This Week's Plant-Based Focus: Water + Hydration

I know, I know. You've heard it a thousand times. But hear me out, because I think the way most of us think about hydration is actually missing the point.

It's not just about hitting some a certain number of glasses. It's about understanding that almost every single symptom women come to me with, the fatigue, the brain fog, the headaches, the afternoon crashes, the skin issues, dehydration is somewhere in that picture. I've become almost obsessive about this over the past year and the difference it's made in how I feel day to day is hard to overstate.

Here's what's actually helped me stay consistently hydrated:

• 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁𝘆. By the time you feel thirsty, you're already mildly dehydrated, and mild dehydration is enough to affect your energy, your focus, and your mood. I start every single morning with a big glass of water before anything else, even before my matcha. 💧

• 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗲𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿. Plain water doesn't hydrate you as efficiently without minerals to pull it into your cells. A pinch of good quality sea salt, some lemon juice, or a clean electrolyte powder can make a real difference, especially if you're active or drinking a lot of coffee.

• 𝗘𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿. This is one of my favorite things about a plant-based diet, so many whole foods are naturally high in water content. Cucumber, celery, watermelon, zucchini, leafy greens, you're hydrating every time you eat them. 🥒

• 𝗧𝗶𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗱𝗼. I drink a full glass before every meal, which also happens to support digestion and takes the edge off hunger before I sit down to eat. Habit stacking is honestly the only reason I'm consistent with this.

• 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗵𝘆𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂. Coffee, alcohol, and high sodium processed foods all pull water out of your body. I'm not saying cut them out, just factor them in and compensate accordingly.

• 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲. Headache? Drink water first. Energy crash at 3pm? Drink water first. Skin feeling dull? You already know what I'm going to say.

Hydration is genuinely one of the highest return habits you can build, and it costs nothing. If you only take one thing from this week's post, let it be the morning glass of water before anything else.

Are you good at staying hydrated or is this something you struggle with? Tell me below 👇

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