Hydration & Why It Matters
Did you know that 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated? Are you one of them? Based on that stat you most likely are. That’s okay, it doesn’t make you a bad person but it may be what is dragging you down, physically and mentally. So let’s just look at how you can reverse this.
First off you are going to need to drink more water. This doesn’t mean guzzling water after you are thirsty because thirst is a sign that dehydration has already begun. So instead, start drinking water consistently through the day. A good thing you can do to set this in motion is start your day with 12-20 ounces of water as soon as you wake up. Not only will this replenish what you lost through the night but it will also create a habit and make it easier to consume enough throughout the day.
The next thing to understand is that your dehydration symptoms that you are feeling now aren’t about what you haven’t consumed today but typically from the day before. Your organs, muscles, and other tissues all have different rates that it takes them to rehydrate. From hours to days to months you could be feeling the effects of dehydration, which makes it even more important to consistently stay up on your water intake.
For those of you that have worked with me or been to one of my workshops you’ve heard me talk about the negative impact that consuming poor food has all the way down to our cells, well the water that you don’t drink will also negatively impact you all the way down to the cellular level. The brain body connection depends on proper hydration to send signals efficiently so if you regularly feel like you have “brain fog”, are extra clumsy, or just not all there, a great place to start correcting that is by consuming more water.
Staying hydrated doesn’t have to be a complicated thing and you don’t need to carry a gallon of water with you everywhere you go. (Though if you do, I won’t even laugh) Just start being aware and if you know this is a major area of struggle for you, set some goals through each day and cross them off as you go. You can even make it a routine where every hour you make sure you drink a glass of water. I will not give you any hard rules where you need to consume X amount based on your bodyweight, if that works for you, more power to you. If not just understand that by simply drinking water consistently throughout every day you will greatly improve your mental and physical health. For those of you that think you are drinking enough but aren’t tracking it, I would challenge you to track your water intake for 3-4 days and if you aren’t getting anywhere near half of your body weight in ounces you will need to find some ways to get more water in.