Staying Hydrated This July... and Always

July’s Challenge

For much of July we are in Cancer season. With Cancer being a water sign and July being one of the hottest months of the year in Canada, I’ve decided to give myself a hydration challenge this month.

I've been feeling sluggish and tired lately. After doing some reading, I've tried several changes to help. I've recommitted to meditation & a regular yoga practice. I'm scheduling in time for exercise and trying my best to eat better. All this has definitely helped, but the sluggishness is still present. So with a little more research, I've decided that drinking more water might be the answer! Most of what I've read are things I've always known, but seem to have forgotten. With a few nuggets of new info in there too. So I figured I should share my finding with you and couple it in with July's Challenge.

My goal for July will be to drink 11 glasses of water every day.

We all know that it’s important to stay hydrated, but most people aren’t drinking enough. Every cell, tissue and organ in your body needs water to function correctly. For example, your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste and lubricate joints. Water is essential for good health. Being dehydrated can cause headaches, fatigue and irritability, potentially increase your hunger and a host of other effects.

Bodies are made up of roughly 60% water. So it makes sense that we constantly need to replenish. But mow much should you be drinking every day? We found this handy Hydration Calculator.

Follow the link above to find out how much liquid you need to drink each day for optimal health. I was surprised to find that I need 10.7 glasses each day. That’s 85.6 ounces which is quite a bit more than the recommended 8 glasses or 64 ounces each day. It’s also good to note that when you exercise you need to increase your liquid intake. The general rule is to drink four to eight ounces of liquid for every 20 minutes you exercise.

Chronic dehydration can severely affect your life.

Dehydration happens when your body loses more fluids than it takes in, leaving it without enough water to function properly. If you don’t replenish the fluids you've lost, dehydration will occur.

Making the Most of Water Consumption
We found this handy info-graphic to show you the optimal times to drink water. Just remember this only shows 5 glasses of water and chances are you need 9 – 12 glasses each day, so continually reach for your water bottle every day.

Quick Tip: Always keep a water bottle with you so you’re never in need.
Quick Challenge: Every time you pick up your phone, have a sip of water.

Drinking water regularly is great but you need to make sure your body is absorbing it.
Ensure you have enough salt in your body. Over-consuming salt isn’t good for you, but not having enough isn’t good either. If you do a lot of activities or sports that cause you to sweat, you’ll lose a lot of salt via sweat, and it needs to be gained back. Salt is used in the body to retain water in cells, along with helping get nutrients from the small intestine. If we don’t have enough salt in the body, your cells can’t retain enough water. This causes the cells to dehydrate.

It also helps to eat fibre-rich foods. Fibre in foods helps your intestines retain water, where it is slowly absorbed. So instead of water passing through quickly, it’ll take its time and your body can use all the water it needs.

Did you make it this far? How many sips of water did you take while reading this long winded Blog post? I hope you got some good information, some encouragement to join July's challenge and that you feel well hydrated.

Love & gratitude for your time & energy.
Shelley xo