It’s time to get intentional with our hydration. You are here for it, right? When I think about becoming more focused on our health and wellness, paying attention to what we drink can be one of the easiest baby steps to start our journey. Notice that last word, journey. Here’s the deal. We are each at different mile markers as we walk down this path. You may be in tip-top shape and consume adequate amounts of water each day. Maybe you drink a little bit of water daily, but it’s a chore. Water could be the last thing you want to consume, and speaking of that, you don’t. It’s just not happening. I don’t care where you are, I’m just excited you are here for the adventure. It WILL be an adventure. Do me a favor and think of this as a grand expedition. I want you to hype this up so big in your mind, that it’s like you are about to scale Mt. Everest. Deal?
Why are we starting with a focus on hydration? Glad you asked. I’m not sure about you, but I can get extremely overwhelmed when I think of the laundry list of ways to be more intentional in my health and wellness. There’s nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management, time management, setting boundaries, removing toxins from the home, and removing toxic thoughts. I mean do I need to keep going? It’s endless the ways we can be intentional with becoming stronger in our body, soul, and spirit. Oh, and buckle up, we are going there, but we are going to do it one step at a time. If we try to summit each of these mountains in one sprint session, well, it’s more than likely not going to happen. One mountain at a time. The first one is hydration. I feel like we need to gather in a circle, put one hand in the middle, and on the count of three scream, HYDRATION. One. Two. Three. HYDRATION. Okay team let’s do this!
Why is Hydration Important?
One of the things Jeremiah and I tried to do when raising our girls, was to always give them a reason for why we were saying yes or no to something. We didn’t always get it right, but we were super intentional in this area. It’s easy to say, “Because I said so”, “because it’s bad”, or “because it’s good or right”. We wanted to explain the “why” behind it. Now listen, just because the girls heard the why behind it, that didn’t mean the stars aligned and they were like, oh YAY, your answer makes me so happy now, but at least they knew the why. I have found understanding why certain foods or activities are good or bad for me, helps me to make better decisions. It’s not, ugh, I’ve got to drink this water. It’s YAY, I get to drink this water. Again, it’s not always a cakewalk, but it does help set me up for success. Let’s set you up for success, shall we?
Did you know the average person’s weight is about 50% water? If water is that abundant in our bodies, it must be important. According to a Healthline article, our brain and heart are 73% water, lungs 83%, muscles and kidneys 79%, and skin 64%. It’s mind-blowing when you think how much water these organs store. Our cells need water to exist. Water is needed for new cells to be formed. We need water for digestion and to help detoxify our body. Our joints need water for lubrication. The temperature of our body is regulated by adequate amounts of water. We need water to live. It’s plain and simple.
We all know if we have a “lack” of water, then we become dehydrated. Have you ever had this happen before and had to go to the ER or doctor’s office and get a bag of IV fluids? Isn’t it wild how immediately you begin to feel life come back to your body? What are some of the basic symptoms you experience when you become dehydrated? Your mouth gets dry, you are extremely thirsty, your urine becomes darker, and you can experience muscle cramps. You needed hydration way before these symptoms began developing. These are warning signals, but our goal is to keep that check engine light off. This reminds me of the first car I ever owned and my father calling me one day to see when the last time my oil had been changed. Ummmm, changed? I explained I hadn’t changed it because the oil light had never come on. I was clueless, he was furious. We don’t want to wait for warning lights, we want to be proactive.
How Much Water Do We Need?
Now that we understand the importance of water, let’s discuss how much we need. Word on the street is, you take your body weight and divide it by 2, and that is a good estimated goal to shoot for in ounces. Grab a calculator or a pencil and paper and do the math. Now that you have the number, do you believe you drink that amount of water each day? Did you pick up on the word water? I know, you thought I was going to let you get by with factoring in sodas and such. Nope, let’s make a deal with one another that our hydration is going to come from mainly water. We are going to get creative with water as we continue this discussion, but for now, I want us to agree on increasing our water intake to the appropriate amounts. Yikes. I’m pulling up my bossy pants for a second here. I’m so glad we are friends. Really. We are still friends, right?
What’s the Chance We Can Ditch Soda?
Since you agreed we could still be friends, I want to harp on the soda topic a bit more. Brace yourself. Be honest. How much soda and sugary drinks do you drink in a day? Now hear me out. I know this isn’t a sugar detox mountain we are summiting on this wild adventure, but since we ARE on the topic of hydration, I figured why not throw this in the mix. One of the very first things I did when I began my wellness journey over 10 years ago, was I cut out sodas. I spent one month focusing on eliminating sodas, then cut out sweet tea the next month. If you are from the South, you know this is a VERY BIG DEAL. I need you to know, if I can do this, anyone on the face of the planet can do it too.
When I was in my mid-30s, I had to visit the cardiologist because my heart was doing some funky things. I had to wear a heart monitor, have ultrasounds on my heart, and all kinds of tests. The doctor told me, “Monique, you are skinny fat”. Her exact words were skinny girls like you think they can eat whatever they want, and not exercise, and think you are healthy. Nope, you are skinny fat. I mean, maybe not the bedside manners I was looking for, but she got my attention. The number of sodas and sweet teas I was consuming during this period of my life would have blown your mind. It was ridiculous. I never, ever, ever drank water. It just didn’t happen. I want to make this point very clear again, if I can do this, YOU CAN TOO. I believe in you.
Let’s Set the Stage for Hydration Success.
Jeremiah and I recently went on a two-month hiking adventure all over Europe. When I say hiking, I mean it. We probably hiked over 500 miles during those two months. It was amazing. You better believe we had a game plan to set us up for success. We are not going to leave our time together today until you have a roadmap to guide you along the way on this hydration journey you are embarking on. Having a plan makes or breaks you. You are summiting this mountain. Let’s gear up and develop a plan.
- Know what you are aiming for. We’ve already crossed that off the list. You have done the math and you know how many ounces of water you need to consume. We don’t know what we don’t know, but YOU KNOW. High five.
- Get the proper gear. When hiking, the right shoe does matter. I have to say, the glass you are drinking from really matters too. Okay, the shoes may be slightly a bigger deal if we are comparing, BUT, if you love your cute cup, you are going to be excited to use it. I mean HELLO, can we say Stanley Tumblers? I use a Yeti tumbler, but the point is, to find what you love and invest in it. People may think it’s crazy to pay $45 for a tumbler, but gosh darn it, if it helps you drink water, I can justify it. (I’m the queen of justification.) But let’s be real, it’s an investment in your health.
- Find a routine that helps you be consistent. I start my day every single morning by filling up my Yeti tumbler with water from my Berkey filter. (We will talk more about filters in a later post.) While I don’t mind drinking plain water, I do have two packets I mix in my water throughout the day. Two packets, from two different companies, each in their tumbler of water. Because I’m determined to get those consumed each day, it means I also get to meet my daily hydration goals.
Modere Go
In my first tumbler of water, I mix in one packet of Modere Go. This provides 11 vitamins, 5 minerals, and 8 nootropics. It does have a small amount of naturally occurring caffeine from green tea, but because I mix it in 30+ ounces of water and I sip on it through the morning, I don’t have any issues with it making me jittery. I am super sensitive to caffeine, and I do fine with this product. There is no sugar and it’s non-GMO, gluten-free, and dairy-free. Jer and I are both massive fans. It helps me stay focused during the morning hours without a crash in the afternoon. I ran out a few days ago, so you better believe I’ve been stalking the UPS man.
As far as the flavors go, I like the Fruit Punch and Acai Pomegranate the best. Jer loves the Orange Citrus. If you decide to try this, you can use my name, Monique, in the promo code box to receive $10 off your first order, or any of the links above to the specific flavors should do the trick.
LMNT
In my second tumbler of water, I mix in one packet of LMNT. This is where I’m getting in my electrolytes for the day. One packet is giving you 1000mg of sodium, 200mg of potassium, and 60mg of magnesium. I am drinking this around lunch. I make sure to have all my first tumbler of water consumed before noon. We have a rule, no caffeine after noon. We want to set our bodies up for a successful evening’s sleep. So, as you can see, two packets, and two tumblers of water, equals me getting my optimal amount of water in for the day. SCORE.
If you decide to try LMNT, I also have a special little promo for you. My affiliate link will get you a free sample pack of 8 of their flavors when you make any purchase. I recommend starting with the variety pack of 12 for $20. You get three of their top four flavors. The free sample pack then gives you a total of 20 packs for $20. You should see the sample pack loaded in your cart when you check out. Oh, and you also get free shipping. Such an amazing deal.
My favorite flavors are Watermelon and Raspberry. Jeremiah loves the Orange. He goes in a totally different direction than I do with my packets. He mixes the Orange Citrus Go and the Orange LMNT in one 18oz glass tumbler of water and drinks away. Hey, whatever floats your boat.
Final Thoughts for Your Hydration Journey
Speaking of whatever floats your boat. This is YOUR journey. Just because I use GO and LMNT in my water daily, it doesn’t mean YOU have to. Find what works for you. You may use a Stanley tumbler, I may use a Yeti, the point is, that we are being intentional with our hydration. When I started my journey ten years ago, I simply added lemon to my water. I didn’t get fancy. Find some fruit, cut it up, and let it infuse into the water. Grab some mint or other yummy herbs and make all kinds of fun concoctions. Have fun with this adventure. Explore. I want you to know, I BELIEVE IN YOU. I am so happy you are being intentional with your health and wellness. We are going to walk this out together, one step at a time. We are going to conquer this one mountain at a time. Come on, let’s gather up in a circle and put one hand in the middle again. Ready. ONE. TWO. THREE. HYDRATION.
GAME ON!
I need to know in the comments if you are with me. If you put your hand in the circle and yelled out HYDRATION, I need to know. I want to give you a high five. Oh my WORD, this is going to be loads of fun. Be prepared for all kinds of posts coming your way to help make this the most exciting adventure you have ever been on.
