How To Stay Properly Hydrated

Quick: How much water did you drink yesterday? How about the day before that?
​
Most of us know how much water we “should” be drinking each day.  However, by day’s end it is almost invariable that most of us fell a little bit short of that goal for whatever reason. Our body is made up of 60 percent water and water is utilized in every important bodily function. Not getting enough water results in dehydration which affects our health as well as our appearance in sometimes subtle ways. Since we know the myriad problems that result from chronic, long-term dehydration and since we love ourselves and our skin, it makes sense that we should have a game plan to ensure that we take control of such a simple solution to the problem.

---

The first step to take should be to down a glass of water with lemon each morning. This gets the day started right and puts our bodies on the right side of the hydration equation immediately.  And no, coffee does not count as a hydration vehicle since your body often works just as hard to remove the contents of coffee from your body it leaves you in a net-zero position regarding hydration. The old 8 glasses of water rule is an approximation which is an attempt to get each adult to drink at least 64 ounces of water per day. But a more precise rule for your specific situation would be to take half your weight in pounds and try to drink that amount per day in ounces. So if you weigh one hundred and twenty eight pounds then you’re right on the money with those eight 8 oz. cups of water. But others might need to drink more.  You need to drink even more if you exercise, drink alcoholic beverages, or eat salty snacks regularly.

Do you drink a lot of bottled water? Try to ensure that the bottles are free of BPA or bisphenol A, a chemical found in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Research has shown that BPA can leach into water and food from these containers and cause health risks. What about Herbal Tea?
​
Herbal teas are a good way to mix up your methods of hydration. However, if you are trying to substitute common electrolyte filled flavored beverages, these often add unnecessary calories through sugar or add sugar substitutes which add stress to your body’s filtration system. So be sure to map out the time periods when you will get your one or two glasses of hydration goodness so that by the end of the day your body will feel refreshed and less toxic, rather than being behind by 4 or 5 glasses of water and deciding to give up for the day.

---