Hack Water. How a Simple Change Can Increase Your Hydration.
Firstly Read Aubrey Marcus book ‘Own The Day’. It is great.
One of the best hacks for me, and there were many, was about water. To help make the example I am about to give, here’s another hack. To charge your phone more quickly, turn Airplane Mode on. It works.
So How Do You Hack Water?
What’s the Airplane Mode hack? But first some context.
Everybody knows that drinking water is essential. And, we don’t drink enough. But just drinking a ton of water doesn’t mean your body can use it all. To achieve a hydrated state, you need to absorb the fluids. While we are 70 per cent water, none of it is plain H2O.
For your drinking water to be quickly absorbed within your gut and the cells, it needs to the right balance of electrolytes. Ideally, you need some sodium and a bit of glucose in your water. Avoid table salt. But sea salt has the minerals you need. Just a pinch in a litre of water. That’s the hack.
Sodium binds to water in the body to maintain the proper level of hydration inside or outside our cells.
Yes, we have been told for the last couple of decades to avoid salt. And yes, we can overdo it. Not smart. But, a little in our water keeps us hydrated.
Most tap water and bottled water, including water that has gone through basic filtration, is chaotic at a molecular level — meaning it will pass through your body and not penetrate your cells. This water, which has been pumped, piped and sat in plastic containers for months has been coined ‘lifeless water’ by experts.
Other Hacks.
Drink water 30 minutes before you eat. This helps to keep the body hydrated without slowing digestion. Water takes longer, to be absorbed while you’re eating.
Drink water first thing, on an empty stomach. After eight hours without, water will enter your bloodstream in five minutes. And cold water is absorbed more quickly than warm.
Drink often. Little and often keeps you more hydrated than drinking a lot quickly. Water can’t be absorbed if it passes through your intestines too quickly.
Check your urine. It’s basic, but this is the best test. If it’s very dark, you are on the dry side. Very light or translucent, you need to drink a bit less. A pale straw like colour is best.
Facts
Bottled water consumption has reached 391 billion litres annually.
It is estimated that 75 per cent in the western world is chronically dehydrated.
In the time you took to read this sentence, 6,000 plastic bottles per second in the US alone.
Own The Day Recipe.
350ml filtered water
3g sea salt
1/4 lemon, squeezed.
My Books.
Do Purpose. Why brands with a purpose do better and matter more.
Do Open. How a simple email newsletter can transform your business. (And it can)
My Workshops.
Do Breakthrough. The Life-Changing Magic of Sorting Your Sh*t Out. London. Oct 4th.
