WHAT'S THAT YOU'RE DRINKIN'?

I will preface this post with the admission that my recent discovery of the joys of Bikram yoga has made me very conscious of hydration.  For those who don’t know, Bikram yoga is a 90 minute session of 26 postures done in 105 degrees Fahrenheit and 40% humidity.  It’s really hot and it’s impossible not to sweat…A LOT!  That being said, I feel the need to comment on the fact many Americans don’t drink enough water.

When I went to a natural hairstyle I remember reading a lot of blogs about the best way to maintain moisture in coarse hair.  There were all sorts of concoctions involving oil of this and butter of that.  The most easily applicable thing I remember reading was the best ingredient to provide moisture to hair is water.  All the other stuff is just to make sure the water remains there.  I feel the same principle applies to hydrating one’s body.  Start with water.  In the USA, we have the clean drinking water for which a lot of the world literally dies.  We should use it. 

Here are some things to consider:

Dehydration makes you feel bad.  The human body is composed of 60-70% water.  When we don’t have enough of it, normal physiological processes take a hit.  We feel fatigued.  We get headaches.  Our toes go numb when we exercise.  Our urine looks crazy!  The recommended amount of fluid to drink per day varies depending on who you ask.  The Institute of Medicine says roughly 3 liters of beverages for men and 2.2 liters for women at baseline.  This should be increased when engaging in vigorous, sweaty exercise.  I personally think that most of the beverages should be water.

If you never exercise vigorously, just drink water.  The best way for most people to hydrate is to drink plain water.  Not all physical activity requires a post-exercise electrolyte infusion. Sports drinks are designed to replenish carbohydrates and electrolytes lost during vigorous exercise.  Gatorade was developed to help football players in Florida stay hydrated during practice.  Drinking some after a stroll through the neighborhood where we barely break a sweat is a bit of overkill.  Water will do the trick.

Don’t overestimate the hydrating effects of non-water beverages.  Coffee, tea, and alcohol do provide water to the body.  However, both caffeine and alcohol have diuretic effects.  This increases the body’s elimination of water.  No matter how watered down the drink tastes it’s not as hydrating as a glass of water.  I personally love coffee and have a large mug every morning.  However, I don’t give it full credit in my hydration equation since I know the effects on my kidneys make it almost a zero sum situation.

Rethink the legitimacy of the excuses you are using to explain away drinking too little water.  A complaint I often hear is that adequate water consumption causes frequent trips to the bathroom.  Not to be obnoxious, but that’s a pretty lame obstacle to such a simple wellness habit.  Another excuse I’ve heard is that water has no flavor.  This was an issue for me until I started squeezing lemon juice into water to make it less bland.  This got me into the habit of hydrating.  Nowadays I always have a water bottle with me that I refill throughout the day.  This enables me to avoid the cost-of-bottled-water issue.  Despite the propaganda of the bottled water industry, most of us can drink the tap water where we live and work.

Drinking water helps avoid a lot of unnecessary calories.  Pretty much everyone I know who has significantly decreased or completely cut out soda and alcohol consumption has lost at least 10 pounds.  That little anecdote is completely unscientific but I believe in it.  Weight loss is a multifactorial endeavor but this is something I have seen be effective a number of times.  Drinking calorie-free diet soda is not without weight gain issues either.  Recent research suggests artificial sweeteners increase appetite.  The body is expecting to receive calories when it tastes something sweet.  When it gets the sweet without the calories the brain gets confused and you get hungry.  Again, just drink water.

I understand it can be challenging to maintain adequate hydration consistently.  My method is to keep track of fluid intake throughout the day.  I try to drink at least three containers full of my 24 ounce bottle each day.  If it is 2 pm and I haven’t finished the first bottle I know I am behind.  I also start each day with at least eight ounces of water to prevent getting to midday without having anything but coffee.  That typically works for me but everyone is different.  Try to figure out what system works best for you, especially as we enter the heat and humidity of summer.  Once your kidneys adjust to the hydration program, you’ll feel better overall.