DRINK YOUR WATER!
I am a RABID believer in the importance of hydration.
In August of 2004 I was doing the Rock-n-Roll half marathon in Virginia Beach. My boyfriend at the time, we’ll call him Pete (because that’s his name) was going to meet me at mile 10 to cheer me on! It was a hot, humid day and while I was drinking water at every stop, it clearly wasn’t enough because when I reached mile 9 and realized I’d see Pete soon, I started crying. “I don’t want to see him. I hate this. This is stupid. I don’t want to run any more. I don’t want to see him.”
I was suddenly outside my body, seeing how I was reacting, and my alternative self looked something like this.
This was NOT the way I usually acted. This was not normal, and I needed to get ahold of myself. I wiped my soaked forehead on the back of my sweaty hand, and realized I was losing a TON of water. I was DEHYDRATED! I dealt with the situation at the next few water stops, and while I was still a little bit of a mess by the time I saw Sweet Pete, I was a ton better, and have worked hard over the last 18 years never to feel that way again!
Have you ever felt like you just can’t deal with those needy clients at work? Or your co-workers are suddenly a lot more annoying than usual? Or that moment when you just can’t deal with one more request from your boss? You might be dehydrated!! You might be able to handle things much better in the moment if you be sure you’re keeping your hydration levels high. (you’ll still be annoyed by your co-workers and frustrated with the never ending boss requests…but you might be able to handle them more professionally and maturely in the moment!! That’s what we’re trying to achieve here!
So here are the benefits of proper hydration. (I looked in a bunch of places! There are so many...
- Regulate body temperature
- Keep joints lubricated, decreased joint pain
- Great skin
- Prevent infections (Nobody likes infections)
- Deliver nutrients to cells
- Keep organs functioning properly (GO KIDNEYS GO!)
- Improves sleep quality
- Improves mood
- Improved brain performance. Even mild dehydration—as little as 2% fluid loss can affect memory, mood, concentration, and reaction time
- Digestive harmony (Who doesn’t want that!)
- Increased energy (ZZZING!)
- Aids in a weight loss/management
- Better temperature regulation
- Kidney stone prevention (ew!)
- Healthier heart
And the list goes on and on! So drink your water.
I remember “4 pint (16oz) glasses a day” as my minimum. Easy to remember. But I like a challenge, so I go for 100oz/day. There’s a weight to oz ratio if you want to get technical, but I find it easier to just have a water bottle around all the time, and always order a glass of water with meals.
Oh, and you’ll get your steps in running to the bathroom! (We’ll talk about the benefits of movement in a future energizer!)
Chug-a-lug!
