Hydration
Being dehydrated can cause headaches, muscle aches, brain fog, muscle cramps, heart issues, constipation, lethargy and many more issues! Much of this is because our amazing bodies need to be watered much like plants. It helps keep our body moving but also moves all that gunk that builds up in our gut, kidneys and lymph to exit the body and not build up.
You know you need to hydrate, but drinking a ton of water day after day isn’t the most exciting task ever! Thankfully, there are ways to hydrate that are a little more fun.
The top ways I like to hydrateโฆ
- Good old clean, plain water
- Electrolytes (keep an eye on the added ingredients, try to limit the sugars, food color and things you canโt pronounce)
- Coconut water (this is one of my favorites, yum!)
- Kombucha (again, keep an eye on the added sugar)
- Aloe vera drinks (not to sound like a broken record but.. keep an eye on the sugar, it’s sneaky!)
Also, take care when doing self-myofascial release, getting a massage, and exercising. Extra hydration is key in carrying out the things released during these practices. Here’s why:
It Aids in Detoxification
Water helps purify your kidneys, and these organs help process key nutrients and toxins! The water flushes the free radicals released during a massage out and oxygenates your cells to help produce more of the good stuff. Drinking water post-massage = giving thanks to your immune system.
It Kicks Dehydration to the Curb
Massages and myofascial release are dehydrating, and our bodies are 60% water! The squeezing that the massage therapist does during your appointment releases fluids from your muscle tissues and into your vascular system. That means that you have to restock up on all of the water you lost during your massage. Best get to sippinโ.
Metabolic Waste
It sounds fancy, but really metabolic waste is just particles in our body that are of no use to usโ and during a massage, theyโre released at a much quicker rate than normal. Metabolic waste can constrict our muscles and lead to improper flow of toxin flushing. When you drink water, you give your muscles a chance to loosen-up and therefore release the tense muscles that hold waste.
Try to hydrate well before and after these practices for the biggest benefits as well as to keep nausea and that blah feeling you can get after away!
Bottom line staying hydrated is important everyday, year round. Those of you who know me know that I always have at least one container of water with me. A lot of days I also have another container with electrolytes hanging around. If I have it available I drink it, if I donโt the chances are much less that I will get in the amount I need daily! If you struggle with getting in enough water, try an app to track your consumption or get a water bottle that shows how much you need for the day. It can sometimes be fun to make a game out of it. Try not to panic if you are way below your recommended amount. Just ease into it! If you can increase it daily or weekly you will get there! Creating life-long healthy habits is a marathon, not a sprint!
So now you may be asking, how much is the right amount for me? Typically for my clients, I recommend half of their bodyweight in ounces of water a day. If you drink caffeine, that subtracts from your hydration, so youโll need to add more. If you have a vigorous workout, youโll also need to add more hydration! On a typical day, I have the recommended amount of water and I do count a bottle of electrolytes in this amount. Iโll also have a glass of Kombucha with a meal (if you havenโt tried Kombucha before, here are a few tips.. drink it with a meal otherwise it can cause bloating, start with a small amount 4ish oz and work up to 8 oz at a time), most mornings I use coconut water or aloe vera juice in my greens to help spruce it up a bit.
I would love to hear your favorite ways to hydrate! Leave them in the comments below. Get to sippin’!
