When we talk about staying healthy, we often focus on drinking water to quench our thirst and keep our bodies working well. But there’s more to keeping our bodies hydrated, especially when we’re moving and managing pain. One approach that stands out for addressing muscle dehydration in a comprehensive way is through correct movement and hydration. In this article, we’ll look into how staying hydrated relates to reducing pain, the most effective methods for staying hydrated, and how moving around plays a role in keeping our bodies hydrated.
“Water is the foundation of life, and there’s a compelling reason for it. The human body contains a significant amount of water, typically ranging from 60-70%. Approximately 70% of your heart and brain is composed of water, even your bones contain some water too. This implies that even a slight decrease in hydration, as little as 2%, can adversely impact organ functions. Dehydration and the loss of sodium and electrolytes can lead to sudden alterations in memory and attention.”
At H2o we strongly believe there to be a direct correlation between aging and dehydration.
Many individuals also overlook the fact that the spine is composed largely of water, with approximately 75-85% of the spinal disc being water content. Consequently, neglecting to maintain proper hydration can lead to unforeseen consequences. Some individuals mistakenly believe that abstaining from sufficient water intake won’t affect their back health, but over time, this choice can result in negative consequences.
AT THE CELLULAR LEVEL
Hydration isn’t just about drinking water. It’s about making sure every cell in your body gets the right amount of water and electrolytes to work their best. When we discuss hydration, we mean giving cells water and essential electrolytes. Dehydration happens when your body loses more fluids than it gets, causing an imbalance in water and electrolytes. Sodium is one of the crucial electrolytes, among others. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31082167/
1. Sodium 2. Potassium 3. Calcium 4. Magnesium 5. Chloride
Muscles can get tired quickly if they’re dehydrated, like after a long day. That’s because water is super important for muscles to work properly, like squeezing and relaxing. When you’re not hydrated enough, muscles can’t squeeze well, and that might cause cramps and feeling not so good. Even if your whole body has enough water, your muscles might still be thirsty.
DRINKING PLENTY OF WATER BUT STILL THIRSTY?
Water serves as the basic foundation of our bodies. When considering the most effective approach to keep our bodies hydrated, we often focus on drinking water to quench our thirst. However, it goes beyond just quenching thirst; it is about how we move, and how it relates to refilling the entire body’s water reservoirs (tissues of the body), remember the body is approximately 60-75% water.
The way you move might be why you still feel really thirsty even when you’ve had lots of water to drink. It could be a sign that your muscles need more water. Simply drinking water regularly may not be sufficient for the best hydration.
If you’re often not drinking enough water, your muscles can start to feel tight, like there’s a lump in them that’s usually harder compared to the rest of the muscle. This lump, known as a muscle knot, can make the area hurt or send a dull ache to other muscles nearby when you’re resting or if you press on it. When your posture isn’t right and your body’s movements aren’t efficient, it can keep pushing too hard on certain muscles and their surrounding connective tissues, known as fascia. This can slow down the blood flow to these muscle knots, causing them to stay dehydrated over time.
Dehydration can make existing pain problems worse, making it harder for your body to heal and get better. It also reduces the body’s ability to hold onto water. This can start a bad cycle where tense muscles make it tough for your body to stay hydrated, which then leads to even more muscle tension.
When muscles get tight because of dehydration, it can make them and the surrounding fascia lose their stretchiness. This makes them more likely to get stiff and get hurt over time, like after months or years. This stiffness can stop us from moving as easily as we should and can make things like walking or getting up from a chair painful or uncomfortable.
Not having enough water can also harm our joints. Water is really important for keeping our joints slippery, so they don’t rub together and move easily. When we’re not hydrated enough, our joints might start rubbing together more, causing swelling and hurting. Doing regular exercise helps blood flow, but it still does not address the main issue of muscles and fascia suffering from chronic dehydration.
SO, WHAT DOES MOVEMENT DO FOR HYDRATION?
H2O Health and CHEK methods focus on what humans do best – walking, jogging, running, sprinting, throwing with both arms, lunging, squatting, bending, pushing, pulling, twisting, and swimming. When these movements are done properly and efficiently, they can really help improve cellular hydration.
For example, moving efficiently when walking or running is an important way to hydrate your muscles by relieving pressure in your joints and boosting blood circulation. Besides the general advantages of staying active, keeping an upright posture when you stand can also lessen muscle tension, possibly allowing your body to retain more water.
The myofascial release techniques and corrective exercises employed at H2O Health and by the CHEK Institute aim to ease pressure in the body’s joints. This approach encourages improved circulation of fluids and hydration. Our idea is that efficient movement, as practiced in the H2O Health and CHEK methods, enhances the flexibility of muscles and fascia. This, in turn, may boost the body’s ability to retain water and make use of electrolytes.
H2O takes a comprehensive approach to body hydration. By emphasizing myofascial release methods, proper movement, and ensuring you get enough electrolytes and water, you can successfully keep your body hydrated and reduce muscle discomfort.
The #1 Way to Keep Your Whole Body Hydrated
Stay Hydrated with These Simple Tips:
- Drink Water Regularly: Staying hydrated isn’t a one-time thing. Sip water throughout the day to keep your hydration levels in check. Aiming for at least half a gallon or two liters each day is a good goal. You can also use online water calculators to figure out your specific needs, considering things like your age, weight, and activity level.
- Pay Attention to Your Body: Thirst isn’t the only sign of dehydration. Keep an eye out for other signals like having a dry mouth, feeling tired, or getting dizzy. When you notice these signs or feel thirsty, it’s a good idea to grab a glass of water, which is about 250 mL.
- Opt for Drinks with Electrolytes: Electrolytes like sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium are vital for keeping the right balance of fluids and muscle function. Depending on where you live, you might want to use filtered water like spring water or add electrolytes to reverse osmosis or distilled water instead of tap water. Drinking fluids rich in electrolytes such as coconut water and milk can also help your body hold onto water and stay hydrated.
- Include Hydrating Foods in Your Diet: Plenty of fruits and veggies have lots of water and nutrients that can help keep you hydrated. Foods like watermelon, cucumbers, and oranges are not only packed with water but also provide essential electrolytes.
- Lower Intake of Diuretics: Some drinks like alcohol and coffee can make your body lose water. To maintain good hydration, it’s a good idea to cut back on or avoid these beverages that have a diuretic effect.
- How to Stay Hydrated Through Movement: Consistent and effective movement is essential for ensuring your muscles and joints receive the right circulation and hydration.
- Self Myofascial Release (SMR) techniques: Integrating SMR into your routine can enhance muscle flexibility, encourage healthy movement habits, and contribute to body hydration. This method can also ease tension in muscles and reduce discomfort by hydrating muscles and fascia in specific areas.
- Maximizing Movement Techniques: At the heart of enhancing how our bodies move are the H2O & CHEK approaches: walking, jogging, running, sprinting, throwing with both arms, lunging, squatting, bending, pushing, pulling, twisting, and swimming. Correcting these fundamental movements is the most effective way to keep the body hydrated and ensure it works at its peak. This encourages better water distribution throughout the body and hydrates both muscles and fascia. By concentrating on these basic movements, you can enhance muscle and joint well-being, maintain the right fluid balance, and avoid discomfort and pain linked to muscle knots.
The way we keep our bodies hydrated is super important for how our bodies work. It affects how we feel and how we move. It’s not just about drinking water often; it’s also about having drinks with electrolytes, staying away from things that make you lose water such as high caffeine intake or over exercising, and paying attention to your body so you don’t get cramps from dehydration.
HOW MUCH WATER IS ENOUGH? WHERE DO I SOURCE THE BEST QUALITY WATER?
For normal hydration, determine your body weight in pounds, divide it by two and drink that many ounces of water each day. – Paul Chek
H2O Health recommends:
Natural Celtic Sea Salt – to restore or add mineral content/electrolytes to filtered water, can be found in most health food shops in store or online.
Montville Mist Spring Water – Sunshine Coast
Waters Co Australia – Water Filters (add a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt to your water bottle to restore electrolytes to filtered water).