Let's talk about hydration.
Now, the weather hasn't exactly featured soaring temperatures, and I am in no danger of getting heat stroke, but increasing running mileage and sweating a lot on runs (and in Zumba class!) definitely makes me crazy thirsty.
We all know by this point that H2O is super important for wetting your whistle. I was perusing this article from fitsugar and it certainly pointed out some things I already knew about my hydration status, and some I didn't.
It's a little concerning that by the time your body feels thirsty, you're already missing a significant portion of your body's total water volume.
Some symptoms your tank is low on fluids:
1. Fatigue/foggy brain (YES!)
2. Dry skin (mine is dry, itchy)
3. Sunken/dull eyes w/ dark circles (Bare Essentials remedies this daily)
4. Constipation (sometimes)
5. Headache/Dizziness (sometimes during exercise)
So what's a thirsty girl to do?
I try to drink water whenever I can, but sometimes I'm craving something with a little more flavor and substance.
In general, I know the rule is something like- if you're exercising less than an hour, water is ok for hydration, greater than an hour you need to replenish lytes. But I think if you're feeling a little parched at baseline, it can't hurt to add a little something more to your beverage.
One of my favorite ways to hydrate up and get nutrients is packing everything in a big ol' smoothie. I don't think I hydrated properly after my 9 miler yesterday (despite the pint of coconut water I chugged), so I made an XXL fruit and veggie smoothie today. Fruits and vegetables are "water-dense"- hello hydration!
Hydrate Me! Veggie Berry Blast Smoothie
Ingredients:
1/3 cup each of strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries (I used frozen)
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 cup greek yogurt (I used Fage 0%)
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 cup soymilk
1/2 cup coconut/alo water
1 persian cucumber
2 handfuls baby spinach
sprinkle cinnamon
packet Blue lightning (antioxidants + phytonutrients)
ice
sweetener to taste ( I used 1 packet truvia)
Directions:
Chop banana and cucumber as needed. Throw all ingredients into a large blender/food processor and blend. Makes 2-3 large glasses.
After sucking down one of these this afternoon, I did some schoolwork and then headed to Zumba class. I quickly blended another drink (yep, my blender was on fire today)
No, powerade doesn't have a new flavor ;-) (although I love Powerade zero for hydration/electrolytes too!)
I blended some soymilk, ice, 1/3 cup raspberries, some more alo/coco water (I know! I can't stand the stuff but I like it in smoothies), and Green superfood drink powder. The drink ended up a tad like raspberry lemonade, and definitely got me through an extra sweaty Zumba class.
After class I stopped at the store to pick up a few things and had to grab this guy-
How can you turn down bright green (low cal) Gatorade? I grew up drinking gatorade and love the G2 products. Anyone remember the green watermelon Gatorade from way back when? This kind of reminds me of it.
What's your favorite way to hydrate? Are you a water bottle guy/gal or prefer a little substance?