The Hydration Challenge

[KatieBT]

I've seen a lot of talk about 2018 resolutions and one of my biggest goals for 2018 is make hydration a habit. Rather than talking or thinking about this resolution (like 2017... oops!) I am starting a hydration challenge. Let's get focused on hydration, BIC!

The goal? To increase our hydration levels so we can all feel incredible both inside and out.

Here are a few tips on staying hydrated:

• Eat water-rich foods (cucumber, greens, grapes, etc.)
• If you're sweating, you need to drink more H2O!
• Drinking caffeine? Replace that cup of coffee with a cup of water. (This is in addition to your daily recommended intake!)

This thread will be a space to talk about the hydrating products you're using and to check in on how much water you're drinking. Let's set goals and help each other meet them! Use this thread to share how you're feeling whether you're thirsty, your skin is extra-dry or to offer hydration tips for the rest of us!

Let's get hydrated, BIC! 

[fieldsofclover]

@ChristineR07 I'm so glad you've found a good doc now. Having one in your corner the way you described makes things so much different... it's like night and day.

[k617]

I actually have no issues drinking enough water - I find it refreshing and necessary, and I probably reach for my bottle at least twice per hour. I do drink about 12 oz of coffee per day and sometimes a little 8 oz cup of tea, but I don't drink soda, juice or anything else throughout the day. I have to bring my water bottle with me to meetings, or I get thirsty.

I drink a cup or so of water right when I get out of bed, and I keep two 25 oz water bottles at work and usually fill both first thing in the morning, and by the end of the day, they'll be empty (or empty from having been refilled once).

If it's a work out day, I drink 10 oz of water ~2 hours before my workout, and another 10 oz of water about 1/2 hour before my workout. I notice a huge different in how my body regulates its temperature if I remember to do this and the timing is correct. If I drink enough water, I won't overheat during my workout. Throughout my workout, I drink another 20-25 oz of water.

I usually drink another 8-10 oz of water with my meal.

All in all, not counting the foods I'm eating I probably consume a minimum of 100 oz or 3 L of water per day, minimum. I do not really keep track though and go by what my body needs.

For awhile I was using the app "Plant Nanny" to track how much water I was drinking because my friend was using the app too - you take care of a plant and as you drink water it grows and levels up. Once it's fully grown you can place it into your "garden" where you can collect seeds to purchase new plants. It'll alarm you if you haven't had enough water. If you don't drink water, your plant starts to wilt and eventually dies. I gave up on it though because it was telling me to "be careful" about how much water I was drinking, and said I was drinking too much. Eventually I uninstalled it BUT I would recommend it for anyone who needs some motivation!

TL;DR - My tips are:

- get a fun water bottle (or two) and have water on hand - if it's there, you'll be more likely to drink it (if you have to make the effort to go get some, it'd be an easy excuse not to)

- use a fun app that motivates you

[Susubee]

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k617 wrote:

TL;DR - My tips are:

- get a fun water bottle (or two) and have water on hand - if it's there, you'll be more likely to drink it (if you have to make the effort to go get some, it'd be an easy excuse not to)

- use a fun app that motivates you

---

I got an Ulla with a bee on it and a BRIGHT yellow insulated water bottle. Sometimes it's worth the tiny splurge to motivate yourself. 

[fieldsofclover]

@k617 I hadn't heard of this before! That's kind of awesome that the app couldn't keep up with you 😂

@Susubee we should be Plant Nanny buddies. There are cheevos! And gothy cyclamens!

[Susubee]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who pretty much came away with "omg there's an app that lets you grow plants!?!" As the take-away message from this entire thread 😂

(Plant Nanny is semi-my day job for real.)

[fieldsofclover]

@Susubee for various values of nanny, or various values of "plant"? 😅 🐛🦗🌱🌵🔬👩‍🔬

[Susubee]

Semi-nanny to plants. (I'm usually brutally chopping off their "legs" 🔪🔪🔪)

[fieldsofclover]

*dramatic, high-pitched violin sounds*

[k617]

haha @fieldsofclover well sometimes if I were stuck somewhere without water, I tend to chug when I finally get access - I might down a half bottle of water in 1/2 hour and it'll tell me "don't drink too fast!"

Then my plant ends up getting a little bit overwhelmed with the water I just drank...so I was just lying and not tracking what I was drinking so it wouldn't get upset at me!

[itzzzzmimi]

These are some great tips! Definitaly going to use some of them.

[Susubee]

Yay! Drinking more water is already on my 2018 goals list 🙂

One thing that helped me was buying a gadget to remind me to drink from my water bottle. I got this little blinking, motion sensor light thing called an Ulla (I actually bought two- one for home and one for lab). But you could also use the time on your phone or watch. 

[purly]

I'm not a doctor, but I have experience with dehydration since it gets so hot where I live.

If someone sees this and is very heavy, they could be calculating out multiple gallons a day and it's really important to note that drinking too much water all at once can result in water intoxication. You need to have a balance of water and salts. Where I live it gets hot enough that drinking water alone is useless in the summer and if you're on a low sodium diet it's actually pretty bad for you. You really have to drink electrolyte water or it runs right through you.

TL;DR: if you up your water intake and find that you have to pee every hour, switch to an electrolyte solution.

[playingdressup]

That's so interesting @purly, I haven't heard that before!

[fieldsofclover]

Yep, this is why the "it's easy!" commentary isn't always helpful. It's *not* easy for everyone.

[nikki]

@fieldsofclover I agree! I tend to dislike statements like that, even if made innocently, because there's implicit judgement that people who struggle aren't trying hard enough, or whatever fault others will assign to that struggling person, since because "it's easy" that people who can't do are deficient somehow. I just find empathy and support better, especially in spaces like this, than statements that have implicit judgmental overtones, like it is easy to eat healthy, it's easy to be active, it's easy to have clear skin if you take of yourself, etc. (Sorry for the diatribe, I just bristle at statements like that, even if a person means well)

[fieldsofclover]

@nikki You and me both, dahlink. 😘

[itsvictoria]

Love this tips! Another one I would add is to make sure to always exfoliate before applying moisturizer.  It's important to get the dead skin off.

[Stacy72]

I’m adding a little lemon juice ( 1/2of a lemon to 20 oz.) to warm water in the mornings. It tastes better and is an alternative to coffee.

[fieldsofclover]

@Stacy72 this is a great idea!

[katkapivarci]

@KatieBT That’s my New Year’s resolution as well - to drink more water. I always get a headache if I don’t drink enough water but some days I just forget - I pour myself a glass, get distracted (hello 10months old baby who just learned to crawl 🤦🏼‍♀️) and 2 hours later I realize I haven’t even touched the glass. I have to do better so thank you for starting this thread hopefully it helps me to be more “water focused” 😂

[Titian06]

@KatieBT - Your 2nd bullet is 8, 8 oz. glasses of water per day.  That's been preached to us for decades.  I drink well more than that each day.  It's not that hard.

I already do these things.  When I slack off I can tell because my skin and hair become dull.  In addition, my bodily functions don't work properly.