Hydration Pack and Hydration IV - How Much Water Should I Drink?
I love fall. Like, LOVE, love.
And not because of pumpkin spice everything, or comfy flannels & boots, or the excuse to constantly sip a warm beverage (although I love most of those things!).
I love fall because it's a time to shed what's old, what's damaged, what's no longer serving us, in order to make room for new growth.
We often hear Spring referred to as the time for new growth, but no one talks about what has to occur to make room for that growth - (enter: FALL!)
Don't get me wrong, I live for the cooler weather and the crisp air (and the warm beverages!).
But anyone who knows me knows I am a huge advocate for getting rid of what is no longer serving you. Not covering it up, not adding to it. But throw that sh*t in a pile and light. it. up!
What does that have to do with hydration? Wondering how much water should I drink? Looking for hydration packs and hydration IV support?
Let's talk about it.
You've heard it a thousand times: drink more water. But that begs the question, “how much water should I drink?”.
It's been pounded into your brain through health blogs and fitness influencers, and you do it!
You drink TONS of water.
And that feels good, right? (Well, except for all the bathroom trips)
After all, it can be difficult to create new healthy habits, so drinking more water seems like a super simple & easy way to improve our health.
But what if simply drinking more water isn't really what's helping us?
What if all those extra trips to the bathroom are all for naught?
This healthy habit may not be serving you the way it once was. It may be time to reevaluate this habit, and make room for something better, more effective.
To make room for new growth.
Are hydration packs the answer? Is a hydration IV the key to better hydration?
In honor of our dear friend, Fall, let's toss out that old idea that drinking more water will make you healthier. Let's make room for a new, better lifestyle change - hydration!
How Much Water Should I Drink?
What is hydration?
When we talk about hydration, it's best to think of it as cellular hydration. Proper balance of fluid between the insides of your cells (intracellular fluid, or ICF) and the outside of your cells (extracellular fluid, or ECF) is necessary for many body functions:
influences volume of blood
elimination of waste
blood pressure regulation
influences flow of bile
transfer of nutrients across cell membranes
proper nerve impulses
influences lymphatic flow (think, immune system and drainage of excess fluid)
provides "cushion" of protection around organs, and joints
So, does simply drinking water hydrate our cells?
Not really.
Drinking lots of water, without considering the necessary components to actually hydrate your tissues, will quite literally just go in one end, and out the other.
There's a little more to it than that, but in the end, the fix is still pretty simple (more on that later).
Here's where I get a little science-y, but stick with me...
In order for proper fluid balance to occur, osmosis needs to occur. Fluid can flow freely (does not need special transport channels) across the cell membrane, but it will only do so using osmotic force, meaning the fluid will only flow in order to equalize the concentration of solute particles (electrolytes) in the fluid (known as osmolarity).
Put more simply, your body will redistribute fluid as needed in order to maintain osmotic balance, even if that means taking fluid from areas that need it. It will move fluid from places of lower electrolyte concentration, to places of higher concentration.
Your kidneys are pivotal to this process. They are responsible for eliminating excess fluid and electrolytes and retaining them when necessary.
Here is a great example of this that you are more familiar with:
Typically speaking, potassium (one type of electrolyte) likes to hang out in the fluid inside of cells, while sodium (another electrolyte) likes to hang in the fluid outside of cells. When a diet is high in sodium, and low in potassium, the cells get dehydrated and shrivel, because the concentration of electrolytes in the ECF is greater than the concentration in the ICF.
This leads to an excess of fluid in the ECF (remember this stands for extracellular fluid), ie. edema. So if you know someone whose ankles regularly swell, and their doctor has told them to eat less salt, this is why, friends.
But salt (or sodium, rather) is not the only culprit here, so let's not get stuck on that. Lots of things impact this fluid balance and thus impact hydration. This is where hydration packs and hydration IVs might be of support.
Let's take a look at the factors of dehydration:
Dehydration Factors
caffeine + alcohol: Both of these things are considered to be toxins by our liver. When they are ingested, the liver prioritizes their elimination above most other liver functions. In order for the liver to process anything for elimination, blood needs to be able to effectively flow through the liver. Consuming too much caffeine and/or alcohol without properly hydrating, will inhibit the liver's ability to remove them from your body.
high sodium diet/low potassium diet: as we discussed earlier, these two electrolytes strongly influence the balance of ICF to ECF. Typically speaking, a high sodium diet naturally IS low in potassium, but it's not mutually exclusive. Remember, sodium is not the villain - it is necessary for many functions, but we need to be careful to balance.
sweat: Sweat is an important part of our body's ability to eliminate toxins and cool our bodies when they are too warm. But, when we sweat we also eliminate electrolytes, which, as we said, are important to the fluid balance of the body. It's perfectly fine (and in fact, important!) to sweat a LOT, but only if you are careful to replace fluid and electrolytes that are lost.
diarrhea + vomiting: Okay, these can't always be helped, right? But they are significant causes of fluid loss. If there are foods that you know your body is reactive to in these ways, don't consume them. Period. And if you do find yourself kneeling at the throne, be sure to replace those fluids and electrolytes that get flushed (more on how to do that later in the post).
So, what's the fix?
This is what you came for, my little muffin top.
Here are 4 ways to get hydrated, & stay hydrated:
Drink more water (duh!) - Unless you have kidney dysfunction, or are on certain medications, most people need to drink at least half of their body weight, in fluid ounces of water, every day.
Eat (lots of) mineral-rich foods - Eating a wide variety of locally seasonal foods is the best way to get all of the nutrition you need to support your body. But minerals, specifically, are found abundantly in foods like whole, sprouted grains, legumes, dark leafy greens, avocados, and seeds.
Move your lymph - Lymph is important to moving excess fluid out of the body, and there are lots of ways to get it moving regularly. Drinking enough water is the first, but also dry brushing, trampoline jumping, & deep breathing are all effective at moving lymph.
Take an electrolyte supplement - If you've been with me for any amount of time, you know that you cannot supplement your way out of a poor lifestyle (read that again). But for those who need a little extra temporary support (such as those who cannot digest mineral-rich foods well, don't have access to those foods, or are currently deficient in electrolytes), this electrolyte supplement is my favorite.
Share Your Thoughts
How do you stay hydrated? Join the discussion in the comments below!
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