The Life-Saving Importance of Proper Hydration
One of my new private students listed on his intake form when asked how much water he drinks in a day: “Plenty”
I wondered what “plenty” meant and couldn’t wait to ask him.
He also listed that he had a heart issue last summer.
So the story goes:
He was visiting friends at the lake one weekend last summer. The first day was coffee in the morning, then beer all day. The next day came and the same routine happened. His wife arrived midday to spend the rest of the weekend with him.
His Apple Watch said that his heart rate had been over 150bpm for the past hour, even though he hadn’t been working out. It told him to go to the Emergency Room immediately.
He kind of laughed it off, but his wife threw him in the car and they took off to the ER.
First thing they told him at the ER was that he was dehydrated, so they hooked him up to fluids. They were able to regulate his heart and sent him the next day to the cardiologist.
A few weeks later, he had a cardiac ablation.
Moral of the story… his wife and his Apple Watch saved his life. 😊
The lack of water (hydration) and extreme sunshine (sweat) and only coffee and beer (dehydrators) created the perfect storm. But the damage was done to his heart from extreme dehydration.
Since then, he rarely drinks coffee or beer. Instead, he drinks water all day long.
I asked him if he has to pee all day since he drinks water all day and he said, “no!”
Bingo! That is proof that if your body is hydrated, liquids are absorbed and don’t run right through your system. He said that his mother, growing up, never let him drink sodas or juices, just water. He knew better because he was raised to drink water!
This is why he listed “plenty” of water on my intake form 😊
Filling up our bodies with water is like filling up your car with gas!
If the gas light on your car shows that you are running low, you take it straight to the gas station and fill it up. Unfortunately, our bodies don’t have an indicator light. We have to pay attention and stay ahead of hydration instead of behind it so we don’t run out!
The book—You’re Not Sick… You’re Thirsty” by F .Batmanghelidj, MD—was given to me over 15 years ago by a friend who truly believes that hydration is the key to life.
I have read it over and over again! It is a great resource for me and my students.
The book answers the basic question, “Could drinking water and staying hydrated be the secret to our overall health”?
Most profoundly, the answer is YES!
So my message today is this:
HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE!!!!!!
I have been preaching hydration for as long as I can remember.
If you attend any of my classes at my studio or at the Y, you will always hear me say at the end: “Hydrate, make sure you hydrate.”
I preach hydration because I know how important it is to the health and quality of our lives.
At a conference last summer, one of the speakers addressing Physical Therapists spoke about how a hydrated muscle reacts differently to manipulation than a dehydrated muscle.
He recommended that physical therapists check their clients for dehydration before they work with them.
“Dehydrated muscles and joints are brittle and painful to move through ranges of motion. Which also means that blood flow is having a hard time getting through brittle muscles. This blood flow is what helps heal the body especially after a surgery,” he said.
This image shows you the difference in hydrated and dehydrated muscles and fascia. This hit me HARD!
Could hydration be the missing link to pain reduction in the body?
ABSOLUTELY YES!!!!!! This is profound!
This article from Simple Mobility states:
“Well-hydrated tissues respond better to stretching and recover faster. Hydration affects flexibility because muscles, fascia, joints, and discs all require water to function optimally. Dehydration creates stiffness and restriction that impairs mobility.”
Hydration doesn’t just affect the elasticity of muscles and joints, but organs as well.
Research shows that a high percentage of heart attacks and strokes could be prevented by hydration.
When the heart and brain don’t have enough water to function properly, they shrink like a dry sponge. Fluid loss decreases blood volume and makes it harder for the heart to pump. The heart compensates for lower fluid levels by beating faster which puts increased strain on arterial walls.
Our bodies are made of water
FACTS:
Our bodies are 60-70% WATER!
This image represents how the different parts of our body are comprised of water.
Our bodies are like plants. They need water and sunshine to live! If we don’t water our plants, they shrivel up and die! They need our attention or they won’t survive. Same thing is required with our bodies.
I have been sharing with my students this past week about my dried up dead plant that I left in my garage over the winter and forgot to water. The soil is completely solid as a rock and dehydrated.It is a sad reminder of how dehydration looks. We have to water ourselves just like plants! We don’t want our insides to dry up and die.
How much should we drink?
Everyone is different. The general recommendation is half of your bodies weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 150lbs, then you need to drink 75ozs of water per day
Remember that not all ounces come in fluids alone… fruits and vegetables with high water content also count. Especially in the summer when these are more available. Drink up and eat up. 😊
What about adding electrolytes to our water?
Be careful… some of these additives are high in sugar and extra chemicals that the body doesn’t need. Check your labels. You can squeeze some lemon and add a dash of salt to a glass of water which is an easy and inexpensive way to get your electrolytes.
Top Takeaways:
If there’s anything I want you to remember from this blog post, it’s this:
Water your body like you water your plants.
Hydration makes the entire body function higher.
Hydration relieves stress on the organs and heart and brain and can prevent heart attacks and strokes.
Hydration can reduce pain in the body in muscles, joints and spinal discs.
Your body is 60-70% water. Fill it up like you fill up your car with gas.
Stay ahead of hydration. With the heat of summer coming, it is important to drink fluids before we feel thirsty.
Hydration Product Recommendations:
Below are some of my favorite products I use to stay hydrated!
Civago 32 oz Glass water bottle
On average, you will need to drink at least 2 of these each day. This is a great way to keep track of your water consumption. It’s also glass and keeps plastic toxins from entering the body.
Purewell 3-Stage Ultra-Filtration Gravity Water Filter System
This is what I serve in my studio. It has a triple filter system that takes out heavy metals and other toxins from our tap water. It is a much cheaper version of the Berkey system.
Britta Ultra Max Large Water Dispenser
I have this one in my refrigerator. It’s an easy way to get great filtered water without using water bottles.
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