Did you know that by the time you feel thirsty, your body is already dehydrated? As your body works to retain water, you might begin experiencing any number of adverse symptoms. You’ll be constipated. Get breakouts as your skin barrier breaks down. You’ll feel the onset of headaches and brain fog. This is your sign to hydrate or die-drate. When it comes to hydration, though, there are several mistakes you could make. So, how do you do hydration right? Keep reading to learn about the most common hydration mistakes and how we recommend you avoid them.
1. Common Hydration Mistakes: Intake
The number one mistake we see is insufficient daily water intake. This doesn’t just mean that you aren’t drinking enough water. It could mean you’re drinking it wrong.
A stomach can only absorb up to two ounces of water every half of an hour. If you guzzle a ton of water all at once, you won’t be able to absorb all of it. If you can’t absorb all of it, it won’t serve the purpose of rehydrating you.
Your best bet is to take small sips of water throughout the day. This should total a half cup to a cup of water every hour.
2. Proper Hydration After Workouts
Another mistake we see is improper hydration for those that are doing intense workouts.
As per the previous mistake, you don’t want to chug an entire Nalgene of ice-cold water directly after your sweat sesh. Your body won’t be able to absorb all of it.
What you want to do is ensure you are properly hydrated before your workout, and as you lose water through perspiration, to hydrate in 15-minute intervals while you work out.
3. Sources of Hydration
What sources of hydration are there? This is where a lot of people trip up.
Your source of hydration doesn’t just have to be straight gulps of plain water. There are other sources out there.
Vegetables are often over 90% water by weight. Including them in your diet means more sources of hydration that are readily absorbed by your body. Examples of foods that are rich in water are tomatoes, cucumbers, and oranges.
4. Sugary Drinks
Sugary drinks are a big no-no when it comes to hydration. High amounts of sugar will cause your cells to transfer water out, increasing urination and water loss.
If you want to maximize hydration, then definitely minimize your intake of sugary drinks.
We get it. Maybe some of you don’t like the taste of water or think it’s too plain. You’d rather have the immediate gratification of sugar.
That won’t do! You can try a countertop water distiller to improve the taste of your water so you are willing to reach for it more often over other sugary or unhealthy drinks.
5. Caffeine
If you’re a coffee and tea drinker: yes, these drinks deliver fluids to your body. However, caffeine is a diuretic that dehydrates you. If you’re aiming to better your hydration, your best bet is to stay with decaf or herbal teas.
6. Drinking Only Water
Drinking water is not the only thing you need for hydration. What’s equally important is the minerals and electrolytes that allow your body to absorb the water.
You need to make sure that along with water, you balance that out with the right amount of sodium, potassium, and so on. When you perspire, you lose a lot of electrolytes as sweat, so you must consume them again following your workout to stay hydrated.
Hydration for Optimal Health
Think about it: you’d die in three days without water. That’s how important water is to every one of your organs and bodily functions.
Sticking to the right ways to hydrate while avoiding common hydration mistakes will be the best thing for your health in the long run.
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