Summer Hydration Habits for Weight Loss and Health

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Summer Hydration Habits for Weight Loss and Health

Welcome to the Eating Habits for Life podcast. Today I’m diving into summer hydration habits that can help with weight loss and overall health quite substantially.

Whether you’re a busy career woman or a healthcare professional, these tips are designed to fit seamlessly into your hectic lifestyle. Keeping you hydrated, healthy, and energized all summer long. And really all year long come up because this is all going to be useful for any season besides just summer.

First, I will tell you why hydration is so important, especially in hot weather. Also, the general benefits, and I’ll highlight the connection between hydration and weight loss as well as health.

Then I’ll dive a little bit deeper into the connection between hydration and weight loss. I will also provide some general hydration tips for all listeners, and then some specific hydration hacks for healthcare professionals. But if you’re not in healthcare, don’t tune out at that point, because these will likely help you as well. Especially if aspects of your life or your job mirror certain aspects of people who work in healthcare.

So, you’ve probably heard that you need about 64 fluid ounces of water a day. This is actually increased in the summer. So you should be getting more than 64 ounces of water a day. Our body is made up of a lot of water and we end up using a lot of water throughout the day. So, we need to replenish this water.

Water is the number one most important nutrient that we need for survival. You can go a month without eating, but you can’t go more than about 3 days without drinking Some sort of water-based fluid. And maybe even less in the heat, where you’re sweating more.

So generally, your body is likely to require about 80 to 100 ounces of water a day. This also depends on body size and also if you are biological male versus female. Generally larger body sizes and biological males need more water than smaller women.

You also do need to take into account if you are outside and sweating a lot, if you don’t have air conditioning, if you’re out and exercising and sweating. People who are losing more fluids throughout the day from sweat, will also require more water than that 64 ounces a day.

To summarize, in the summer you’ll generally need more than 64 ounces of water a day, likely closer to 80 to 100 ounces of water a day. This depends on your body size and how much you are sweating. How much you’re sweating, of course depends on lots of different factors, exercise being one of those factors.

For me, I’m a smaller female, however I run almost on a daily basis outside, so I probably need about 80 ounces of water a day in the summer. If I was a larger female or a male, and running, I would probably try to shoot for closer to 100 ounces of water a day. Keeping in mind, that I might need to add some electrolytes to that water as well.

Because what you’re sweating out is not just water, it’s also electrolytes, which are mainly sodium and chloride. And then there are lower concentrations of potassium, magnesium and even calcium.

Your body needs water and electrolytes for proper functioning of every system in the body, so that’s why it’s so crucial to form a good hydration habit. Especially good summer hydration habit.

Besides the benefits of staying alive as far as the benefits of forming a hydration habit are increased energy, weight loss, and better digestion. Even healthier skin with a nicer appearance too.

Those are all some pretty awesome benefits if you ask me.

Now let’s talk about hydration and weight loss. There are several ways that staying hydrated, and forming a hydration habit helps with weight loss. I’ll help you with that in this episode, just like I help my clients with.

The first one I want to talk about is that hydration is essential for something called lipolysis. Which is just simply the process of enzymes in your body breaking down fats. The first part of this is called hydrolysis, and as you can guess this involves water, hence the hydro part of this word. So in a nutshell, staying hydrated helps to facilitate the breakdown of fat and ability of your body to actually burn off this fat.

Next, hydration helps with boosting your metabolism. Studies show that your metabolic rate can increase by about 25 to 30% for an hour after drinking 500 milliliters of water. That comes out to about 17 ounces. That’s two 8 ounce cups of water. Not too shabby, right?

Also, sometimes your body is dehydrated and it gives you hunger signals, because it’s trying to alert you that you need something. But, that something is really water, not food.

So many people can actually start feeling those hunger signals and think that they’re hungry, when it’s dehydration.

So how do you know? Well, you can look back to see how much fluid you’ve had thus far and if you’ve had anything recently. You can also test it out by drinking a glass of water and seeing if that helps those hunger signals to dissipate.

In general, if you’re hydrating well throughout the day, you’re going to be more likely to help prevent any of those “false” hunger signals. So that’s definitely a benefit of having a good summer hydration habit, or a good hydration habit in general all year round.

Another reason why a hydration habit can help with weight loss, is because it increases your energy. When you have more energy, you just feel more motivated in general. You’re more likely going to put in a little bit of effort into your meals. Maybe put a little bit more effort in moving your body and getting some exercise in.

And if you’re less fatigued, you’re probably going to be less likely to resort to something like fast food or something that’s super convenient. You’ll have more energy and motivation to prepare something at home. So, a good hydration habit can really aid in healthier food choices and healthier eating habits.

Also, drinking enough water helps with your digestion. If you have healthy digestion then your body is more likely to absorb the nutrients from the food that you’re getting. Which will help with your health, and help with maintaining a healthy weight.

All right, now let’s dive into those tips to help you form a summer hydration habit if you are a busy person or a career woman. Then we’ll get to more specific ones for healthcare professionals.

Tip #1 I’m going to state the obvious but carry a reusable water bottle with you wherever you go. I actually bought myself a little bag that is made to carry a water bottle, so I can carry it more easily. I’m so in the habit of bringing that water bottle with me in the car, bringing it when I walk my dog Jonny, bringing it everywhere.

Tip #2 opt for a brightly colored or a visually appealing water bottle, so that it catches your eye. You need something to trigger you to drink that water, so something that is eye-catching is going to help you with this.

Tip #3 Set reminders on your phone to drink water. Or write yourself a post it note and stick it on your computer screen. Don’t underestimate the power of reminders like this. Especially when your day is so busy, you can’t just rely on your memory to drink water frequently.

What I do, is I have a pretty colored glass that I fill with water and I often put a straw in it, which actually does help me to drink more water, interestingly. I put that glass in my line of sight in front of my computer screen. That way, as I’m working, and even when I’m meeting with clients over zoom for our sessions, I am reminded to take some sips of water. Because I can see it out of the corner of my eye and it’s very easy to reach.

If you have your water bottle in your bag, and your bag is under your desk or somewhere else, that’s not easy access. Additionally, you’re not going to be seeing it as a reminder, so that’s not a great place for it.

This all leads me to tip #4, which is to stick a straw in it, or choose a water bottle that has a built in straw. I was told that using a straw can assist with hydration, and so I tested this out myself and found it true also. Many of my clients tried it also and were pleasantly surprised at how much more water they drink when they use a straw. Super interesting.

Tip #5 is don’t forget about hydrating foods. Fruits and vegetables are so appealing in the summer, because they have a good amount of water in them. Who doesn’t love fruit in the summer or even some sliced up cucumbers?

Besides having lots of nutrients and fiber in them, fruits and vegetables are water-rich, so they help you stay hydrated. Plus, they also help you lose weight, have increased energy, and nicer skin.

And tip #6 is to be aware of how many ounces your water bottle holds so you can estimate how much you’re drinking throughout the day. Even better if you can keep track by writing the exact amounts down, but I totally understand if you don’t want to do that.

All right now let’s get a little bit more specific with some hydration hacks for healthcare professionals. Non healthcare professionals will likely even find these useful too.

So in medicine (and I know because I was a physician assistant for 15 years and a good chunk of that I was a surgical physician assistant) it is go go go with very few breaks. Also, sometimes it’s quite difficult to have a water bottle with you. We would have long OR cases up to five or six hours long and you can’t bring water bottle into the OR room.

Also, when you’re doing rounds in the hospital, you might not feel like carrying a big heavy water bottle with you. So here are some tips to help.

If you’re working in a clinic setting and you have a workstation or at least an area where you are sitting or standing fairly frequently, keep a water bottle there and definitely set those alerts on your phone. If you can’t have your phone with you, then write a post it note to remind you. Even better, find those neon post it notepads, so that that note catches your attention.

You can even make a big sign and put it up that can help not just you but your colleagues as well. This will enhance everyone’s health and work performance. You’ll have increased energy, feel more motivated, be able to be more focused.

If you are seeing back-to-back patients, try to take a few sips in between each patient. One of my clients who’s a physician assistant, planned ahead of time that she was going to take a few sips of water once she sat back down to chart on the patient that she just saw.

 So she was going to do it in that particular order, which does help to build that habit, to make it more automatic. Because you’re doing it in the same sequence of events. And your trigger is sitting down to go and chart on the patient. So her brain will start to form that link between the two and make it more automatic, make it a habit.

If you are working in a hospital setting are all over the hospital, I would not recommend carrying a heavy water bottle like a Yeti. You’re not likely going to want to do that, and thus it won’t last long.

There are, however, very lightweight water bottles that they make for travel that will be very good to carry around the hospital with you. That’ll be easy to stick in a bag or even stick in the pocket of your white coat, because they’re so lightweight. Also, what I did was I bought a clip to clip my water bottle onto my purse, which made it super easy.

And even for you, I would set an alert on your phone. Maybe every hour, or even every half hour. Or every time you sit down to chart on a patient that you just saw in the hospital, take out that water bottle and take several sips.

Alright, for those of you working in the OR or in an area where you can’t really bring a water bottle.

What we used to do when I worked in spine surgery and we had cases that sometimes went up to five or six hours long is this. When we weren’t at a crucial part of the case and the surgeon wasn’t going to need me for about 5-10 minutes, he would let me take a quick break. I’d use the rest room and chug a big cup of water. There were also parts of the case where the surgeon didn’t need to be in the room, so he was able to use the bathroom and hydrate.

So if you’re a surgeon, maybe consider this with your PA or your co-surgeon. If you’re a PA, then consider talking to the surgeon you work with ahead of time before a potentially long surgery. To help, discuss the benefits which are certainly increased focus and energy, in addition to just feeling more comfortable. Which, really increases your focus.

Alright, so that’s what I have for you on summer hydration habits for weight loss and health.

And if you’re struggling with weight loss and feel that your eating habits are a big part of that and are feeling frustrated, maybe even ashamed, disappointed in yourself, I understand.

As someone who’s been a Physician Assistant and had my own bad eating habits that were causing some weight gain, i definitely understand. Also as someone who’s helped numerous career women, including women in healthcare overcome these challenges I can help you too.

So, I ask you right now to imagine feeling confident and in control of your eating habits. Also, being able to enjoy your favorite foods without worrying about overeating them and certainly without guilt. Imagine walking around in the healthy body that you’re proud of. Let’s talk about how personalized coaching can make this all a reality for you.

Book your free consultation with me today. And take the first step towards that much healthier and much more confident you that feels so free and so in control of yourself and your future health. Book your free consultation with the link in the episode description.

Take care and be sure to add the show to your library, so you get all the latest episodes as they come out. Thanks so much for listening. Take care.