“Make sure you drink enough water.”
This advice has been drilled into our heads since we learned about nutrition basics in elementary school.
Yet, if you search the internet, you will find all kinds of claims that as many as 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated! Although, we couldn’t find the evidence to back up these claims. Even if the numbers aren’t that bad, a lot of people do suffer from dehydration – especially during the summer months.
As we discussed in our “Do This to Stay Healthy All Summer Long” coaching tip, there are a variety of REAL foods that can help you stay hydrated. And it is no shock that water is also super-important!
But when plain water feels uninspiring and boring, we lose interest. We want to help not let that happen!
Why is drinking water so important?
For starters, did you know that staying sufficiently hydrated can reduce your risk of heart failure and certain cancers?
We all know the importance of staying hydrated. But for most of us, our knowledge of water’s importance probably stops right there. Making up as much as 75% of our body weight, water is the foundation of good health:
- Cools you down! Water regulates your body temperature by allowing you to perspire, which cools your skin and blood.
- Lubricates your joints, eyes, nose, mouth and airways.
- Nourishes and maintains skin health.
- Keeps you regular by removing waste and preventing constipation.
- Maximizes energy and prevents headaches, lethargy and dizziness.
- Strengthens your natural healing process.
- Controls hunger — water even acts as a calorie-free, caffeine-free appetite suppressant.
Even mild dehydration (just 1–2% fluid loss) can impact your mood, energy, and concentration.
Are you under-hydrated?
Even though you may not actually be DEhydrated, you may very well be living in a constant state of UNDERhydration. Research shows that chronic underhydration can be an underlying cause to conditions such as asthma, allergies, arthritis, migraine headaches, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, kidney stones, urinary tract cancer, colon cancer and more.
Signs you might be underhydrated include:
- headaches
- dry mouth or lips
- fatigue or foggy thinking
- constipation
- dark yellow or low urine output
- dizziness or lightheadedness
If you’re experiencing any of these, your body is waving a white flag for water.
How much should you drink?
A useful rule of thumb is to drink ½ ounce a day for every pound you weigh.
That’s 75 ounces (nearly 9½ cups) for a person weighing 150 pounds.
Tips to help get enough water in your day:
- Create the habit of having a water bottle with you all day. Keep one in the car and one at your desk. Drink throughout the day using one glass every hour as a guideline.
- “Clear water down the pipes means clear water out the pipes.” Urine that is cloudy or darker than light yellow is a sign of dehydration. That means you need more water!
- Don’t wait until you’re thirsty. By the time you are aware of the “thirst signal,” your body has already lost 1-2 percent of its body weight.
- Drink a glass of water to re-hydrate yourself before having a caffeinated beverage or juice.
- Drink even more during exercise, hot weather or sickness. And if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Start the day with at least 8-16 ounces of water—your body wakes up dehydrated.
What if water gets boring?
Here’s the good news—you don’t have to rely solely on plain water to stay hydrated. Try these fun, flavorful, and healthy upgrades:
Infuse It with Flavor!
Skip the sugary flavored waters and make your own with fresh ingredients.
Juice from fresh lemons, limes and oranges increases your intake of vitamin C, flavonoids and antioxidants, which help pump up your immune system. Some fun flavor combinations include:
Cucumber + mint
Lemon + raspberry
Orange + basil
Strawberry + lime
It really is as simple as adding fruit slices (or even frozen fruit) to a pitcher of water a few hours or the night before serving. Try these ideas!
Healthy Soda Pop!
This is the only kind of soda pop we keep in our house. It tastes like a treat but keeps you hydrated and refreshed.
Simply combine plain sparkling water with a splash of 100% fruit juice. You can also add a squeeze of citrus, fruit slices or fresh herbs.
Everyone can customize to their personal level of sweetness! The key, of course, is to not add so much fruit juice that it raises your sugar intake and compromises the benefits of drinking water.
Flavored Iced Tea – 3 ways!
Whether you enjoy Ginger-Lime, Mountain Berry, or Apple-Cinnamon, we have 3 ways to create the perfect iced tea replacement for sugar-laden fruit punch or “sweet tea!”
These iced teas will keep you hydrated AND filled with antioxidants.
Plus, in these recipes we recommend cold brewing because it not only saves a step, but also protects the precious antioxidants in the tea, which can become damaged by hot water.
Mocktail Mastery!
This coaching tip provides inspiration to enjoy delicious, refreshing AND HEALTHY non-alcoholic drinks! A few examples include the Margarita Mocktail, Mojito Mocktail, Strawberry Daiquiri Mocktail, Lemon Drop Mocktail, Cosmopolitan Mocktail, and the Old Fashioned Mocktail.
Plus, there are some really good non-alcoholic beers on the market right now. Our favorites are from Best Day Brewing (we really love the Electro Lime!) and Go Brewing (try the New School Sour!).
Hydration doesn’t have to be boring – it just has to be consistent. It is a gift to your body: a way to feel better, think clearer, and live more vibrantly.
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