- Terri K. Lankford, LPC, NCC, LCAS
Hydration Station: Setting Intentions Series Pt I
Wow guys, 2018 is really rolling right along isn’t it?!?
In January, we talked about setting intentions and what our goals are, what are we striving for???
In February, we got down to how to make these happen : Tracking. Paying attention. (Are you seeing a theme here yet - Getting INTENTIONAL!)
So what’s March going to be all about?? March Madness is upon us!! That basically boils down to narrowing down our options to find the best competitor! So this month I’m going to keep the theme running - because CONSISTENCY IS KEY.
We’re going to dig into a series of the Top 4 Intentions that I see benefit my clients when they SHOW UP for themselves and follow through!
Intention # 1 : Get HYDRATED
I literally used to have a nickname from my group therapy clients of The Water Nazi at the last community mental health center I worked at. I can/could/should spend an hour discussing how and why water and hydration is crucial to our health AND mental health. And while I won’t spend an hour for you today… I will give you my top tips for WHY and HOW.
Why is this #1?? A study has shown that 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated!! AND 9/10 complaints that I originally hear can all be related back to getting at least SOME alleviation from hydration.
BENEFITS of DRINKING WATER
Banish Headaches
Improve your Mood
Relieve Fatigue
Boost Energy levels
Relieve Constipation/Improve Digestion
Promote Weight Loss
Prevents Memory Loss
Reduces Cravings and “Hunger Pangs”
Lubricates Joints & Lessens Back Pain
Prevent Kidney Stones
Improve Your Complexion
Boost yYour Immune System
Regulate Body Temperature
Prevent Hangovers
Why does water do ALL of that?
The average Human body is at LEAST 60% and up to 75% water (depending on the person)!
Every part of our body is made up of the stuff! From our Brain to our Blood to our Bones and our Muscles. So if we’re not replenishing what we’re made up of… well, how can you expect to feel physically or mentally well??
A University of Washington study even discovered that just one glass of water stopped hunger pangs for almost 100% of studied dieters. What we think are food cravings are most likely are body screaming at us to hydrate it!! We just struggle with the intuition to know the difference!
Ok, You’ve all heard it before - you should drink more water. But do you? And why is this so damn hard?!
There are TWO big reasons why people don’t consume enough water.
1)They haven’t made it a habit.
2)They have no way to track what they’ve consumed.
This is where the Setting Intentions Comes into play! You have to get Intentional, Mindful, PAY ATTENTION!
First, Are you complaining of ANY of the symptoms listed above (+ about a 100 more I could think of)?? DO you drink enough water? What is Enough? (HINT: take your body weight and divid that by 2 and THAT is the number of ounces per day you should be drinking as a baseline)
THEN, set your intention and Track it.
You have to find what works for you to CREATE THE HABIT!!!
Process Plan. Know WHY you need to drink more water. Visualize how you want feel as a hydrated persona AND add into that visualization what it will take to get there. Literally. SEE yourself taking a water break throughout your day!
MAKE MICROGOALS! Maybe you just look at it one day at a time vs all week, maybe you even break that down to getting it in for the morning at first! (There’s an App for That!)
Don’t reinvent the wheel! Make use of your current habits and then pair guzzling down the H2O with that! (Example: Set a bottle of water beside of your toothbrush at night (every night), in the morning chug down that water before you start your morning routine of brushing your teeth! Trust me, it’ll get the juices flowing (as well as your digestion!).
Don't get stuck in "the boring" mindset. For some plain water is too boring. First Grow Up and Suck it Up. IF that’s all you have, you make do. There’s research that shows reducing options actually helps you embrace the power of routine to get the necessary out of the way. If you happen to be someone who needs a little extra pep in your step, fruit it up! (with actual fruit, not fake the fake stuff. Add flavor, throw a lemon in there or get crazy and google it! There’s a ton of other fruits and herbs you can use.
Eliminate the Black/White thinking. You know, where if you miss it earlier in the day, you say screw it because you’ve already ruined ___ and why try? Well, remember your why! And just get back to it, the next day, hour, or even minute. This is not an all or nothing thing. Just pick up where you left off, pick up your water bottle and start drinking up!
What are you waiting for?!? Get started Today!
This is where I’ve found my favorite water bottles that I LOVE (also pictured above) but seriously, just find what works for you!https://www.131bottles.com/
And my favorite app is for tracking is to make it like a game with Plant Nanny @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/plant-nanny/id590216134?mt=8
(I do not get any paybacks for putting any of these suggestions up here! I just like them!)
Resources:
http://www.medicaldaily.com/75-americans-may-suffer-chronic-dehydration-according-doctors-247393
https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article-abstract/68/8/439/1841926
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-3010.2007.00665.x/full
https://wholebodycleansing.net/resources/media/articles/weight-gain-kidney-and-liver-congestion/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_water
https://www.waterbenefitshealth.com/
https://www.waterbenefitshealth.com/dehydration-effects.html
