Ultimate Guide to Hydration

Most of us are chronically dehydrated and live in the grey zone before severe dehydration sets in. Years of sub-optimal hydration can have severe consequences. Let’s talk about water’s role in the body, how we became so dehydrated, and what to do about it. Spoiler: hydration is not as simple as drinking water.

Why care about hydration 

Our bodies are anywhere from 55-75% water, so it’s no wonder hydration is important. Water serves critical functions including: 

• Comfort! Water regulates our body’s temperature.

• Energy! Water transports nutrients and nourishes cells.

• Detoxification! Water removes waste.

• Not to mention digestion, metabolism and so much more.

If you’re sufficiently hydrated, all of these body processes go off without a hitch every single day. Under-hydrate and the system breaks down, resulting in symptoms that you may not ever attribute to your level of hydration.

Most of us are dehydrated

You don’t have to be an athlete or be in the desert to experience dehydration. Just by being alive, we lose about 10 cups (2.3 L) per day through our skin, lungs, urine and feces. With intense physical activity, water loss goes up to 17 cups (4 L) per day.

Live indoors? Air conditioning and heating contributes to dehydration. Drink alcohol? Drink more than 3 cups of coffee per day? Eat sugar? Eat processed food? Take medication like Benadryl, Sudafed, Xanax or Ambien? Each of these exacerbates dehydration.  

Special considerations for hydration

• Thyroid disease: Take extra care that your tap water is filtered from chlorine, fluoride, chloride and bromide which can compound hypothyroidism.

• PCOS and diabetes: Focus on hydration more than most. The body is more likely to become dehydrated when blood sugar is high. In a vicious cycle, dehydration worsens blood sugar levels.

• Digestive issues: Whether you tend towards constipation or diarrhea, focus on hydration. Diarrhea results in excess water loss, so hydration is needed to make up for this loss of water and electrolytes. Constipation, pain, and bloating can benefit from hydration, allowing stool to pass easily and efficiently.

• Fertility: Hydration can improve your quality and quantity of cervical mucus.

Hydration tips

Hydration isn’t simply consuming water to make up for its loss. The absorption of water is equally important to intake. Paying attention to absorption ensures that water can be used by the body to perform all its important functions. Here are 6 hydration tips:

1) Focus on food

Certain foods hydrate us more efficiently than water alone and include:

• Fruit and vegetables: as raw or cooked food, diluted fresh fruit juices, smoothies. Tip: aim for at least 5 servings of vegetables each day!

• Soups and broths

• Teas

• Chia seeds: soak in water or other tasty liquid and allow chia to hydrate before hydrating yourself by eating them! I love to put chia seeds in my overnight oats and my smoothies.

2) Consider your fats

Good quality fats support a healthy cell membrane. A flexible and permeable cell membrane allows water (and important nutrients) to actually get into the cells, where they’re needed. Avoid trans fats at all costs, since they directly damage cell membranes. 

3) Supercharge your water

Water with electrolyte minerals supercharges your body's ability to absorb water. Tip: In your first water of the day, add a pinch of mineral salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to a tall glass of water.

4) Set a target

Water intake is tough to generalize. As a rough guideline, this rule of thumb is helpful: take your weight in pounds and divide that number in half. That number in ounces is a rough water target per day.

5) Make drinking a habit

• Turn your water bottle into a tracking abacus. Line up 2-3 rubber bands around the base of a 1L water bottle, and move them to the top each time you finish. Then refill! 

• Set out your water before you go to bed so that it’s the first thing you see in the morning.

• Front load your water by drinking a big glass (or more) first thing in the morning. Then, sip throughout the day.

• Get a special water bottle and carry it everywhere. My personal favorite is the 32oz Hydroflask bottle because it’s plastic-free and the vacuum seal keeps cold water refreshingly cold and hot lemon water hot.

6) Get moving

Regular movement throughout the day aids water’s absorption into the cells. All physical activity helps, even simple walking and stretching.