Month / August 2020

by yojeanyi

Hydrating Tip (boring but essential)💧💧💧

So the thrill of rating bottled waters according to taste, alkalinity, electrolytes, distillation is gone.

💧It’s time to decide on the one true water source tasked to keep you alive.

This is a negligible task, but that skin is not going to elasticize itself. You need continual water because you sweat, pee, and cry it out.

It’s a project that can be the difference between “always” and “sometimes.”

Excellent Integrated Hydration (EIH) begins at the source might sound like hype, but it’s the holy grail. Whether the water is tap or filtered is up to the One Who Hydrates (OWH), but if you choose distilled, you still have to find an alternate source for electrolytes and minerals.

💧Drinking water that tastes good means drinking more of it.

💧Choosing your container:

There are too many reusable water bottles with impractical designs and laughable capacity. Hydration isn’t 12 ounces while you’re out driving, errand running, working, schooling. (And the bottles with narrow mouths are hard to refill >:/ $*#$&$&*# ). But if there’s one true vessel that you swear by, good.

While stuck at home, I found myself drinking less water once I switched to the Brita water pitcher…Before I was doing fridge filter —> Hydro flask. I wondered why. I like the taste of Brita. I already considered the inconvenience of pitcher refill.

Turns out, that extra step between pitcher and my cup each time was just annoying enough.

Fridge –> Hydro flask (container)–> user [2 steps]

Tap–> Brita pitcher–> cup (container) –> user [3 steps]

Solution 1. Change container to one with larger capacity

In conclusion / learning opportunity? : minute changes to how you daily activities seems negligible but aren’t. Identify issues and solutions to the banal stuff too.

💧In efficient systems, one step makes a huge difference over time.

Now the 💧 you’ve been waiting for. A look at the exhausted choices of containers to use when you’re on the move:

Bladder backpack – camelbak- true to the name, you carry a bag of water wherever you are bothered to go. A straw gives you quick access to that life giving elixir.

Original Nalgene / Nalgene inspired bottle: this one is practical and ideal for a number of reasons. It has a wide mouth easy for refilling, and it holds 1 liter (33.8 ounces) which means less frequent refills. (2 for men, ___ for women.)

Webmd

But you hate plastic? While this one has a narrow mouth, it at least has a good capacity at 1.4 liters. When using at home, I use a funnel to fill it.

💧💧💧HAPPY HYDRATING 💧💧💧💧💧

by yojeanyi

Good tip: sweat before showers

We brush our teeth twice a day, shower every other day, groom ourselves, and eat with some semblance of regularity. Hygiene and health are part of life — they get done with regularity (otherwise we can get sick.)

Exercise, on the other hand? Not always so automatic. Even if we know it’s good for us, it might not come naturally. Stick to the same low-stakes, noncompetitive activities — the elliptical, a fitness video, running loops around the block, or a weekly yoga class — and it can start to feel like a chore. Motivation wanes.

Here’s a simple trick: sweat before you shower. Make the act of exercise an unskippable part of clean, refreshed skin. You’ll feel the reward immediately afterward.

If you want to make movement more habitual ritual, try these:

  • Rally with a friend — sanitize a tennis ball or badminton birdie and get competitive.
  • Swim in the ocean — snorkel, explore, wave to marine friends. If you can’t find a calm cove, swim along the wave breaks. Survival instincts kick in and heart rate rises naturally.
  • Hike and immerse yourself in nature — choose a trail with elevation gain (1,000–2,000 feet) or varied terrain: stream crossings, chaparral, alpine meadows, boulder fields, canyons, or desert trails. Diverse landscapes challenge differently and connects you with the environment.
  • Home movement — if you’re stuck indoors, dedicate ten minutes to movement before getting clean. Jumping jacks, push-ups, dancing to a few songs. Spike energy and support immune health.

(This is similar to habit stacking, for example, one can Exercise + Brush Teeth – Do a set of squats or stretches while brushing teeth.)

So next time you’re about to jump in the shower, ask yourself: did I sweat before shower?