Drinking water.

Are you a mess when it comes to hydrating your body? Inconsistent and haphazard?

The reality is if you don’t drink enough water, you’re going to feel lethargic, stiff and achy throughout your entire body, bloated, constipated, and generally unwell…which in turn, impacts your motivation and drive to do anything else fitness or nutrition related!

When it comes to drinking water, there are some big mistakes that people often make. And it has nothing to do with electrolytes or alkaline water or anything fad-related. In fact, those trends are just distracting from the real mistakes that people are making.

So grab a glass of water (you’re gonna need it while you’re listening to this) and let’s get your hydration where it needs to be - your body is going to feel a million times better.

The “Simultaneous Sip”

There’s something we do on our Wednesday live coaching calls in many of my training programs. I call it the “Simultaneous Sip”. Before we jump into the Q&A we always cheers each other with our beverage, and I say, “And now you’re one more sip hydrated.” I always remind the ladies I coach that if I have no other impact on their lives, if they’re at least someone that is better hydrated every single day, that alone with will change their life.

It’s your baseline!

Over the years, I have known MANY people that feel terrible in their bodies and generally unwell, and they’re also really bad at drinking water.

• Their beverages of choice are coffee, soda, iced tea, juice, milk - basically anything but water. And it’s having a bigger impact on their health than they realize.

I had a friend that was a notorious soda drinker… she always had a can of soda in her hand, I don’t think I ever saw her drink a glass of water.

My father-in-law is a coffee drinker, and has been for years. He just drinks pots of coffee all day long.

Now these are kind of extreme scenarios, and maybe you’re not quite to that level with your hydration choices, but I find that for most women, it’s 50/50 - you’re either an excellent hydrator or it’s something that’s a constant struggle for you.

Whether you’re already great at drinking water or if it’s a battle, you’re going to find some really helpful tips in this episode.

Obviously, it is important to stay well hydrated. Why?

If you don’t drink enough water, you’re going to feel lethargic, stiff and achy, bloated, constipated, too hot or too cold, and generally unwell…which in turn, dramatically impacts your motivation and desire to do anything else fitness or nutrition related!

• All of our cells soak in water
• Water transports nutrients throughout our body
• Water is the medium and catalyst for most of our body’s metabolic processes
• It lubricates your joints
• It keeps your skin and connective tissues health (talk to any dermatologist and they’ll say hydrating and sunscreen!)
• It keeps your fascia lubricated (We talked about this a couple weeks ago with Anna Rahe)
• It regulates your body temperature
• Maintains your blood pressure
• Helps with bladder control and pelvic floor problems
• It assists in digestion through your entire GI tract

All good things!!!

But when it comes to drinking water, you might be making some common mistakes that I see all the time - the 4th one is probably the most popular right now ….they’re really easy to fix, though.

Four Most Common Mistakes with Drinking Water

Mistake #1: Letting Water be an Afterthought

• With nutrition, we tend to focus on food first - what we’re eating, how much we’re eating. Water is the last thing.
• But, it’s so much easier to manage your food habits when your hydration needs are taken care of.
  • A lot of food cravings and hunger cues are actually confused hydration cues.
• Jumpstart 30 - we spend the first 5 days ONLY working on your water intake. Why? Because it sets the stage for everything else down the line.
  • When it’s time to implement the habits of eating slowly, and eating PRO’s, and managing your splurges these things are so much easier to do when you’re already well hydrated and have a consistent routine of drinking water
  • Plus, this becomes your “baseline”

There is so much value to your mindset of mastering a non-food habit first

• We have such long histories with dieting and damaged relationship with food
• It’s positive and encouraging to come out of the gate with a habit that doesn’t involve food at all
• It may already be something that you’re pretty good at
• Easy wins

Mistake #2: Not Drinking the Right Amount for YOUR Body

• MYTH: Gallon of water/day or 8 glasses of water/day
• FACT: Half your bodyweight in ounces of water/day is your best starting point
• Monitor your urine color
  • Eating lots of protein and fruits/vegetables will also help to hydrate you
  • Drinking other beverages will hydrate you also (coffee!)
• By the way, it’s normal to pee every 2-4 hours

Mistake #3: Chugging Large Amounts of Water All at Once

• Drinking a full water bottle right before you go to bed or at the end of your workout
• Much better to sip on it throughout the day
  • Glass of water with each meal, Glass of water in between meals
  • OR - carry a large tumbler with you as you go about your day
  • Will this dilute your stomach acids? No. You would need to drink approximately 5L of water in one setting to dilute your stomach acids, and then you’re running into other potentially dangerous situations like hyponatremia.
• Waking up to pee at night a problem? Slow down your sipping 3 hours before bedtime

Mistake #4: Always Needing Your Water to Be Bubbly or Flavored

• There’s nothing wrong with flavored or sparkling water here and there
• It’s important to teach your taste buds that they don’t always need to be entertained
  • Especially important if you struggle with sticking to a healthy diet and frequently get tempted with candy, treats, and sweets
• Too much carbonated water can make you feel really bloated and gassy

On a side note here: It’s really best to avoid “drinking your calories”

• Any beverage that’s not calorie-free should be treated as a splurge (juice, soda, adult beverages, coffee drinks)
• Why? You should be getting most of your daily caloric intake from foods, that have bulk and take time to digest and breakdown. With liquids, it’s really hard for your brain to register what you just drank as the potential equivalent of a meal. (This is why if you’re trying to GAIN weight, caloric beverages are awesome for this. You can drink so many calories without feeling full.)

Simple, Actionable Tips to Hydrate Better

1. (The easiest thing) Just start with adding a glass of water to your meals, then get yourself a water bottle and start carrying it with you as you go about your day (proximity is key)
2. Start noticing your urine color

More Resources & Links

The Jumpstart 30 Program for Beginners - Jumpstart your health & fitness journey with Megan’s signature 30-day program for true beginners!

FREE Weekly Jumpstart Newsletter! Master your midlife health in just 3 minutes a week with this easy-to-read newsletter

The Back & Hip Fix 30-day program - Reduce your chronic back & hip pain in less than 10 minutes a day!

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