Did you ever get a chance to watch the movie 127 hours starred by James Franco? It is based on the true story of an intrepid mountain climber who got stuck in a boulder for 5 days. This movie presented a great outline of the stages of dehydration that follows the lack of fluids in the body. You might say, “That is a little extreme, I would never get to that point” Right? I would hope not, but I use this example as a way to explain to you, that hydration must have to be a priority in your day. This short-read will give you an overview of the importance of hydration, how dehydration may affect your daily activities, and most importantly, I will provide you with the four best strategies to keep well hydrated.

First, we may want to understand why we need to replenish fluids. There are three ways you lose water and minerals:

1. You sweat
2. You go to the bathroom
3. You breath

I lose water breathing? YES! Air needs to be moistened to enter your body and to leave it as well. Obviously sweat increases water loss, but also increases you loss of minerals such as sodium and potassium. These little guys called electrolytes are strictly involved in thousands of reactions and processes in your body. One of them is muscle contraction and relaxation. Cramping during exercise in some cases results due to the lack of electrolyte replenishment. You typically replace your fluid and electrolyte losses with water and other beverages (~80%) and from food sources (~20%). Meeting fluid needs sometimes becomes a challenge. Whether you are an athlete or not, dehydration can affect you performance in sports, work, and school.

Ask yourself the following:

• Do I have problems concentrating or staying focused on my daily tasks sometimes?
• Do I experience headaches often?
• What about dizziness and light-headedness?
• Does my mouth ever get dry and sticky?
• Am I experiencing thirst sometimes throughout the day?

If you answer YES to any of these questions, there’s likely a chance your hydration status might not be on point.

A lot of people ask me “How much water should I be drinking throughout the day?” My answer is always the same: “It all depends”. Focusing on a number of cups or ounces daily is hard and time-consuming. Most people drink water when they feel thirsty. Believe it or not, the research is clear in that the thirst mechanism does not kick in until you have already become dehydrated. You might ask, how do I know if I am drinking enough or too much then? There are better ways to monitor your hydration. For as weird as it may sound, you look at your pee color!! Yes, your urine color. Take a second to look at the chart below and tell me where you are. You should aim for 1-2 on the scale, or an easier way to remember– “You want to be light like lemonade, not dark like apple juice” This little phrase works great with kids. Being clear is not ideal. That is called over hydration. Over hydration may dilute important electrolytes in your body affecting some body functions.

Hydration should be a priority in the day. Her are the four best strategies that keep you well hydrated.

1. Wake up to a cup of water — this is a key time to elevate your hydration levels to 100% and start your day right. You were depleted of fluids for 8 hours. Have you ever felt thirsty in the middle of the night? That would explain why you wake up dehydrated.

2. Buy a fancy bottle — plastic water bottles are disposable. There is likely the chance you will drink it and throw it away or lose it. If you have a fancy water bottle you love and cherish, chances you will lose it will be minimal. Don’t forget to refill it every time it goes empty.

3. Flavor it — many people hate to drink water because they don’t like the taste of it. Crystal Light® packets offer a chance to change the taste of your water, and they are easy to carry. Grab a couple before leaving home in the morning. Another more natural suggestion — Create water infusions!! Add some lime and mint for example and cool overnight. Other people like to add oranges slices and strawberries. BE CREATIVE!!

4. Drink your foods — What?? YES! Fruits and vegetables all have water, some more than others. Watermelons, cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach, strawberries, cantaloupe, and grapefruit are all great choices. Over 90% of the weight of these is water. Of course, you are getting a ton of vitamins and minerals.

Dehydration is the number one nutrition-related cause of poor performance in sports. Don’t let it also become the number one cause of poor performance in other tasks in your day.

To find out more how you can improve not only your hydration, but also your nutrition, shoot me a message to my email sportsrdayesta@gmail.com or twitter @sportsrdandres