hydrating

[piranha]

so papersky said in comments that it wasn't a bad idea to keep oneself hydrated, with which i have no issue whatsoever. but i was kvetching that my stupid body didn't keep me informed of its hydration needs, so sometimes i forget.

which turns out to be untrue. apologies, body.

fact is it's a lot quieter about casual thirst than about casual hunger, but it does prod me. it's just that i don't pay attention. oh, i am careful when i plan to go on a hike, or out and about in really hot weather; i always carry something to drink. i've never been dangerously dehydrated during outdoor activities. but day-to-day, i will sit for hours at my computer and not feel thirsty.

or rather, not feel thirsty enough to get off my butt and get myself a beverage. when i was thinking about this, i realized that when i notice i am thirsty, i'll go and get a glass of something, drink half of it, set it down next to me, drink the rest in 1 or 2 drafts soon thereafter, and then absentmindedly pick up the glass over the next hour or two or three several times, notice it's empty, and put it back down.

yeah. every time i pick up that glass, my body is prodding me to drink something.

from now on there'll be a 2l bottle of something next to me at all times. cause when i do that, i drink it down fairly quickly, i've noticed. cause hey, needn't get up.

some day soon i'll probably turn into a plant. but i'll be well watered.

Comments

[papersky.livejournal.com]

I think a 2l bottle is a really good idea.

I have generally found that having a lot of liquid moving through me helps with all sorts of minor things that can otherwise be irritating. So I go to the bathroom a lot, big deal, I'm working at home anyway.

going to the bathroom

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

yeah, the going to the bathroom bit doesn't bother me at all. i am not sedentary because i hate to get up per se, but because so much interesting stuff keeps me at my computer that it's hard to tear myself away. if bodily functions threaten to burst me, i can get up and go to the bathroom easily. :)

[masonk.livejournal.com]

Maybe you should get one of those water coolers with the five gallon bottles that keeps the water cold and install it next to your desk? :)

[kmd.livejournal.com]

That's what we have. Or rather, it's right next to our office since our office couldn't possibly fit one more thing.

It rocks. (the water cooler, not the crowded office)

water coolers

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

that'd be a great idea a) if there were any room next to my desk, b) if i actually liked my beverages cold (i don't), and c) if i drank water (i sometimes do, but i don't really like straight water; i prefer carbonated, unsweetened mineral water, or some kind of carbonated fruit soda).

but yes, great idea for people who drink straight water.

[leiacat.livejournal.com]

I've switched to bottled water, because as sad as it might be, I know that I'll never make myself be bothered to go and refill a glass. I very rarely get thirsty enough for it, especially since here it requires the forethought of refilling the filter, too. If I have a half-liter bottle by the bed, and another by the computer, and another by my other lurk spots, I will invariably take sips every once in a while, and I _will_ convince myself to grab another bottle on the way when one runs out. Terribly uneconomic, but if that's what it takes for me to get a little less hydrated, that's best I can do. (Alas, I'm just klutzy enough that 2L makes me wear more often than ingest it, so I'm stuck with a handy portable pricier type)

bottled water

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

i have definitely come around to choosing the battles i fight carefully, and if choosing to not fight a small one costs more, so be it.

our local tap water is undrinkable (high sulfur content), and while it works for the paramour to have a filter jug in the fridge, i don't like refrigerated water (too cold). heck, i don't much like uncarbonated water. so i buy the 2l bottles of carbonated goodness. but i always run out.

so the trick will be to make more sure that i always _have_ some of those. that's been my downfall. i should probably buy greater quantities at once. and check whether somebody possibly delivers. i want my youth back when we had a milkman for dairy and eggs, and a beverage truck with small case loads!

Re: bottled water

[leiacat.livejournal.com]

Warehouse clubs a la Costco & BJs (but not Sam's, of course) are my friends. I buy bottles by 2-3 megapacks at a time.

re: hydrating

[eagle]

Yeah, my experience is that the size of the container makes all the difference in actually drinking enough. That's why I started buying quart jars and drinking water out of them, since it takes me a while to empty them and that makes up for my laziness in getting up and refilling them.

Also, my experience is that urine should be clear. If my urine isn't clear, I drink more. I've found that often more reliable than a sense of thirst in figuring out whether I'm really hydrated or not.

Re: hydrating

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

it takes you totally NO time to empty them! :)

urine is kind of an after-the-fact hint. my urine is clear (if it were cloudy i'd be worried), but it shouldn't be as dark as mine often is. trouble is i do see that when i go (though i don't go often -- since i don't drink enough), and then i usually drink something right away, but that's not actually sufficient. it's a decent indicator of whether today i drank enough, but it's not like that alone moves me to do better tomorrow.

Re: hydrating

[selki.livejournal.com]

My understanding was that clear is (for most people) a sign of overhydration, and that a very light/delicate yellow is the target color. But everybodys' body factories are a little different from each other.

[aquaeri.livejournal.com]

I prefer drinking from a glass, but you can't fit much in one, so at work I refill a 750ml bottle regularly and fill my glass from that. The advantage is that I can drink 750ml before it gets too warm (I prefer cold water).

And yes, looking towards the bottle and noticing it's empty is a subtle clue I'm not fully hydrated.

[huashan.livejournal.com]

Aquafina has 1.5L bottles with wide mouths. I switched to using those pretty much exclusively many years ago. I buy the when I'm travelling and can find them, then just reuse and wash them until they get so beat up they dont hold water anymore. It's worked great, and having a conveniently portable and easy to carry sealable water container has really helped me keep my hydration up (when I can manage to stop drinking dew long enough...addiction sucks).

Of course...my hands are somewhat bigger than average, so carrying these around may not be as convenient for other people. Dunno.

[1ginko.livejournal.com]

I am just getting caught up on reading--so glad to read you are doing okay after your trip to the hospital! I am bad about depending on Diet Coke for my liquids, but at least it is portable enough for me to keep a bottle close by.

Whatever method you decide to use, I just hope you do keep hydrated so there aren't any more trips to ER!