Damn it's Hot!
Hello My Lovelies and Gents,
Let's not kid ourselves. It's effing HOT. I want to check in and make sure you are all staying hydrated. It's so important. It's important on so many levels.
I will be the first to admit that the former me did NOT take care of herself. I believe the only water that I used to drink would be the water that I accidentally swallowed while brushing my teeth. I talked about this early on, but I lived on diet coke morning until night for about 20 years. I can't even fathom what that did to my kidneys. I apologize to my body every night before bed. I am so sorry for the damage I did. Because guess what, soda doesn't hydrate you. Caffeine is a diuretic and actually dehydrates you.
This week at preschool is Science Experiment week. Today we put white carnations in water with food color. I explained to the kids how we are going to watch where the water travels throughout the flower by seeing the food color travel up to the petals. The beauty of this experiment is that you will see it take several days before the petals change colors. Think about that. Your body needs to be hydrated days before for you to fully feel it now. It should never be a "quick fix".
*Update: 24 hours later the edges of the petals started to change color. We are very excited to see what they will look like tomorrow.
I drink water all day. I don't chug it, but I space it out. A couple of weeks ago I went to the gym and don't know what I was thinking, but I left my water bottle in my car. Now the smart thing to do was to go back out and get it, but I didn't. I lowered my intensity. And let me tell you, I felt it. As soon as I got to my car I could not open that bottle fast enough. I even had some Gatorade. I was only on that treadmill for 30 minutes and I felt dehydrated for a couple of days. I lost so much sweat. No matter how good I am regularly, dehydration has lingering effects.
I'm happy to report that after taking 2 years off, I have my pass to Carowinds again. Hooray! I cannot stress how much I enjoy screaming on roller coasters to relieve stress. Last week I went with Miss Ashley. She heads off to college next month and we needed a last hoorah together. Although yesterday we made plans to go again next week. It was the best day to go. It was not that crowded so we were able to get on 7 rides in a few hours. We walked all over the park and even treated ourselves to frozen custards. I did get the drink plan though. You can always bring a bottle to get ice water and that day they were even pushing cups of ice water on everyone. My drink plan includes large amounts of ice and the opportunity to get Powerade. So I get it and then we walk away and I pour a little into Ashley's bottle so that she gets the electrolytes too. Plus I end up with a blue tongue in my pictures. It wasn't super crowded, but it was HOT. We stayed hydrated and took breaks in the shade. We also took a little time between rides because I had been head-butted by a 3-year-old the day before and was still slightly hesitant that I might have a concussion and this wasn't the smartest idea. BUT, I NEEDED TO SCREAM! Anyway, one of my favorite rides is the Scream Weaver.
The Scream Weaver spins in you a circle and the centrifugal force will keep you in your seat. The key to this ride is focusing your eyes on the car in front of you. If you look outside of the car it will make you dizzy. When we got off of the ride we walked to a table in the shade to get out our water when we noticed a lady coming out of the exit and stumbling. I will never forget this. It was in slow motion and yet I couldn't get to her fast enough. First, her knees gave out and she grabbed the brick wall. Second, she just passed out and dropped. I thought for sure she hit her head. Another gentleman was there and we rushed over to her. She was able to get up and we sat her in the shade. She wanted her family. We were able to locate them and they had her water. Miss Ashley and I kept our eyes on her and kept checking to make sure she was okay. That was a very scary moment and was definitely a reminder to stay hydrated.
Staying hydrated all year is important, but it's especially important in the heat. Water cools your body temperature. And right now that that truly makes a difference. I have tons of different water bottles. I will say that they all serve different purposes. My summer ones need to be able to hold the ice and stay cold for hours. I got a new water bottle at the aquarium the last time I went. I didn't need it, but I am SO glad that I got it. It keeps my ice intact for a day. It's from 4 Ocean. I cannot recommend this bottle enough. It doesn't quite fit in my cupholder in my car, but I can overlook that.
What else does water do? 1-It hydrates your skin. Want to look younger? Drink lots of water. 2-It nourishes your brain. Your brain cannot function properly when you are dehydrated. You see extreme cases where someone is stumbling and hallucinating in the desert. 3-It flushes out toxins. 4-It helps you have softer poops. TMI I know, but it's true.
So how much water are you supposed to drink each day? Well, honestly I can't tell you. There are several different factors: sex, age, activity level, weight, and medications. They all contribute. I had always heard it should be 64 ounces for women. But that's not actually true. To be properly hydrated it's more like 90. If you think you are drinking enough water, you probably aren't. Luckily there are plenty of water bottles out there to help you out. Ms. Amy has one that tells you how much you should have drunk by a certain time. Space it out. If you drink too much too fast it won't have time to absorb. Think about it like watering a plant. If you pour too much in too fast, it will probably spill over before the dirt has enough time to absorb it. How many times a day do you pee? If it's not that much you are dehydrated. What color is your pee? The Clearer the better.
I mentioned medications are a factor. There are many medications that dehydrate you, but many of you may not consider that allergy medicine is included in that. My Spring allergies are awful. And my Fall allergies are awful. I need to increase my water during those times. Crazily enough we have had storms almost every night for the last month. All of that rain is just messing with me. I think I need to start my allergy medicine early. Grr.
Alright, the thunder and lightning are getting worse so I must sign off.
Have a Blessed Evening,
Jennie
xoxo
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