Hi there! Welcome to Part 2 of CrouchingL’s Wellness Series!

The theme of this week’s post is HYDRATION, and as usual, I will get right to the point and focus on easy steps for optimizing mental focus, energy, and zest for life.

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Critical Thinking Time:
Are you a Hydration Monster? Do you know how much water you should be drinking daily?

If you’re thinking “Easy! I got this. Obviously, it’s 8 glasses of water a day. Final answer.” You would be dead WRONG (but without the dead part).

The number “8 glasses a day” was invented back in the 1940s. Get with this century, dude/dudette!

Although amounts may vary a bit by individual, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily water intake for an average person who is not exercising is nearly twice that amount for men (15.5 glasses/125 oz) and 1.5x for women (11.5 glasses/91 oz).

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KEY TAKEAWAY: Many of us are not even hydrating half as much as we should be!

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How important is hydration really?

Here’s what happens when you DON’T get enough Hydration:

• Physical: Muscle Tension and Cramping which leads to higher likelihood of Muscle Sprains, Muscle Tears, and Bone Fractures. (Athletes pay attention!)
• Energy Levels: Even mild dehydration can make you feel Fatigued throughout the day and Prone to Stress.
• Cognitive: Impairment to Concentration, Memory, and General Mental Performance.
• Body Temperature: Difficulty Regulating Internal Temperature which can lead to Dizziness, Disorientation, and Headaches.
• Skin Aging: Dry Skin and Wrinkles.

Food For Thought: Feeling tired and low energy all of the time? Maybe it isn’t another cup of coffee you need, but more water!!

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IMPORTANT WARNING:

Although this is not the typical problem for most of us, there is also danger in drinking too much water, especially in short periods of time. Kidneys can only eliminate about 1 liter (32 oz) of liquid per hour, so chugging more than that can lead to Water Intoxication.

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KEY TAKEAWAY: Spread hydration out throughout the day rather than chugging all at once! Do NOT drink until you feel Nauseous or like you need to Vomit.
(Those are dangerous signs of Water Intoxication!)

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Now let’s get to more practical, actionable advice.

Note: The tricky part with optimizing hydration is that everyone is a little different. So in order to discover your perfect hydration formula you will have to experiment on yourself.

Quick Action Items for Improving Hydration and
Discovering Your Ideal Hydration Formula:

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Consistency:

• Drink 16 oz of water first thing in the morning when waking up.
• Drink right before and during each meal or snack.

Amount:

• Use a 1 Liter Water Bottle and aim for drinking around 3 liters a day for men and 2.2 liters a day for women (individual needs may vary). The rest of your hydration will most likely come from food. Increase as needed based on physical activity.
• Pay attention to the color of your urine. If urine is not towards the clearer side, then increase daily hydration. If urine is too clear, then decrease hydration/spread out hydration more throughout the day.
• Pay attention to how fatigued you are feeling throughout the day. Increase daily hydration if you have low energy levels and monitor for improvement.

Helpful Hydration Tools:

• Use a 1 Liter Water Bottle with a Straw on it so you can drink hands free.
• Use a Water Carbonation Machine such as SodaStream to add some excitement.
• Use an Electric Glass Kettle for quick access to Hot Water and Teas.

Good Water-Rich Food Ideas for Augmenting Hydration:

• Cantaloupe
• Celery
• Cucumbers
• Oranges
• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Watermelon

Good Drink Ideas To Keep Things More Interesting When You Get Bored Of Plain Water (like I always am):

• Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice or Celery Juice
• Almond Milk
• Healthy Smoothies
• Hot Water with Lemon and Ginger
• Ice Cold Carbonated Water
• Coconut Water
• Cucumber Water
• Herbal Teas
• Non-Alcoholic Beers (a growing fad)
• Chicken Broth
• Gatorade (if you are exercising intensely)

Hydration can be a very enjoyable activity if you mix things up! They call this approach: Thirst Confusion. Just kidding, I made that up 2 seconds ago.

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My Futurist Predictions for the Field of Hydration:

Before I close out this blog post, just for fun, I wanted to put on my Futurist Goggles and make a quick prediction on a trend I would love to see happening in the far future with regards to hydration.

1) Can we create a Wearable That Hydrates Us Without Requiring Us To Drink? This device would monitor how dehydrated we are throughout the day and automatically hydrate us intravenously (but not in the creepy way that’s done with needles and veins like in a hospital, but, you know, in a completely non-invasive invasive way. Know what I mean? Me neither, because this approach hasn’t been invented yet).

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Thanks for stopping by! Next week we get back to our regularly scheduled program of blog content, but I will definitely revisit this Wellness Series in the future. If you missed my first Wellness Series blog post on “Improving Sleep”, jump to this link here! See you next week!

– CrouchingL