Having an energy slump? Reach for water!
Ditch the caffeine or sugar and go for a water hit instead!
30ml of water per kg per day is all you need!
You all know that we are made up predominantly of water. You also know that without water or hydration our bodies will eventually shut down. But did you know that one of the top 7 reasons for an energy slump is dehydration? That energy slump that effects your mood, your motivation, your brain power and how you turn up to that next meeting…are you on or off in brain fog land?
It creeps up on you slowly in the day without you noticing and then you’re hit. Your tired, you’ve re-read that document at least 3 times and you just know you need that coffee, that tea, that chocolate to pep you back up so you can get through the rest of the day.
And all you’ve done is given yourself a quick shot of energy that will just as quickly leave you not only more, exhausted but now even more dehydrated. Yes caffeine and sugar dehydrates too!
Ok, so you now realise you might not be drinking enough water.
How much is enough? There are a lot of different articles and recommendations out there. The amount of water you need to drink depends on various factors, such as your age, gender, body weight, activity level, and environmental conditions. Remember to listen to your own body. If it’s hot out there or you’ve exercised, you’ll need to drink more. However, rather than just going by the classic 2L a day, here is a great rule of thumb to help guide you for an average day:
30ml for each kg you weigh every day
As an example, if you weigh 73kg, you’ll need 30 * 73 = 2,190 or 2.2 Litres approx a day.
Can I drink too much water?
Yes, you actually can drink too much water and this will impact the amount of sodium in your blood which impacts various bodily functions. Without going into too much detail, sodium is a crucial electrolyte that plays a vital role in maintaining the body's fluid balance, nerve function, and muscle function.
The darker the. more dehydrated
How do I know if I’m well hydrated? The easiest way to do this is to monitor your pee colour. So before you hit the flush button on your next trip to the toilet, check out the colour in the bowl. If it’s a really dark caramel colour and could even smell strongly, go and get yourself some water. If, on the other hand, there’s almost no colour and it resembles water itself, you are drinking too much. Somewhere in the middle of that colour spectrum will keep you well hydrated.
How do I make myself drink more? Having automatic little hacks to integrate water into your busy day is the only way in our busy lives. Here are a few I use every day and you may have other great hacks:
750ml water bottle- I noticed that if I had a glass infront of me at my desk, I’d only drink that glass. Yes it’s meant to get you up to refill it and move more, but to be honest, I didn’t. However, I did notice if I had a bigger water bottle, I just drank because it was there. Now that water bottle goes everywhere with me.
As part of other routines - Waking up in the morning I have a glass of lemon water..boom 250ml done! Also, when I cook dinner, I used to have a glass of wine. Yes delicious but I’ve now swapped this out for a glass of special water. I mix this up with lime, mint, cucumber or whatever that will make me feel that it’s special.
Hidden in caffeine free tea - Having a cup of peppermint or other fruit tea or tisanes are a great way to get hydrated while still having that catch up in the café or meetings in the board room. You know you won’t be falling asleep in meetings because of you being dehydrated at least!!
Put the mask on yourself first, prioritise you, and drink up to thrive again!