Hydration for Injury Prevention?

5 minute Read

Well welcome to summer! 

And because we are reaching the time of warmer temperatures i’m going to talk about hydration here. I’ve actually been having quite a few conversations about this lately so why not just put it out there for everyone!

Let me start by saying this, every person's needs are different. BUT there are some general guidelines that we all should follow. And, I’ll be the first to raise my hand to say that drinking enough water daily is hard for me! But I have put some practices in place at least keep me in a relatively good range. I will go more into those later.

How much SHOULD you drink?

Our bodies are made up of around 50-70% water. Lean tissue carries more than fat. Also every system in our bodies rely on water in some way. Waste removal  both liquid and solid) require water. Want to keep your blood pressure in check….need to be hydrated, when you are dehydrated makes your blood thicker and harder to pump! Keeps you from getting injured - Hydrated tissues are less prone to injuries. Temperature regulation requires a specific amount of water in your system, this is also why you over heat and can have heat stroke if you become dehydrated. It helps maintain the fluid in your ears that help with your balance and orientation so you don’t get dizzy.Water is the primary transport for nutrients within the body as well. So also extremely important in digestion. Allow cells to maintain their elasticity….everything from your gut to your ears to your skin….this is imperative for these things to do their job properly!

The standard recommendation for an “average male” sedentary (200lb) is 15.5 cups of water a day…that’s 124oz! 

And for an “average female” sedentary (170lb) is 11.5 cups of water a day…96oz

These are baselines, you also need to take into consideration age, activity level, climate and possibly other health conditions.

Yes, I’m writing this as the weather is getting warmer because this is when we associate dehydration most, when it is hot and we sweat more, a clear loss of fluid. But it is very easy to get dehydrated during colder months because we don’t “feel” thirsty as much due to the cooler temperatures. This is particularly an issue in the older population.

If you are active, drink MORE!

My general recommendation is you should drink ¾ of your weight in ounces during the day. This doesn’t ALL have to be water but at least half should be. You can drink bubbly water BUT, bubble may make you feel bloated or full and not allow you to drink as much as you need. Also Coffee doesn’t count….or anything with caffeine, it makes you pee so is counter productive. Some electrolytes are needed but the extra sugars and ingredients in hydration drinks aren’t, they slow the emptying of your stomach so which slows the hydration process, so gatorade and such are not great choices either. 

There are more products coming out now that are just electrolyte powders. My favorite is Fringe.

How am I staying hydrated?

First thing I did was get an accountability buddy. We were talking about hydration and how both of us had been struggling a bit. So we started with 24oz of water and text each other when we hit that mark. Plain water. Morning tea doesn’t count, juice doesn’t count, just water. Then we bumped it up to 36oz. For me I don’t like to lose…anything so when she started hitting her numbers earlier in the day than me I had to work harder at this. She literally beat me every day for an entire week before I could finish before her! But this is me. The goal really is to just get a minimum of that water goal, then can have other things like electrolytes or bubbly water. My favorite is Coconut water. It is much easier for me to drink that than anything else really!

Fun Fact!

Did you know? During World War II, coconut water was used instead of hospital IV fluid because it has the same balance of salt and minerals. Cool, right?

That’s why I love it—but I only let myself drink it after I hit my plain water goal.

Helpful Tips

A couple of other ideas, use a 16oz water bottle, refill it to get your 32oz or 48oz a day. This has helped me lately. A big 32oz container seems much more daunting to me. Plus I can see inside the smaller water bottle. Previously I thought I had consumed more than I actually had because I couldn’t see through my hydroflask how much I had drunk.

What I’ve Noticed Since Drinking More Water

Since I started doing this, I feel more energetic all day.
When you’re low on water, it can make you feel tired and sluggish—and I don’t have time for that!

Signs of Dehydration

If you are thirsty you are probably on your way. This doesn’t mean you need to chug a bunch to catch up but 8-12oz can get you caught up real quick. Also the color of your pee. Dark yellow, no bueno! A light lemonade color is best. It used to be drink til you pee clear but this isn’t actually the case either, there is an over hydration so don’t want that either. Other signs of dehydration, dry lips, headache, lightheaded/dizzy, irritable, and muscle cramps.

Also to be clear, staying hydrated isn’t crushing large amounts of fluids all at once, it should be consistent throughout the day. And if you don’t want to interrupt your sleep too much, a morning and afternoon are best and ease off as evening comes.

Other ways to help keep you hydrated, set a timer every hour or 2 and make sure you have had your water for that time period. I know it can be hard sometimes to get it in, while working on projects or something intense.

Also eat hydrating foods like watermelon, cucumbers and lettuce. Soups and broths (where are my bone broth people at?) can be helpful as well!

If you have any questions about any of this or want to learn more. Click below and schedule a FREE Discovery call and let’s chat about how I can support you!