Over the last few years, I’ve dove deep into different health hacks. One of the biggest returns on investment I have found is proper hydration. Not only just drinking enough water, but how and when we do so. Here are my tips to maximize your hydration and water intake throughout the day.
Try to drink at least ½ your body weight in ounces. How I do this is first thing in the morning, I will fill my 48 oz bottle with water (and LMNT) and try to finish it prior to seeing my first patient of the day. From there my goal is to sip on water throughout the day, but also drink 24 oz – 32 oz before each meal. This timing helps me rehydrate in the morning after sleeping and get back on track. Drinking water before meals keeps me hydrated, as well as fills me up. It also prevents me from having to chug water in the evening, avoiding interruptions while sleeping.
Make sure to add salt to your water. Salt is so important because we need it to help hydrate our cells and maximize the efficiency of our water intake. Otherwise, we find ourselves excreting most of the water we are taking in. I will often just add a pinch of high quality salt to my water, however my main go-to is LMNT. I love it because it not only makes the salt intake easy and enjoyable, but also adds potassium and magnesium, which most of us are deficient in. On more active or hot days, I will often throw in another packet of LMNT to my evening water or at least a few extra pinches of salt.
Another way to prevent dehydration and maximize our cellular health is to try and eat water rich foods. This is as simple as sticking to eating whole foods such as fruits and vegetables and staying away from dried and processed foods. If you are eating more processed foods just make sure you are increasing your hydration before and after.
These 3 things alone can change your health. Many times when patients (parents and kids) complain of headaches, sleep struggles, muscle aches, lack of energy, or always feeling off, the main culprit is lack of hydration and water intake. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or additional ideas to improve your hydration. Lastly, we have LMNT here at TOLC! You can come in anytime to try different flavors or purchase any boxes to have on hand at home.
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