It’s that time of year in Portland… when the skies clear and the heat sinks in. It’s hard to remember in the middle of our soggy winters that Portland is both very hot and very dry in the summer, but here we are, the first week of June, temperatures creeping into the low 90s and the grass already starting to look a little yellow.

Hydration is one of those critical aspects of health that often gets overlooked for its simplicity. I can remember a client I’d had great successes come to me complaining of headaches – I spent hours pouring over the testing we’d done, the protocols I’d put her on, only to learn that she’d been consuming barely a 3rd of her daily water intake. We got her hydrated and the headaches disappeared. Yes, something this simple can be that powerful.

These days, the question of what water to drink has gotten as cumbersome and confusing as everything else when it comes to what to eat. Remember the time when you just stuck a glass under a faucet, filled it, and drank? Those were the days…

Even when it comes to the question of how much water to drink, the standard and stale advice of “drink eight 8oz glasses of water a day” falls short: it doesn’t take into consideration your weight, your daily activity levels, your environment, or what else you’re consuming in your diet. A good rule of thumb is to drink 1oz of water for every 2lbs of body weight – this means if you weigh 150lbs, you’ll need to drink at minimum 75oz of water. This is before diuretic beverages such as caffeinated drinks, alcohol, juices, or sodas, and before hard exercise.

What we do know is that most of us are not drinking enough. With the hot summer months upon us, our need for proper hydration is more important than ever. If you’re not a water-lover, here are some strategies on how to make sure you’re getting enough.

1) Eat more real, fresh vegetables and fruit. They are high in water content. Processed foods are typically dehydrating and will increase your daily water needs.

2) Drink water the next time you’re craving a snack. Often we mistake food cravings for dehydration. Next time you’re craving that mid-afternoon snack, have a glass of water and wait 10 minutes to see if the craving goes away.

3) Drink a big glass of water with a squeeze of lemon upon waking up. We are at our most dehydrated when we first wake up in the morning. Before you pour yourself that big cup of coffee, have a glass of water (16oz) first. In fact, you might find yourself so refreshed from this water and lemon, you don’t need that cup of coffee. (wanting it is another story…)

4) Find water too plain? Flavor your water naturally with fresh, organic fruit and vegetables. This is a great tool for getting off sweetened drinks like soda and juice. Instead of reaching for a can, pour yourself a glass of naturally flavored water. You’ll may be surprised at how refreshing and revitalizing you feel from it

5) Add a pinch of unrefined sea salt to your water throughout the day. It’s a great, cheap source of electrolytes and you may find that you crave this water more than the water without the salt.

6) Think beyond water! Herbal teas (hot or cold), bone broths, and sugar-free naturally-flavored mineral waters make great additional sources of hydration.

Here’s a recipe for some great tasting water that we love to make during the summer months:

• 1/2 cucumber, sliced
• handful of mint leaves
• 1 cup diced watermelon (deseeded or seedless)
• pinch of unrefined sea salt (adds electrolytes)
• Pitcher of water

Place the ingredients in a large pitcher and fill it with clean, filtered water. Place in refrigerator and continue to refill with water until ingredients start to get mushy or turn color.

*A good rule of thumb for figuring out how much water to drink is to take your weight in pounds and divide it by 2. This will give you the minimum ounces of water you want to be drinking per day. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs, you want to drink at least 75 ounces of water a day.

Feeling really dehydrated, or need to rehydrate after a stomach bug or intense exercise? Check out this homemade electrolyte drink by Don’t Mess with Mama. Easy, real, and none of the junk you’ll find in commercial rehydration powders or drinks.

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