A Week Of Serious Hydration

I have decided to take a week to focus on hydration. I feel like I worry more about my food choices and less about my water intake. I have noticed more unnecessary wrinkles and just overall dry skin {and I know why, I've been so busy moving and not focusing enough attention on juicing}. So, I'm hoping to see some improvement in my skin, among other things, this week. 

Join Me!?

You might be thinking I drink lots of water, I don't need to do this! Well, you might want to think again. It's not just about how much water you drink, it's also about the food you eat, your environment, and how much you sweat. Do you travel a lot? Is it hot outside today? Are you on a medication or involved in exercise and sports? Are you stressed {hello? me me me}? 

Integrative health care specialist & PureMamas contributor, Christine Dionese, says:

"Look to your urine color! If it's dark yellow, brick colored or orange, your body wants more water. If it's lighter yellow or pale yellow, then you're likely getting enough!"

Now are you feeling a bit more motivated to join me? 

If not, you might want to hear what else Christine has to say:

"Staying hydrated improves concentration, memory, energy, reduction of headaches, sore aching joints and muscles, improved metabolism and weight loss, improved skin and more. 

"A quick tip - many people confuse hunger and thirst. If you're having a difficult time differentiating between the two, go for the more water-bearing foods like Juli suggests - no salt, less cooked/dehdyrated foods and high water fruits such as cucumbers, oranges, tomatoes and so on."

Dehydration can be and is often the main contributor to unwanted small wrinkles on your face. Beauty experts have told us this for a long time now.

Drinking clean pure water with lots of lemons is also great for detoxing your kidneys and liver, which in turn helps your skin glow and keep your mind clear. In fact, as much as I dislike talking about celeb gossip on my blog, I wanted to point out that Beyonce drinks a ton of lemon water all day long and DAMN, look at her skin!

But it is NOT just about drinking water. You also must avoid some seroiusly dehydrating activities, foods and beverages. You need proper electrolyte balance as well. 

Here is my quick list of things to consume LESS of this week and things to consume MORE of this week! So far today, I woke up to green juice, lemon water and an avocado. I'm going to eat a lunch without adding sea salt {sniff} and season it all with fresh ingredients like lemon and olive oil. 

I'm going to avoid {or at least minimize} caffeine and alcohol intake, dairy, processed or boxed foods and dehydrated foods.

And not only am I going to drink more water, I'm going to UP my intake of green juices and smoothies while minimizing my intake of cooked foods. Cooking foods and dehydrating removes water from foods. Oh and did I mention my man, Wes, is going meatless all week as well. Meat is dehydrating. SORRY everbody, but it is the truth! 

If I exercise, which I am planning on doing, I will up my liquids as well.

My other main goal this week is to simply get BETTER at always drinking more hydrating liquids {and less of the more exciting ones like coffee and wine}. I'm hoping that my conscious effort this week will result in better habits. I often forget to drink water and that's my main problem with feeling dehydrated. Not to mention, I have an addiction to sea salt {wine and coffee}. 

In case you are actually wondering -- what is proper intake of water? According to Christine:

"The common recommendation of eight, eight-ounce glasses of water is a standard based on a 120 pound person. Shooting for half of your body weight in ounces a day is the easiest and most reliable way to figure out about how much you should be drinking." 

GOOD LUCK!

And stay tuned for tomorrow's blog post :: Meredith's Crazy Hydrating Secrets! {and by the way, this girl GLOWS and has no wrinkles, I know this because we just hung out last week - ha}.