Don’t Forget to Drink Water

How much water should you drink daily?

This is such an aged old question that does need a response.  Regular hydration is extremely important to overall health. Being chronically dehydrated contributes to a lower ability to focus, a lack of thermoregulation, and decreases the ability to excrete toxins/wastes out of the body. 

Now you can achieve optimal hydration with electrolytes. Without electrolytes, most of the water consumed never makes it into the cells where water is greatly needed. A shortage of water with electrolytes can jeopardize intracellular and extracellular functions. Electrolytes are electrically charged minerals needed to facilitate fluid transport, getting water into and out of cells. The minerals needed in electrolytes consist of sodium, potassium, magnesium. 

General rule of daily water intake: 

⅓ to ½ of your current weight (lb) = ounces (oz) of water per day

Example: current weight 150lb = 50-75 oz per day of water 

Do you remember to drink water? Do you use a daily reminder or phone app to help you remember to drink water? 

Patients talk to me all the time about not remembering to drink water during the day. I know it’s easy to forget simple things during a busy day like drinking water, but you don’t have to remember everything. If you have a difficult time remembering to drink water, a helpful tool is using an app to remember, or a daily task reminder on your phone that goes off at least 3-4 times a day. I personally use the Water Alert App, a free app on your phone. 

Do you carry around a water bottle?

We live in a world where we constantly worry about what water bottle brand we should be using or which one is particularly popular that we should all have? You know what I mean. You see so many people with the latest Starbucks cup, Stanley cup, or even the Hydro Flask? Whether you have to use a cost effective, lead-free, stainless steel water bottle, glass water bottle or paper cup, the key is drinking the appropriate amount of water per day. Try to refrain from using plastic water bottles to reduce the likelihood of consumption of microplastic particles, Bisphenol A (BPA), xenoestrogens, and many other chemicals which are known hormone disruptors. Think of walking with a water bottle as an emotional support animal. You wouldn’t dare leave your emotional support animal at home, why leave your water bottle and not use it?