The cooler temps this month have been nice lately! It has gotten really cool really fast here, today it’s only 47 degrees this morning, and it’s still technically summer! Even though cool temps are here, hydration is still an important consideration for recreational exercisers and athletes alike. While it is a bit easier to stay hydrated in the cooler temperatures, it’s to easy to completely dismiss the fact that dehydration is still a problem in cool weather.
If you’re not sure whether you even need to worry about your hydration levels, then consider this: 70% of Americans are living in a chronic state of dehydration, and even being slightly dehydrated can hinder athletic performance by 6%. Higher levels of dehydration can lead to fatigue, dizziness, weakness, impaired memory, headaches, and more serious health concerns like heart palpitations, fainting, and seizures.
On a personal level, I have dealt with dehydration for years since I find it difficult to create a good hydration routine and I have felt the effects of not staying hydrated properly. Dehydration impacts everything we do, so it’s imperative that we take steps to prevent dehydration.
If you need a little help with Here are a few ways to beat dehydration and feel your best:
- Drink water first: Nothing hydrates your body quite like plain water! It is recommended that at least 2/3 of the liquids you consume should consist of water, so water should always make up the bulk of what you drink. If that seems boring, try adding fruit slices to your water to jazz it up a bit
- Eat lots of water-rich fruits and veggies: if you’re eating the daily recommended servings of fresh fruits and vegetables, than you are better hydrated than people who do not. Fresh fruits and vegetables (not dried or processed) are filled with water and can help you stay hydrated if you are eating as much of them as you should. Reach for whole, undried, and unprocessed fruits and vegetables as much as possible to get all the hydration and nutritional benefits.
- Carry water with you everywhere: although I really need to up my water intake, one thing I am great at is carrying a water bottle with me everywhere unless the places I’m going don’t allow water bottles (like some museums). Since I have interstitial cystitis, it’s super important for me to stay hydrated and keep water moving through my system. Keeping water with me at all times helps a ton!
- Drink half your body weight in ounces each day: if you’re not sure how much fluid you should be drinking each day, here’s a good rule of thumb: divide your weight in half and drink that amount in fluid ounces. If you weigh 150 pounds, you should aim to drink 75 ounces of water daily. Water should make up at least 2/3 of that, so at least 50 ounces of that 75 ounces should come from water alone.
- Invest in a hydration tracker: There are different smartphone apps and devices available these days for tracking water intake, but there is a new device called LVL (pronounced “level”) on the market now that actually tracks your body’s hydration in real time so you can perform and feel your best.
If you want to beat dehydration and perform your best, then check out the new LVL hydration tracker on Kickstarter. This new technology from BSX Technologies not only tracks hydration, but also heart rate, activity, calories burned, mood, and sleep. It’s a comprehensive device!
What’s unique about the LVL hydration tracker is that it is the only hydration tracker that can measure your body’s hydration in real time using near-infrared light (NIRS). While most devices use green light that is limited to measuring heart rate, red light is more accurate and is widely used in medical devices. It has the ability to “read” 10x deeper into the body than green light and has the capability of measuring 10x more physiologic signals.
The LVL hydration tracker can provide a more accurate picture of your overall health:
- The hydration monitoring matches the performance of testing such as urine analysis, blood tests, and medical imaging
- It tracks the body weight changes within +/- 0.5% accuracy
- Provides more accurate heart rate monitoring (+/- 2.7 bpm vs. +/- 14 bpm of competitors)
- Though not yet included in the LVL Band, BSX’s red light technology is also capable of measuring respiratory rate, blood oxygen, muscle oxygen, lactate threshold and more
This new technology is amazing, I’m excited to try it out!
Want to try the LVL device? Check out their Kickstarter page!
Follow BSX Technologies on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates on their products
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