 Infuse It

Sometimes infusing it with your own flavors helps. I love, especially in the summer, to infuse my water with cucumber, berries, lemons, limes, orange slices or whatever fruits tantalize my taste buds. Often I will put them in the water the night before and let it sit overnight to really enhance the water and give me a flavorful drink.

#8 Reward Yourself

Hydration really is essential. If it means you need to reward yourself at the end of the day with that delicious brownie or piece of chocolate, go for it. Put a dollar in the jar to save up for something even better. It’s your call. But find out what really motivates you to help you achieve this important health habit goal.

Conclusion:

So there you have it. Hydration is essential for optimal health and if you are not achieving it, this is one goal that is great to start with on your wellness journey. Hopefully these 8 tips we discussed above will help you on your way. I would love to hear back from you – tell me what was or wasn’t helpful in this article. If you have more tips to share I and my other readers would love for you to share!