The jury is out! The fountain of youth has been discovered and the magical sauce can be sourced from your nearest water fountain! Did you know that 3 out of every 4 Americans are chronically dehydrated? Although we are generally good about consuming 8 glasses of water a day, our efforts are offset by our egregious intake of alcohol, soda and coffee.
Feeling Thirsty?
The bad news is, by the time you are “feeling thirsty,” you have already lost 1-2% of your body water, which affects mental performance, concentration, and energy. In fact, a study on college students found that test-takers who were consuming water during their exam, scored 5% higher than the non-water drinkers.
Thus, simply listening to our thirst cue isn’t enough to maintain adequate hydration.
Side Effects
Mild dehydration has been credited as the number one source of afternoon fatigue. Therefore, when 4 o’clock rolls around, instead of heading to Starbucks for a cup of Joe, reach for water instead.
A study performed on 25 healthy women has shown that mild dehydration even dampened mood, increased fatigue, led to headaches, and decreased concentration (Armstrong et al., 2011). Not to mention, your body will pull water from skin and other tissues to maintain blood volume. Hence, the appearance of wrinkles, saggy skin, and under-eye bags. In conclusion, perhaps you can skip the facelift and hydrate instead!
How to Measure Hydration Status
Maintaining Hydration
Consuming enough water can be a challenge. Ideally, your goal is to divide your weight in half and consume that amount of water per day. For example, a 100 pound individual would have a goal of 50 oz. per day. A 200 pound individual would have a goal of 100 oz. per day. Additionally, aim for 8 oz. of water for every 15 minutes that you are in the heat or exercising. This quick little tactic can make meeting your water goal a breeze: Take a handful of whatever fruit you have in your fridge and dump it into a blender full of fresh water. Pulse for a few seconds. The idea is to simply mix the flavor into the water, not create a smoothie. Thus, pulse, not puree. Quickly, run this detoxifying mixture through a sieve/strainer as you pour into a glass (not plastic) pitcher and store in the fridge. Don’t have a blender within reach? Simply slice and add to your water. This superstar glass pitcher works well with hot or cold beverages and has a built in strainer! The longer it sits, the more intense the flavor.
Our Favorite Flavor Combinations
- Blueberries + Peaches
- Orange + blueberries
- Strawberry + Meyer lemon + fresh basil
- Strawberry + orange + fresh basil
- Watermelon + fresh mint leaves
- Orange + cucumber + fresh mint leaves
- Strawberry + fresh mint leaves + cucumber
- Fresh Rosemary + Meyer lemon
- Lemongrass + strawberries
- Orange + Fresh ginger root
Detoxifying Spa Water
Ingredients
- 1 handful Organic, fresh fruit
- 4 Sprigs Fresh Herbs
- 1 pitcher Fresh, filtered, water
Instructions
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Add your fruit and herb of choice into blender. You can also add ice, to make it immediately cold, without having to refrigerate first. Turn blender on low and pulse for a few seconds. Once the mixture has been broken down, but not turned into a puree, run through a sieve and refrigerate. Note: You won't have to worry about how long this will last, because I promise, it goes quickly!
Resources:
Armstrong, E., L., Ganio, S., M., Casa, Douglas J., L., . . . R., H. (2011). Mild Dehydration Affects Mood in Healthy Young Women. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/142/2/382/4743487?ijkey=4a6738af53129edb46df1929de25879f8b9aa166&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha