All about HYDRATION! 💦
Let's talk hydration!
When we talk about being hydrated, it refers to our water intake throughout the day.
This intake is crucial for the way your body feels and performs throughout the day as your body is made up of about 60% water!
Water is also the main component of our blood, which supplies cells with oxygen and nutrients and carries waste out of the body.
Internally, most of our water's job is to help:
- Transport materials like nutrients and hormones
- Filter organs like our kidneys
- Dissolve material like sugar
- Regulate body temperature
All of these functions thankfully occur without us even thinking about them!
In addition to helping our bodies survive, hydration plays a huge role in how we feel and perform.
Properly hydrating with water will:
- Increase your workout endurance and daily energy
- Lubricate and decrease stiffness around your joints
- Improve cognitive function (learning, memory, problem solving, etc.)
- Keep you feeling full longer
- Decrease the amount of food you eat
- Help you lose fat!
Yes, simply drinking more water will help you perform and think better in and out of the gym, improve your energy levels, and help you burn fat!
Here's what we want you to do starting TODAY:
1) Drink mainly calorie-free beverages!
This means sticking to mostly water and sometimes tea and coffee.
On average, Americans consume 400 calories in sugary beverages per day. This is a big no-no when it comes to weight loss.
These calories add up quick and do NOTHING help our fat-loss, performance, and overall health.
In fact, they do the exact opposite.
This definitely means avoiding sugary soda and juices.
When it comes to your coffee, nix the flavored syrups, whipped cream and other additives.
For those who enjoy the carbonation of sodas, try a flavored soda water!
2) Have water with you at ALL TIMES!
Driving. Working. Watching TV. Eating. Working out... Make sure you have a glass or bottle of water with you to continuously sip on.
I recommend purchasing a refillable water bottle like a Nalgene bottle. Many of them have measurement lines so you can track the actual amount you're drinking daily, which is helpful especially when you're first starting out!
Pay attention to the color of your urine. It can be a great indicator of your hydration level!
Our goal is to keep your urine color clear or a very light yellow throughout the day.
Here's how to prepare for your workouts with hydration:
- Start hydrating the night before your workout
- Wake up and immediately drink 2 cups of water
- Sip on your refillable water bottle throughout the day (keep urine clear or a very pale yellow color)
- Drink 2 cups of water 1 hour and 15 minutes before your workout
- Sip on water during your workout
3) Drink 2 cups of water before each meal!
Research shows simply drinking 2 cups of water before each meal will help you feel fuller and eat less during your meals.
One study put participants on the same diet; the only difference was that only one group was instructed to drink 2 glasses of water before each meal.
What happened at the end of the study?
The group that drank water before their meals lost an average of 4.4% body-fat over the course of the study.
The group that did not drink the water lost only on average 1.1% body-fat.
This was due to the fact that the water helped participants not overeat and helped them feel more full during and after their meals.
Further research has shown that 2 cups of water helps you eat 50 less calories per meal.
Those calories add up over the course of the days, weeks, and months!