Water and hydration. I was just going to call this ‘Water’ but felt hydration would give me some more SEO juice. Like throwing a dime into the ocean. Not sure it really matters.
Just re-read this interesting and very simple article online this morning and it was a great reminder – and supporter – of keeping hydrated. The article is called “What Happens When You Drink a Gallon of Water a Day“.
The woman who wrote it says she starting peeing a lot. Like 15 times a day. I get it. Happens to me as well. Except when I’m dehydrated, and that’s the key here, my main point: even when I don’t necessarily feel dehydrated or know I’m dehydrated – I just generally feel ‘off’ or more specifically, like shit, when I start pounding water…lets say 2-4 pint glasses back to back, I don’t pee. I was – in those cases – dehydrated. My body was literally telling me this by A. feeling like shit or less than great and B. by not peeing or peeing very little after pounding a shit load of water. Ding ding ding.
I do think people – or in my case – can also experience dehydration even when they don’t fall victim to the acute aspects of day to day dehydration indicated above – things like feeling like shit in general, feeling tired, maybe a headache or random muscle cramps and general malaise that can be quenched, in part, by – in my experience – pounding a bunch of water.
But…there are times I feel fine but discover when I start making an effort to drink more water, stuff gets, in general, better. Poo gets better. I know. Gross. But true. Just more…regular. I’m not as tired. My skin gets way better.
In Tom Brady’s book “The TB12 Method” he mentions that getting fully hydrated can take up to two weeks. I tend to believe this, again, from my own experience. People scoff at this like “why” – and who knows. I don’t know why. And I don’t much care. I know that it can take me awhile to feel fully on board with “feeling good” via hydration. It doesn’t just ‘snap’, feel better in one swell motion of drinking a few glasses of water. But it’s a good start. Keep making it a daily practice. You can start with Tom’s 12 day hydration challenge!
Other aspects covered in this Outside hydration article:
Day 4 “I didn’t feel like a 70-year-old woman when I got out of bed this morning.”
“Day 7: Can we talk about how good I am at yoga right now? My hamstrings are much more flexible, and my back bends with ease.”
Can I just say my back has been bothering me lately and my calves have been, well…kind of fucked. I’m excited there’s a possible solution here. Yes, rest is good. Nutrition – more leafy greens and vegetables. But also, just straight up hydration. What a God send. Like Neil Young was saying last night in his show – “…this show is brought to you by…Water!”
“Day 10: A switch to water that’s been ultrapurified by reverse osmosis (plus “carbon polishing” and UV sterilization) has proved revelatory. It’s fully palatable and delicately sweet, without a hint of chlorine. I’m now the proud owner of a refillable three-gallon jug.”
I do this, and it’s a pain in the ass but worth it. I get the reverse osmosis whatever crap at PCC and it’s awesome. But a pain in the ass. I can taste the garbage from my tap water – even when filtered w/ a Pura filter ( is that what they are called ). So I’m always going back to fill my two 3 gallon jugs almost every week, when I remember.
“Day 24: My massage therapist confirms that my muscles and fascia are noticeably looser.”
“The bottom line: “We all wake up slightly dehydrated. The easiest change you can make is to have a big glass of water first thing in the morning.”
I get this. Drinking a glass or two in the morning is huge. Some people think this is gross, but oh well. You get used to it. It’s a great way to start the day and accelerates that…#2 process!!!
Hydrate. It’s important. Even if you don’t know it. Or feel it.