Do you light-headed when you stand up too fast or get frequent headaches? Is your urine dark in color or are you constipated? Is your skin feeling dry and cracked?
Summer is here, the weather is heating up, so there is no time like the present to get hydrated (and not with margaritas). If you’re out and about at the beach, at a park, surfing, or hiking you want to stay hydrated, chances are you may not be getting an adequate amount of water. But how much water should you drink?
The research behind adequate water intake varies, but I recommend that you:
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- Drink half your body weight in fluid ounces of water/day
- Drink 2 to 3 cups of water prior to exercises
- Drink 7-10 ounces for every 10 minutes of exercise depending on the intensity of the exercise aka you’ll want to drink more after a HIIT or crossfit class
- Drink 16-32 ounces of water after exercise
- You know you are properly hydrated when your urine is pale yellow in color. If it’s clear, you may be drinking too much. If it’s dark yellow, you aren’t drinking enough.
- You should be emptying your bladder every 3-4 hours. If you are peeing more frequently than that, you would benefit from a pelvic floor PT evaluation and can schedule a free 15 minute phone consultation with me here.
Here are some tips to increase your water intake:
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- Invest in a reusable water that is high quality and durable. If your water bottle is more visually appealing, you’ll carry it with you everywhere and you’ll enjoy drinking from it. It’s simple, we like aesthetically pleasing items.
- Set a goal for yourself and determine the number of bottles you need to drink per day to get to your goal water intake. For example, I have a 40 ounce water bottle, and aim to drink 2 of them per day. I typically drink more than that, but I know that at the very least I will get 80 ounces of water/day.
- Set a reminder on your phone or smart watch to remind you to drink water. Perhaps 1x/hour you can aim to drink 4-6 ounces.
- Download an app to track your water intake such as “Water Reminder” or “Water Tracker Waterllama” (who doesn’t love llamas)
- Reward yourself for drinking water. We are all more likely to complete a task if we know there is a treat at the end. For instance, if you finish your water you can reward yourself with reading your book, watching a show, or listening to your favorite podcast.
- Habit stack- I learned this technique from the book “Atomic Habits,” by James Clear. Stack drinking water on top of one of your regular daily habits (like turning on the coffee pot or brushing your teeth). Try to drink a glass of water when you first wake up in the morning, and with each meal.
So try out some of these techniques, and see if you can add a bit more water into your daily life. Your bladder and bowels will thank you.