I’ve hit my Hydration Goals for 222 Days Straight
How drinking more water has improved my life this year
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We all know how important it is to “stay hydrated” but what does that even mean?
The old adage directed us to drink 8 glasses of water per day. So that would be roughly 64 ounces (1.8 L) of water if we’re talking about a typical 8 ounce (236 mL) glass. Does this sound right to you? Lots of people are skeptical of the 8 glasses of water myth.
Obviously, there will be plenty of variables to determine how hydrated you should be. Things like height, weight, activity levels, temperature and humidity levels where you live, etc. It’s pretty hard to give it one specific number to shoot for each day. I’d say that 8 glasses of water per day is a great place to start, but I wanted to get more granular (as I often do).
Quench
Last year, I read the excellent book Quench by Dana Cohen and Gina Baria. I learned tons about the complex world of hydration. Mostly, I realized how important diet is in your hydration needs. Eating hydrating foods can be as important as actually drinking fluids. This book encouraged me to think a bit more strategically about my hydration needs. That included making things like “hydrating smoothies” (hint, chia seeds are key!) and using electrolytes to make sure my water was being better absorbed (great use of all the lemons from our lemon tree).
HidrateSpark
As I started thinking about hydration more, I realized that I needed a better way to track this. I knew that smart water bottles had existed for a few years but they still seemed like a gimmick to me. The big name in the smart bottle space was HidrateSpark. I had investigated one of their bottles a few years back and deemed it too plasticky for my liking. I also had to question if tracking my water was really necessary. I could just picture my Dad (or certainly my Grandpa) telling me that us young kids were crazy with all of our tracking gizmos. Just drink your 8 glasses per day and go on with your life!
