The Health Pyramid-Level 2-Hydration

HYDRATION

It’s About More Than Drinking More Water

If you had asked me years ago what it meant to stay hydrated, I probably would have given you the same answer most people would: drink more water. While that is obviously part of it, the more I have learned about health and the human body, the more I have realized that hydration is much more interesting and important than I ever gave it credit for.

Water is involved in almost everything our bodies do. It helps regulate our temperature, transport nutrients, support digestion, lubricate our joints, maintain blood volume and remove waste. Our organs, tissues and cells all depend on adequate fluid to function properly. When we talk about building health from the ground up, hydration really does belong near the bottom of that pyramid.

My personal goal is around 100 ounces of water each day. That is not me telling everyone reading this that they should drink 100 ounces, because hydration needs are individual. Body size, activity, climate, diet, medications, illness and how much you sweat can all change what your body needs. For me, having a goal simply makes me much more intentional about it. Otherwise, I can get to the end of a busy day and realize I drank far less than I thought I did.

Over time, though, my focus shifted from simply asking, How much water am I drinking? to also asking, What is actually in the water I’m drinking?

I recently invested in a glass water filtration system that significantly reduces contaminants, including microplastics, and then adds back trace minerals. I drink alkaline water as part of my own routine as well. I am not suggesting that everyone needs to run out and buy a water filtration system, and I certainly don’t believe you need expensive equipment to begin taking better care of yourself. I simply became more interested in water quality as I learned more, researched my options and decided it was something I wanted to prioritize in my own home.

That distinction is important to me because one of the reasons I created the Health Pyramid was to get away from the idea that health has to be complicated, expensive or all-or-nothing. You do not need to optimize everything at once. You need to start with what you can realistically do consistently.

For one person, improving hydration might mean finally carrying a water bottle to work. Someone else may start drinking water with meals instead of soda. Another person might realize they are exercising regularly but aren’t replacing enough fluids or electrolytes. Someone further along in their health journey may start researching water quality, filtration or mineral content. All of those count.

Water and Electrolytes Are a Team

Another piece of hydration that can get lost in the “drink more water” conversation is electrolytes. Water matters tremendously, but fluid balance in the body also depends on minerals such as sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium.

Electrolytes help with things like:

• Fluid balance

• Nerve signaling

• Muscle contraction

• Normal heart function

• Maintaining proper function inside and outside our cells

This doesn’t mean everyone needs to add an electrolyte packet to every bottle of water. Most people obtain electrolytes through food, and needs can vary considerably. But if you are sweating heavily, exercising for long periods, dealing with certain illnesses or losing significant fluids, the conversation can be different.

It is also a good example of why I want this series to go deeper than simply giving you a checklist of things you “should” do. I want you to understand why your body needs them.

Start With What You Can Change Today

Before worrying about perfect water, expensive filtration systems or the newest electrolyte powder, look at your actual habits.

• How much water are you drinking on an average day?

• Do you wait until you are extremely thirsty before you drink?

• Are you drinking consistently throughout the day or trying to make up for it at night?

• Does your activity level change how much fluid you need?

• Are most of your fluids coming from water, or are they primarily coming from other beverages?

• Do you notice a difference in your energy, headaches, digestion or concentration when you’ve been drinking less?

You don’t need to overhaul everything after reading one article. Awareness comes first.

That is really what this entire Health Pyramid is about. The things at the top may sound exciting: supplements, advanced therapies, wearables, peptides, biohacking and longevity strategies. There is a place for conversations about those things. But none of them make the fundamentals irrelevant.

Sometimes improving our health starts with something as simple as paying attention to what is in our glass.

In Part 2, I want to take this one step further and explain what happens throughout the body when we aren’t getting enough fluid. Dehydration isn’t always as obvious as feeling incredibly thirsty. It can show up in ways people may not immediately connect to hydration, and understanding those connections makes it much easier to understand why this seemingly simple piece of the pyramid matters so much.

If you’re interested in the filtration system I personally chose or what I considered when researching water quality, feel free to reach out to me. I am always happy to share what I use and what I’ve learned. My goal isn’t to tell you what to buy. It’s to give you information that helps you ask better questions and make choices that make sense for you.

INVISIBLY EMPOWERED