Module 4 – Hydration
Hydration is huge when it comes to fat loss and health. More so than most people understand.
Proper hydration supports the flow of fluids like blood, lymph and cerebral fluid throughout the body. It also supports the sodium-potassium pump, which controls the balance of fluids inside and outside the cell. This is very important for maintaining good cellular health and function, including energy production.
Water helps transport nutrients and minerals around the body and to where they need to go, and helps amintain a good balance of both. If you are dehydrated, this is where you can see cramping occur due to the depeletion of minerals and hydration of the tissues (and imbalance in the sodium-potassium pump comes in here).
Many people “think” they are getting enough water, but they are not. I see this in health adn fitness professionals that I work with too. The awareness and maybe ‘education’ is just not there. And oh boy have I been shocked a few times by clietns telling me they might only get two glasses of water in a day, if even!
Some of the signs you are dehydrated are;
Headaches and migraines
Dry mouth, dry eyes and dry skin
Feeling of thirst
Irritability and frustration
Feelings of hunger and cravings
Constipation
Less frequent urination and strong smelling yellow pee
Inflammation, stiffness and soreness in the joints and muscles
Sleep issues and feelings of constant fatigue
Low milk supply if breastfeeding
Cramping and muscle spasms
Dizzy spells and vertigo
Menstrual issues and hot flashes
Slower metabolism
How do I know if I’m dehydrated?
There’s no exact science or test but there are some good indicators;
Look at your pee. Urine is composed of water, urea, organic materials (like carbs, fatty acids, enzymes and hormones) and some electrolytes/minerals. Normal pee should be clear to bright yellow. Urine that is dark yellow is an indicator of dehydration, as is lower pee frequency. * B vitamins can also cause pee to be yellow, something to remember.
Pinch your skin. If it tents or doesn’t bounce back to normal shape, especially on the tops of your hands – you are dehydrated.
Apply pressure to your fingernail for 5 seconds. Releases and observe how long it takes for the nail bed to turn back to pink. Good hydration should return the color back to normal in 1-3 secs, if it takes longer than 5 secs, you are likely dehydrated. This is also an indicator of circulation too.
Keep track of your weight. Weighing before and after exercise can be a little obsessive, but if you are exercising in a hot environment or your doing a particularly long or strenuous workout, it can be prudent to monitor how much water you are losing (refer back to last weeks posts on “exercise and hydration). You don’t need to do this forever – just until you get an idea of how much water you need to replenish with. 
Take this assessement questionaire => Are you dehydrated self-assessment
Improving hydration;
So to improve dehydration we want to have awareness around our fluid consumption each day. Use a good measuring bottle, like a 1 liters glass bottle (I use the large Rise bottle), to track your water. And keep track of how much coffee, tea and other you are having each day.
Generally we like to see, 0.5 – 1 ounce of water to each pound of body weight. But to keep it simple, a good goal is 3.5 to 4 liters of fluid a day.
I understand people struggle to get enough water/fluids in, so here are some ideas and foods, that you can impliment easily and daily;
Smoothies
Shakes
Green juice
Soups
Broths
Stews
Medicinal herbal teas
Aloe vera and Cactus water
Jellos and puddings
Ice pops or popsicles
Simple pomegranate beauty water recipe;
2 tablespoons of organic pomegranate seeds
1/8 tsp sea salt
3.5 cups of filtered or spring water
Directions -
In a 1 quart wide mouth canning jar, coarsely crush the pomegranate with the back of a wooden spoon (or you could pulse in a nutri bullet). Add the salt and water over the seeds. Refrigerate or enjoy add room temperature, there’s no need to strain. You can also add some rose petals or mint leaves for the extra hydration and beauty benefits.
Check out the recipes tab for a beautiful rose jelly recipe!