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MOVING TOWARDS HEALTH

Health through hydration

Maggi Fitzpatrick
Posted 8/13/24

Water is a crucial component of our health. Regardless of whether or not you are an athlete or even exercise regularly, drinking water is an important part of regulating many processes in our bodies. …

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MOVING TOWARDS HEALTH

Health through hydration

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Water is a crucial component of our health. Regardless of whether or not you are an athlete or even exercise regularly, drinking water is an important part of regulating many processes in our bodies. It’s not always easy to drink enough water and I know it’s not always an enjoyable experience, so let’s go through different ways we can increase our water intake each day.

The most common objection I hear to drinking water is not liking the taste and experience of drinking plain water. There are a lot of ways we can enhance our water drinking experience these days, including adding flavoring, electrolytes, or drinking sparkling water. 

My personal favorite way to help myself drink more water is by adding a sugar-free electrolyte supplement to at least one of my bottles per day. Electrolyte supplements not only give your water flavor, but also contain minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium that help pull water into your cells to help keep you more hydrated. 

I find that drinking water with added electrolytes in the morning helps me drink more water over the course of the day. There are also many products that add flavor to your water without adding any electrolytes or calories and these can also greatly help you increase your water intake. 

So now that you’re on your way to drinking more water, how much exactly should you be drinking? There are many different recommendations out there such as eight cups, half your bodyweight in fluid ounces of water, or a whole gallon per day, but differing body sizes and activity levels make it challenging to give a blanket recommendation. 

I like to approach drinking more water by first keeping track of how much water you currently drink each day. You can do this by simply writing down how many ounces you consume after each glass or bottle. Then, you can find out your average consumption over the course of a week, and set a goal for yourself. 

Let’s say you currently drink about 40 ounces of water per day and would like to get up to 100 ounces per day. Adding 10 ounces of water each week for six weeks will be a great way to work up to your goal without overwhelming yourself and getting discouraged. I personally aim to drink at least one hundred ounces of water per day.

Although drinking more water may seem like a simple task, it’s an easy one to forget. Because of this, we can’t expect ourselves to successfully drink more water without a little planning. Hoping to get in all of your water each day will usually leave you short of your goal, which means you’ll be dehydrated and disappointed. 

Drinking water and staying hydrated is a key part of living a healthy life, and will also help you reach your other health and fitness-related goals more easily. Set yourself up for success by filling up your favorite water bottle for the next day before going to sleep, or setting out a glass for you to fill up in the morning. 

Plan out how many ounces you need to consume before certain times of the day and create a plan to ensure you will have access to enough water to reach your goal. 

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