How much water do you drink during the day? We all know water is super important to being healthy. But how much do you need? Do you even know? Who else gets confused with the conflicting recommendations? I know I do! So try to pay attention to how much you drink, and how you feel!
Let’s start at the beginning. Do you know how much water you need to drink during the day? There’s a lot of conflicting information out there, isn’t there? Is it 8-8oz glasses of water, so 64 oz per day, or is it ½ your body weight in oz water? Is it you WHOLE body weight in oz of water? My personal guide is my urine. Is it the lightest yellow without being totally clear? Then it’s good. If it’s darker yellow or even orange or brownish, then you need more. How do you feel drinking that much water? The first few days, you’ll probably need to use the restroom more than you’re used to. But that’s OK. Your body will acclimate.
So what about electrolytes? What are they, first of all? Electrolytes are essential minerals that your body needs to function. The big 3 are sodium, magnesium, and potassium. They are water soluble, and things can go seriously wrong if your levels are off. Symptoms include fatigue (sleepiness), muscle aches, headaches, irregular heartbeat, muscle spasms, and blood pressure changes. When you start drinking more water, you start urinating more, and you can unintentionally and quickly deplete your electrolytes. So you will need to supplement them either through food or more often, through drink additives. Be careful of a lot of the commercial brands as they contain fillers and sugar, and a lot of times, don’t even have enough of the minerals to count as a supplement. Here’s my current favorite electrolyte mix. It comes in unflavored and citrus flavors, depending on what you want.
Do other beverages count toward staying hydrated? So you drink your morning coffee or tea. You drink soda throughout the day, you’re having a cocktail or glass of wine that night, are you hydrating? NO! Just because those are FLUIDS does not mean you’re getting hydrated. Take coffee, tea and soda – all of those are diuretics. They’ll make you PEE more, but don’t actually hydrate your cells. So what can you drink? Water! I know, that sounds boring, but it’s really the best. Add a flavored electrolyte if you want to help get it down. I have a sodastream to add carbonation without any other additives. You can add a little lemon or lime or cucumber too. But really, plain water with electrolytes is going to be your best choice overall.
So how do you get ALL that water in? Try to drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up. Remember, you’ve been asleep for a while (hopefully you got your 8 hours!), so you’re waking up dehydrated. If you drink coffee or tea in the morning, try to alternate a cup with a glass of water. Drink an extra glass after any workout. Get a water jug labeled with the those hourly markers and try to drink a set amount every hour. Again, make sure to monitor your energy & urine color and adjust as necessary. Within a few days, you should see what works for you. Make sure to note that exercising, illness, and the weather will affect how much you need too. So this is always a flexible & moving target. Just drink water until you feel good!
If you’re curious about one on one or group coaching, send an email to essentially.lyd@gmail.com and I’ll connect with you right away!
Essentially Health & Wellness 