This past week, I gave myself a simple but important wellness challenge: drink enough water. For the past few years, I’ve struggled with mild dehydration—especially in the form of headaches. If I felt thirsty at night or woke up with that dry-mouth feeling, a headache almost always followed. My Nurse Practitioner has even called me out during annual checkups for being slightly dehydrated. I suspected I wasn’t hitting the recommended 64 ounces of water a day, but the truth was, I’d never actually tracked it.
Day One: I didn’t change my behavior—I just observed. I measured how much I was drinking without pushing myself to do more. To my surprise, I consumed 11 cups (88 ounces) of fluids. More than I thought! Still, I wasn’t sure it was enough for me.
Day Two: I decided to do a little digging. Based on my size, age, activity level, and the warm summer temps, I realized I likely need significantly more water than I assumed. So I downloaded an app to help me stay on track. My first try was the adorable Waterllama, which turned out to require a subscription—something I hadn’t noticed at first. I ended up switching to a free app called Drink Water, which syncs with my Apple Watch. It has frequent (and slightly annoying) ads, but I can deal with that for a few weeks while I’m building better habits. I even set up reminders to nudge me throughout the day.
Now here’s the thing—I LOVE dance fitness! Between teaching, taking classes, learning choreography, and practicing, I move a lot. Especially in the summer. And even when I averaged 110 ounces of water a day, I still noticed darker urine and occasional light headaches. It became clear that for me, 120+ ounces a day is the minimum—especially when I’m active or in the heat.
One of the biggest surprises? Timing matters. I had gotten into the habit of avoiding water during classes so I could stay focused and not need a bathroom break mid-session. Then I’d guzzle a bottle afterward to make up for it. Not only is this ineffective—it can also cause digestive discomfort. I’ve learned it’s much better to hydrate before, during, and after movement—slowly and consistently. I was hydrating all wrong!
I also discovered that spacing water intake throughout the day is key. For example, one night this week we went to a comedy show. I avoided drinking because we had center-row seats and I didn’t want to interrupt the show with a bathroom run. By the time we got home at 11 p.m., I was way behind. I technically met my daily goal by the end of the night, but my body clearly didn’t appreciate the long dry spell. The next morning’s symptoms confirmed it.
My Takeaways:
- The classic “64 ounces a day” rule is probably too low for many of us.
- A better starting point: take your body weight in pounds, divide by two, and drink that many ounces—but even that may fall short depending on your activity level and climate.
- Hydration isn’t just about quantity—it’s about timing.
- Drink consistently throughout your waking hours. Don’t “catch up” all at once.
- Pay attention to how you feel: urine color, dry mouth, and energy levels are great clues.
This small experiment reminded me that wellness is deeply personal. Our bodies are constantly giving us feedback—we just have to listen.
Happy Hydrating!
Ruth
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