Why Hydration Is So Important

Max Sturdivant/Dr. Fitness  0:00  
I never allow myself to get that hydration that dehydrated. And so if you don't know what dehydration looks like, because a lot of people don't, you know, you may not either have experienced it or you may have experienced it, and not even know you experienced it. But things to look out for. If your urine is dark, you know, it'll look more of a start to like a dark yellow. Okay? If you get muscle fatigue, dizziness, extreme thirst. If you seem like you're not able to really sweat anymore, you know, those are signs. So check yourself and see hey, have I been drinking water? 

Hey, there! Welcome to Your Health Moment with Dr. Fitness. On this podcast, I want to give you the tools to start, continue and never give up on your journey towards health. Whether you struggle with your weight, eating the right food, drinking enough water, exercise, or even time management, you are in the right place. And I'm here for you. If you want to take the next step on your health journey, I'd invite you to reach out to me, and we'll put together a plan that starts right where you are. So get in touch with me directly at www.iamdrfitness.com Or my instagram @iamdrfitness. And it's spelled I A M D R fitness. My name, Dr. Fitness. And this is Your Health Moment. 

All right, let the shenanigans begin. Hey, welcome. I am Dr. Fitness. And this is a show all about hydration. Now I made hydration the first focus of my five areas of fitness focus. And you're probably wondering why? The short answer is the human body is made up of 70% water. And this is why I chose proper hydration as the first pillar of focus. According to the National Library of Medicine, approximately 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. Now chronic dehydration is a condition when dehydration recurs for longer periods of time. Now sometimes regardless of how much fluid you take in one particular day, you still can suffer from chronic dehydration. Now, I recommend that everyone attempt to consistently drink about a gallon of water a day, okay, to stay hydrated. Now, it's this close to that gallon as you possibly can, because some people will have more or less requirement for hydration. But but I've found that when people can measure and think gallon, they do really well and they're much more consistent. So trust me on this, if you think gallon, you'll be more consistent. Now if you're not doing that, you could be setting yourself up for chronic dehydration. On the other hand, most people are prone to acute dehydration under certain circumstances, such as extreme extreme heat exposure. And we all know and we're seeing the signs of global warming, so we're going to be warmer, a lot more than we have in the past. So be mindful that because of that and a lot of other factors like prolonged prolonged physical activity, you could be experiencing more typical acute cases of dehydration. Now, they can be resolved by resting and making sure you drink that gallon of water a day. Okay, it's that combination, but remember, the resting part is a really big part of it. But chronic dehydration passes the point of simply using more fluid than you take in. Instead, it becomes an ongoing issue where you're forcing your body to function without enough water. Now each one of your organs require a certain amount of hydration because they're mostly water. So chronic hydration, when significant would require prompt medical attention, because it can lead to other conditions like high blood pressure, kidney stone ones and other ailments that come as a result of your organs not having the hydration they need. Okay? Now I've learned the importance of hydration. When I was really young, I had a very observant mother, who just happened to be a nurse. And when I was eight, my brother Mike purchased me my first bike. Now that bike had a big old banana seat, and it was yellow. And I love that bike. Okay, I was allowed to ride in about a three block radius of my house. And I would go with the beginning of the day, and I would ride all day, and not even think about coming home. Okay. But it was really kind of cool. You know, I'm telling you, this was the heyday of feeling independent, you know. So, at the time, it seemed like I was able to go really far those three blocks seem far. But during that radius, I was able to meet other kids. And we would ride and play games the entire day until the street lights turned on. And that was our cue to go back home. But I'll never forget the day. When I returned home, I had a headache. And I was crazy exhausted. To the point where I could barely stand. Now my mom saw me and immediately asked how much water did I have? You know, what did I have to drink that day, and I didn't remember drinking anything. And that's what I told her. So she decided it would be best to put me in bed. And feed me watermelon. Okay, so my mom put me to bed and I was allowed to have watermelon in the bed. And if you know anything about eating watermelon, eating watermelon in the bed is normally not a good day and good idea. And it is normally not encouraged. But I knew something was a it was important that I eat it if she allowed me to eat it in bed. Okay, so she allowed me to eat watermelon and bed. And that's probably the reasons that it really sticks with me to this day, because since then, I've never been allowed to eat watermelon into bed again. But after two days, I started to feel better. So being dehydrated for that period kind of wiped me out for longer than, you know, like over a day like two days. So my mom warned me never to forget to drink. And I got a really cool canteen that she gave me after that day, and it was saved like a gun. So I could wear like a holster across my body. Right? It was like a gun holster. But really, it was a water bottle. And I used to love that thing. So I'd whip it out, drink my water, and fill it up with hoses when I saw hoses, but it was just a cool way to like, drink your water. You know, I felt like pretty cool with a gun water bottle. But now, hey, what I've learned is never allow myself to get that hydration, that dehydrated. And though if you don't know what dehydration looks like, because a lot of people don't, you know, you may not either have experienced it, or you may have experienced it, and not even know you experienced it. But things to look out for. If your urine is dark, you know, it'll look a more of a start to like a dark yellow. Okay? If you get muscle fatigue, dizziness, extreme thirst. If you seem like you're not able to really sweat anymore, you know, those are signs. So check yourself and see, hey, I've been drinking water, you want to really stay on top of that, I find that every body is different. And there are a lot of other different combinations of symptoms to actually determine if you're dehydrated or not. But to make it super simple. If you have a gallon water jug, carry it with you and take 10 gulps every time you think about it and that should be approximately every 20 to 30 minutes. Gulp Gulp gulp particular if you're in an area that if you're really warm or you're exerting yourself in some way. Now if carrying a gallon jug is too big and too awkward because I hear this all the time I don't want to carry $1. Okay, well put the gallon somewhere, and then have smaller bottles that you can fill up and you carry the smaller ones with you. But it's important to have that gallon jug somewhere in your visit vicinity, because it's the measuring that you need to make sure that you're getting enough. Most of the time when people drinking bottle after bottle after bottle, they lose the bottles and they don't track as well, the amount of hydration that they're have. So to make sure that all that doesn't happen for you stick to the gallon. But if you want to carry something smaller than find a bottle or something that's more your style to carry with you, but definitely carry it with you and don't just carry it. It's really important that you actually drink it. Okay? Now you don't have to experience all these symptoms that I mentioned, to be suffering from dehydration, okay. But in my opinion, it's better to be safe than sorry.

I believe it's important to let your body actually organically tell you how much you should be drinking. You know, the thing is, most people just don't know how to trick track their drinking habits. So this is why I recommend one more time, the gallon water jug. Okay. So all those things that Oh, no, this is a serious water drinker. Oh my God, who do you think he is carrying around that jug gallon of water, don't even let those people get to you. Okay, ignore them. So carry your water. It's a great tracking mechanism, it's going to help you it's an easier way to avoid dehydration. Because you have a system that's really easy to gauge your water intake. Okay. Now, every day, you're drinking a gallon, you're doing well. But if you're experiencing any signs of dehydration, you most likely will need additional rest. Because that rest is really important. When it comes to making sure that you're coming out of chronic dehydration or dehydration, the rest piece is important. So do your best if you can. Don't overthink it, but drink and make sure you rest. When, when looking back at the times that I've seen clients challenged by dehydration, I've noticed that they really perform well during their, their sessions. A lot of times, they're just not even aware that that could potentially be an issue that dehydration is one of them things when people feel sluggish. That doesn't even pop up on their radar as something that it could be. It's one of those things that just can sneak up on you. So you might feel thirsty or you could feel lightheaded, it may sneak up on you and not be obvious. Let's say you're feeling fatigued, you may not realize that it's actually coming from dehydration. Some people feel hungry and eat when they actually need water. Okay, so the more familiar you get, the easier it will be to differentiate between whether you are hydrated and dehydrated. When you're out and about, don't just think about water, but actually drink it. Don't just carry a water bottle. But actually drink it in a way to make sure that you actually drink it is every time you put that water bottle up to your mouth. You do not lower it until you take at least 10 goals. Okay? The 10 Golf 10 goals at least 10 goals. Remember, your organs are made up of mostly water. So it's vital that you're drinking plenty of water. Or your body simply won't function at its best. So thank you so much for tuning in to this episode on hydration. And if you want more information on dehydration or proper hydration, my contact information is in the show notes. And don't forget to sign up for my newsletter. All right, I'll see you next time. 

Thank you so much for listening to another episode of Your Health Moment. Learning what tools will help you to live a life you love is so important. And I encourage you to check out some of the other episodes. If you're ready to take the next step for your health. I'd love to have that conversation. Head over to wwwiamdrfitness.com or go to my Instagram @iamdrfitness and that spelled I am Dr. Fitness to get in touch with me and we will put together a plan that starts right where you are today. My name is Dr. Fitness, and I will see you next time on Your Health Moment.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai