We help people reach a higher state of health through the scientific application of natural healing methods. We work with people at all stages along the health continuum, from the very young to the very old. We also work with a great number of amateur, elite and professional athletes. Across this diverse population, if here was one thing, just one thing that a person could change to improve their health, it would be to get and stay hydrated.
Your body is about 70% water. Staying hydrated is the single more important factor in health as well as athletic performance; the problem is, most people do it wrong. In fact, we’ve found that less than 1% of the people we’ve tested are properly hydrated.
Here are some guidelines to get and keep you on the road to health and optimal performance:
- Start your day by drinking 8-16 ounces of water. Right when you get out of bed, drink a full glass before you do anything else. This will flush out your system and get things moving.
- Drink ½ your body weight in ounces every day (don’t include the water you gulped down first thing in the morning). A 100 lb. person would need to drink at least 50 ounces of water daily in divided doses, ideally about 2-4 ounces (1/4-1/2 cup) every 30 minutes. Your body can only absorb and use about 2-4 ounces of water at a time; drinking more than that just means more trips to the bathroom. Drinking substantially less means you will be dehydrated and your health/performance will suffer.
- If you sweat a lot (i.e. during a workout), drink more for a few hours after the workout. You can also use an electrolyte replacement drink (skip the ones that glow in the dark) during and after your workouts to help you recover.
- If you have to get up often to urinate at night, try to curtail your water consumption 2-3 hours before you go to bed.
Skip the Soda and Energy Drinks
Soda has nothing that benefits you and lots of stuff that will slow and break you down. All sodas, whether diet or regular, are diuretics, which means they make you go to the bathroom more. This means you will lose more water if you drink soda. In addition, people often drink soda instead of water during their day, so not only are they losing more water, they aren’t drinking as much either. That spells disaster for long term health.
Nothing hydrates you better than water.
- If you need some flavor, opt for naturally flavored waters, squeeze in some lemon or lime or buy some flavored stevia drops (they come in almost every flavor imaginable) at your local health food store.
- Skip drinks that glow in the dark (or glow in the light). You’re not a Martian – you don’t need anything that is bright or fluorescent purple, green, blue or red.
- In addition to glowing in the dark, most sodas, energy drinks and even flavored waters are super-high in sugar; see www.sugarstacks.com for some great visuals on the amount of sugar in various beverages.
Getting and staying healthy isn’t necessarily easy, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Get started by getting hydrated.