5 Ways To Stay Hydrated All Year Long
All year long people reach less for water and water-rich foods, and more for the heavily processed comfort foods and drinks.
Don’t get us wrong, those comforting seasonal lattes are delish, but they are just as dehydrating, leaving us crashing and burning by mid-day.
Naturally and ancestrally, winter is the time of year for us to hibernate, rest, and relax. Eating calorie dense foods build up our fat reserves all season long so we can stay warm and biologically prepared during the winter, just in case fresh foods were scarce.
But, we live in a new era where food is always available (including fresh food!) and our lifestyles no longer require us to hibernate and pack on the calorie reserves to get us through the season. We follow a new way of adapting to our environment.
With Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) a common issue that people deal with during the cold weather months, it is quite common for them to load up on the comforting processed foods, sugary, treats, sodas, and hot caffeinated beverages to get them through the long, cold, sunless winter (depending on where you live, of course).
Rather than reaching for those sugary, hot beverages that just leave you dehydrated and energy depleted, or the overly processed snacks and meals, opt for more water and water-rich foods like fresh fruits and veggies.
Our bodies, including our brains, are 60-80% water. Dipping below this threshold leads to dehydration, headaches, slowed digestion, constipation, and chronic dehydration leads to organ failure.
Keeping ourselves hydrated also keeps our skin elastic, plump, firm, and glowing while our hair maintains luster and shine, our eyes, nose, nostrils, and sexual organs remain lubricated. No one likes lube-less sex!
A gallon of water per day is not for everyone. In fact, it’s not the exact amount everyone needs because our requirements are based on our weight, age, gender, lifestyle, and body fat percentage.
As a rule of thumb, make your goal to drink at least half an ounce to one ounce of water for each pound you weigh (no matter whether you are trying to lose, gain, or maintain you weight). So, if you weigh 150 pounds, that would be 75- 150 ounces of water per day, or roughly 10-20 cups a day. Start where you are and adjust accordingly. If you’re more active and sweat a lot or your urinate frequently, you also lose water more quickly, so certain lifestyle factors make a difference.
Add fresh or frozen fruit, herbs, or a few slices of cucumber to boost your water and add some flavor. Whenever possible, opt for alkalized, ionized, or fresh spring water over bottled, alkaline, distilled, or purified waters. Alkalized and ionized waters go through a processed mimicked by nature that would naturally filter our water. If you live in a area with great quality tap water, then you’re lucky!
But for the rest of us who rely on artificial filtration systems, choose ones that mimic nature’s filtration process like a Kangen water machine or some of the self-serve water stations at your local health food stores (we use Fresh Pure at Whole Foods, or the Arctic Mountain found at select Sprouts stores). Search your location for these self-serve stations and bring your water jugs to fill up! Alkalized waters are also more more hydrating than conventional bottled and tap waters, so you’ll hydrate even faster and better.
Do a urine check! Our urine is a great indicator of how hydrated we are. Pungent smelling or dark yellow colored urine are immediate indicators that we’re dehydrated. Well hydrated bodies will urinate odorless and clear, or light yellow-colored urine.
Medications and other diuretics (natural and synthetic) also dehydrate the body, so use these very sparingly, or only as truly needed. Prescription-based medications are very acidic and tend to lead to health problems, especially when taken over a long period of time. Wherever possible, we recommend using natural herbs, supplements, and remedies instead.
Water is essential for our health. We are water. It is the life force that flows through us. Without it, we couldn’t survive and a life-long time depleted of it leads us to chronic dis-ease. Keep your flow and stay hydrated!
For more tips, resources, and 1:1 support, check out our Coaching and Resources page to kick-start your health and wellness journey. See you one the other side!
Namaste,
-Drea