2697: The Why and How of Staying Hydrated by Randi Kay of Naturally Randi Kay on Hydration & Healthy Living

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: This is Optimal Health Daily.

[00:00:02] [SPEAKER_00]: The Why and How of Staying Hydrated by Randi Kay of NaturallyRandiKay.com.

[00:00:08] [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm Dr. Neal Malik reading you some of the most popular health and fitness blogs

[00:00:12] [SPEAKER_00]: out there, with permission from the websites of course, and always with my commentary

[00:00:17] [SPEAKER_00]: at the end.

[00:00:18] [SPEAKER_00]: And with that, let's keep this intro nice and short and get right to today's

[00:00:22] [SPEAKER_00]: post as we optimize your life.

[00:00:28] [SPEAKER_00]: The Why and How of Staying Hydrated by Randi Kay of NaturallyRandiKay.com

[00:00:35] [SPEAKER_00]: As a massage therapist, I feel like a broken record when I tell people to stay hydrated

[00:00:41] [SPEAKER_00]: and drink more water after a session.

[00:00:43] [SPEAKER_00]: People usually smile and nod and say something like, oh yeah, I know, I really need to be

[00:00:49] [SPEAKER_00]: more hydrated.

[00:00:50] [SPEAKER_00]: And then they go on their merry way, business as usual, dehydrated as usual.

[00:00:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Now I'm not perfect at staying optimally hydrated myself, but I do it enough to know

[00:01:01] [SPEAKER_00]: that it makes a huge difference in my quality of life and the function of my systems.

[00:01:06] [SPEAKER_00]: It's crazy to think that water is so simple yet so versatile.

[00:01:10] [SPEAKER_00]: But don't let its simplicity fool you.

[00:01:13] [SPEAKER_00]: It's so vital to staying happy and healthy.

[00:01:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Back in January, I wrote a post about how to heal yourself with water that talked

[00:01:20] [SPEAKER_00]: about using water in various therapeutic ways during the winter months.

[00:01:25] [SPEAKER_00]: But today, I want to keep it even more simple than that.

[00:01:28] [SPEAKER_00]: How to enjoy drinking water and staying hydrated and why you should.

[00:01:33] [SPEAKER_00]: The Why.

[00:01:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Because everything needs a why these days, and for good reason, here are some insights

[00:01:39] [SPEAKER_00]: as to why you should be staying on top of your water game.

[00:01:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Think of a prune or a raisin.

[00:01:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Think of how depleted and dried up it looks.

[00:01:48] [SPEAKER_00]: It's not very malleable.

[00:01:49] [SPEAKER_00]: It would be useless to stretch it or massage it to get it to be plump and juicy again.

[00:01:55] [SPEAKER_00]: The same is true for our muscles and tissues.

[00:01:57] [SPEAKER_00]: If we aren't hydrated, what good would it do to get massages or do yoga to make

[00:02:02] [SPEAKER_00]: our bodies healthy again?

[00:02:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Our tissues need hydration.

[00:02:07] [SPEAKER_00]: They need nutrients to be healthy and heal from pain.

[00:02:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Think of your insides being a dried prune.

[00:02:13] [SPEAKER_00]: That's not going to do anyone any good.

[00:02:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Now think of a plumbing system.

[00:02:18] [SPEAKER_00]: No need to get too graphic here, but think of how water is used to push waste along

[00:02:22] [SPEAKER_00]: and keep things clean and clear.

[00:02:25] [SPEAKER_00]: We need water to keep toxins out of our bodies.

[00:02:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Toxins get pushed out of our pipes, the circulatory system and digestive tract to

[00:02:33] [SPEAKER_00]: keep them from getting clogged and unhealthy.

[00:02:36] [SPEAKER_00]: If we don't have that water, we are going to have a really hard time getting

[00:02:39] [SPEAKER_00]: the gunk out.

[00:02:40] [SPEAKER_00]: And getting the gunk out also makes room for things to be replenished with glorious

[00:02:45] [SPEAKER_00]: nutrients.

[00:02:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Don't deny your dear body its glorious nutrients.

[00:02:49] [SPEAKER_00]: There are definitely more reasons to stay hydrated, but let's stick with those for now.

[00:02:54] [SPEAKER_00]: The how.

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_00]: So what if you hate drinking water?

[00:02:58] [SPEAKER_00]: I hear that a lot from people.

[00:03:00] [SPEAKER_00]: The best, but less popular answer would be to stop drinking.

[00:03:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Most of the people who hate drinking water are the ones that gotta have their

[00:03:08] [SPEAKER_00]: sugary pop beverage or duped up latte.

[00:03:11] [SPEAKER_00]: You can change your palate just like with food, but you gotta work at it.

[00:03:15] [SPEAKER_00]: So start small.

[00:03:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Replace just one beverage a day with a glass of water, then two and then keep going.

[00:03:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Not only will you be putting less crap into your body, but more importantly,

[00:03:27] [SPEAKER_00]: you'll be putting better things in.

[00:03:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Or you can negotiate with yourself.

[00:03:32] [SPEAKER_00]: You can have a soda only after you drink two full glasses of water for example.

[00:03:37] [SPEAKER_00]: The other option is to jazz up your water a bit.

[00:03:40] [SPEAKER_00]: I like to add fresh herbs like mint or rosemary to my water.

[00:03:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Let it sit for a bit and then enjoy.

[00:03:47] [SPEAKER_00]: You can also use lemons, cucumbers, limes, grapefruit,

[00:03:51] [SPEAKER_00]: anything that tickles your fancy.

[00:03:53] [SPEAKER_00]: It's so refreshing, especially in the summer.

[00:03:56] [SPEAKER_00]: I like to juice a bunch of lemons and put the juice into ice trays.

[00:04:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Then I can just grab a lemon cube from the freezer when I need it

[00:04:03] [SPEAKER_00]: and not worry about the lemons going bad.

[00:04:05] [SPEAKER_00]: And there's a lot of water to get from fresh foods.

[00:04:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Fresh fruits and vegetables still have a fair amount of water in them.

[00:04:12] [SPEAKER_00]: The more of that you have in your diet, the more hydrated you will be.

[00:04:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Tea and coffee are also options, but make sure you aren't adding too much sugar

[00:04:20] [SPEAKER_00]: or cream that would turn a healthy choice into a not so healthy choice.

[00:04:25] [SPEAKER_00]: So how much to drink?

[00:04:27] [SPEAKER_00]: I've heard all sorts of numbers.

[00:04:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Eight glasses a day, half of your body weight in ounces.

[00:04:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Those are good guidelines.

[00:04:34] [SPEAKER_00]: But I say just pay attention.

[00:04:37] [SPEAKER_00]: You should be going to the bathroom regularly.

[00:04:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Your urine should be a happy light yellow color.

[00:04:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Your bowels should be regular.

[00:04:43] [SPEAKER_00]: You get the idea.

[00:04:45] [SPEAKER_00]: If you really pay attention, you'll know if you aren't getting enough water.

[00:04:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Most of us are blessed to live in an area where getting all the water we need

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_00]: isn't that big of a deal.

[00:04:55] [SPEAKER_00]: And when I say blessed, I mean truly blessed.

[00:04:57] [SPEAKER_00]: So take advantage of our precious water.

[00:05:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Use it for good.

[00:05:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Don't waste it in the shower or doing dishes.

[00:05:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Use it to nourish and replenish.

[00:05:06] [SPEAKER_00]: So set some hydration goals.

[00:05:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Make it a game. Have some fun.

[00:05:10] [SPEAKER_00]: It will change your life.

[00:05:16] [SPEAKER_00]: You just listened to the post titled

[00:05:18] [SPEAKER_00]: The Why and How of Staying Hydrated by Randy K of NaturallyRandyK.com

[00:05:24] [SPEAKER_00]: And I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:05:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Dr. Neal here for my commentary.

[00:05:29] [SPEAKER_00]: You may have jumped for joy when you heard that your six cups of coffee each day

[00:05:33] [SPEAKER_00]: count towards your daily fluid intake.

[00:05:36] [SPEAKER_00]: This is true, it does.

[00:05:37] [SPEAKER_00]: But we don't want to just rely on coffee and tea for hydration.

[00:05:40] [SPEAKER_00]: This is because at some point, the caffeine in those beverages

[00:05:44] [SPEAKER_00]: may increase the speed with which you lose water from your cells.

[00:05:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Put simply, they may increase your risk for dehydration.

[00:05:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Now don't get me wrong.

[00:05:53] [SPEAKER_00]: I love my coffee.

[00:05:54] [SPEAKER_00]: My family loves their tea.

[00:05:56] [SPEAKER_00]: There are lots of health benefits to consuming both of those things.

[00:06:00] [SPEAKER_00]: But the caffeine in these foods may block the absorption

[00:06:03] [SPEAKER_00]: of other nutrients like iron.

[00:06:06] [SPEAKER_00]: So everything in moderation please.

[00:06:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Be sure to replace that cup of coffee or tea with water here and there.

[00:06:13] [SPEAKER_00]: I often get asked whether it's harmful to drink carbonated water.

[00:06:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Like is the acid going to harm your teeth, your bones or your stomach lining?

[00:06:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Luckily so far studies have found that carbonated water doesn't cause any harm.

[00:06:26] [SPEAKER_00]: So if you prefer the taste of fizzy water, go for it.

[00:06:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Just be sure that it doesn't contain any extra calories or other additives.

[00:06:34] [SPEAKER_00]: If it doesn't, drink up and enjoy.

[00:06:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Alright, that'll do it for today.

[00:06:39] [SPEAKER_00]: I'll be back here tomorrow as usual.

[00:06:42] [SPEAKER_00]: So stay tuned for that where your optimal life awaits.