Getting and staying hydrated is important for various reasons, especially for those who live in extremely hot climates like we’re seeing in the Western part of the U.S. right now.
Knowing how much water you need is helpful in staying on track with your hydration.
The general guideline for water intake is half your body weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs, then you would need around 75 ounces of water a day. If you’re exercising or sweating a lot, then you may need more than half your body weight in ounces. Some people need less.
Finding how much water you need can take some time. One way to monitor water intake is urine monitoring. You should be urinating light yellow – clear by the afternoon.
Tips for getting and staying hydrated:
ALWAYS start your day with a glass of water immediately after getting out of bed. Sleep dehydrates us, so in order to get off on the right foot, we must begin hydrating immediately upon waking up. Start your kids off this way as well, to be sure they’re staying hydrated and to create good hydration practices early on. Add a little fresh squeezed lemon to your morning water and you get the added bonus of the lemon acids helping to kick start your digestion.
Get a reusable water bottle and decide how many times you will need to refill it in order to get the amount of water you need by dinner time.
Set alerts on your phone to remind you to drink water.
Drink water even when you’re not thirsty. If you’re thirsty, then you’re already at the dehydration point. 5. If you don’t care for the “taste” of water, add fruit, mint leaves etc to your water.
What happens when we’re dehydrated?
Dehydration can cause the following issues:
Sluggishness.
Lowered immunity which means less defense against getting sick.
Trouble sleeping.
Trouble focusing.
Irritability.
Less energy output for physically demanding task such as working out or labor intensive jobs.
Dehydration can also make you feel like you’re hungry. Which is why we recommend that instead of reaching for the snacks, drink some water first.
As always, if you have questions or if you need help determining how much water you need, feel free to reach out to me in the comments.
Have a GREAT week and drink up!
Melanie Redd
Signal Health Wellness Director