Your hydration level plays a large role in the cleansing process of your body.
Your body can’t properly clear out the junk (toxins, bacteria, viruses, mucus, and more) unless you are drinking adequate levels of water AND taking in adequate electrolytes – also known as hydration.
“Adequate levels” are different for everyone and depend on a variety of factors like activity level, body size, muscle mass, and natural sweating inclination.
This complex blend of factors that influence hydration levels makes it a little tricky to know an exact amount of water per person to suggest per day; however, there are some general guidelines and information you need to know to stay optimally hydrated and effectively cleanse your individual body.
Let’s start with some hydration know how:
Electrolytes = Minerals in the blood that help regulate the amount of water in the body as well as nerve and muscle function.
As we sweat, electrolytes need to be replaced. A light workout does not tax our electrolyte imbalance (unless you are a super sweater), but a heavy workout, lots of sweating from the heat, or a day of playing in the heat will.
If you are really thirsty and your lips are dry, dehydration has probably already set in.
The best time to hydrate is between meals and before and after workouts and competition (if you are an athlete).
Food IS medicine! The following foods contain naturally occurring electrolytes:
- Watermelon
- Dates
- Bananas
- Green leafy vegetables (spinach and kale)
- Oranges
- Potatoes
- Tomatoes
You can always check your hydration level through this urine hydration chart.
It’s a great chart to look at periodically to check in and see how you are doing. If, however, you are taking a multivitamin, you can’t rely on this chart because the vitamin is probably making your urine neon yellow!
Hydration Action Steps:
- Try to drink at least half your weight in ounces (weight = 140, water intake = 70 ounces)
- Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to drink every hour or so throughout your busy day.
- Never leave the house without a bottle (preferably stainless steel) filled with water.
- Don’t hesitate to add lemon and a pinch of sea salt (a good brand like Redmond is best) to your water to enhance its electrolytes.
- If you buy hydration products like coconut water and sports drinks, be sure they aren’t full of sugar and/or artificial colors and sweeteners (like red 40 and sucralose).
- Be careful of consuming too many drinks that rob your body of hydration like coffee, tea, soda, and highly sugared drinks.
Staying on top of your hydration is much easier to do than trying to fix it once you are dehydrated. Playing catch-up with your hydration isn’t going to give you the level of health you are after.
Catch up with me on Instagram @5D_Athlete and let me know how your health journey is going!
