SIMPLIFYING HYDRATION

Two Glasses of Water, Irving Penn (1970)

If there is one health myth that will not die, it is this: You should drink eight glasses of water a day. Guess what? There is no science behind it. Personally, I’ve always had hydration guilt because I’ve never in my life drank eight a day, every single day. And that’s something to feel good about. As with everything, is not always about the numbers. I’ve always tried to keep go by how my body feels and not complicate hydration.

According to most doctors, we should listen to our bodies and shouldn't drink more than our body wants. Similar to when we eat, the body tells us when we’re full by taking that exhale. The discomfort we feel when we drink too much water is a protective mechanism to prevent over-hydration. Water intoxication is a real but rare phenomenon that occurs due to an excessive intake of water (usually during exercise), when the amount of water intake exceeds that of water excretion by the kidneys. As a result, the sodium concentration in the blood is diluted, and hyponatremia develops. When this happens, your body's water levels rise, and your cells begin to swell.

Working out aside, how much water should we aim for day-to-day? It’s really all about your lifestyle. Going off our own thirst is the best way to judge how much we need. Just like diet, it’s an individual thing and it all comes down to water in, water out. If you’re doing an intense SLB Cardio + Sculpt workout for example, you’re going to want more water and your body will tell you that. Those who break a sweat will crave more water and the same rule goes with food. By eating a balanced diet high in water-dense fruits and veggies, we’ll achieve about 20-40% of our daily water needs through food. Yet another reason to eat those collard wraps!

ALKALINE WATER LOVE

One thing that has changed my life since moving to LA three years ago is changing my water system to purely alkaline water (Thank you, SoCal Water!). My entire life I’ve been a terrible water drinker. We know that we should drink at least 8 cups daily, more if we work out. You’ve probably heard that you should have water 30 minutes before you eat to promote weight loss. Skip room temperature water (you can burn more calories by drinking cold water). Is it just me or does the simplest thing you can do for your health feel so complicated? It’s enough to make your head spin!

You may have heard various health claims about alkaline water. Some say it can help slow the aging process, regulate your body’s pH level, and prevent chronic diseases like cancer. But what exactly is alkaline water, and why all the hype?

The “alkaline” in alkaline water refers to its pH level. The pH level is a number that measures how acidic or alkaline a substance is on a scale of 0 to 14. For example, something with a pH of 1 would be very acidic and something with a pH of 13 would be very alkaline. Normal drinking water typically has a neutral pH of 7. Alkaline water typically has a pH of 8 or 9. Alkaline water must also contain alkaline minerals and negative oxidation reduction potential (ORP). ORP is the ability of water to act as a pro- or anti-oxidant. The more negative the ORP value, the more anti-oxidizing it is.

As someone who takes her health and nutrition seriously - I choose the best possible quality foods like sustainable fish and organic produce; why wouldn’t I do the same with water? So when I moved I did, and here's what I’ve noticed:

Healthier Looking Skin

My skin is on the drier side and I cook and wash my hands lot – so they tend to get really dry. Even during the summertime when it’s hot I rely on heavy moisturizers on my face and body. My hands and cuticles are far less dry than usual. After two weeks of strictly alkaline I was using hand lotion about once a day and I rarely use it now.

And, not only has my skin become way more hydrated, my complexion has become clearer (and glow-ier). I swear this stuff is like the fountain of youth. I have less fine lines around my eyes, I rarely have any issues with rosacea anymore and I tend to break out along my chin once a month without fail but nowadays it’s really minimal.

Better Digestion

I have far less digestive symptoms: very little bloating; no acid…nothing.

Quicker Recovery Time

There isn’t scientific proof to support the health claims around alkaline water and faster recovery time post-workout – but that doesn’t mean those claims have been disproved. I know, first-hand, that more research is needed to fully understand what happens, physiologically, when we drink alkaline water but I will tell you that for the past three years, I’ve never recovered faster, post-workout.