Article – Hydration: Solutions to Prevent Summer’s Searing Energy Sap
As the temperature continues to creep up, so does our basic need for water. But how much is enough? Is it better to sip down water all day or not? How do we know when we are properly hydrated? These are just a few of the many questions we hear from our clients, especially this time of year!
In order to get you on track, let’s first start with how much water you need. The answer depends on how active you are. The more you sweat the more water you need to be drinking. Here’s a good starting point for anyone of us. Drink at least 64-80 ounces per day. This is the equivalent of 8-10 eight ounce glasses of water. As you’re drinking your water throughout the day, do so frequently, like every 15-20 minutes. This strategy versus downing large amounts all at once is more effective because it gives your tissues a chance to absorb what’s coming in.
Now that you know how much and how to pace, we will address how to know when you’ve hydrated enough. The answer is found by assessing your urine color throughout the day. Dark yellow is extremely dehydrated and a transparent display means you are too hydrated. You want to find a happy mild, transparent yellow. Your ideal color is see-through summer-time lemonade.
This last bit of information will ensure that you remain hydrated even during exercise. As you know, exercise makes you sweat. What you may not know is that you can lose as many as 3 + pounds during some bouts of exercise. For this reason, it is very important to do two things. The first is to get your weight prior to exercise. This gives you a baseline from which to assess your hydration efforts at the end of your session. The second is to be done during your session; drink water throughout. Keep it to sips not gulps and keep it frequent. After you have completed your training session, step back on the scale. A drop in weight is most likely an indicator of water loss. Hydrate accordingly.
We hope this “refresher” in hydration has been helpful. Happy hydrating!
by Chris Litten
Client Spotlight – Gene Smith
Welcome New and Returning Clients
The greatest compliment we can receive is a referral from one of our clients or allied health network!
- Dick Miller ~ referred by wife, Joanne Miller!
- Tom Griffin ~ Welcome Back!
- Christine Berry ~ referred by Dr. Martinez at TMC One!
- Lynn Hall ~ referred by Dr. Jonathan Tait from Rejuv Medical Southwest!
- Gemma Serrantes ~ referred by Dr. Martinez at TMC One!
“Shout Outs”
Shout outs are about us voicing victories we witness you all having at BodyBasics. We’ll keep it to our top 5 each month.
- Rick Jessen ~ for continuing to gain mastery of his bridges, especially his control!
- Joe Heater ~ for increasing his activity outside of his training sessions and continuing to reduce his bodyfat!
- Jim Gressinger ~ for increasing his confidence so much that he now ditches his walker completely in replace for his cane!
- Lynn Hall ~ for achieving a full range 1L Leg Press on both sides, something that she could not even come close to less than a month ago!
- Jane Spitzer ~ for recommitting to increasing her food intake! Strength improvements literally improved from one week to the next
Recipe – Cashew Butter
Mixing things up this month, sharing a DIY recipe for cashew butter. I am a big fan of buying nut butter already made, but this is still my favorite way to have cashew butter. Cashews have a sweetness all their own and this recipe is great added to toast, drizzled over oatmeal or had with a spoon, no fuss.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cup raw unsalted cashews
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/8 teaspoon salt (pinch)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
Instructions:
- Add the cashews to food processor or high speed blender, with coconut oil.
- Blend until the mixture starts to form into butter.
- It will be “clumpy” at first, so you will need to scrape down the sides a time or two, but be patient – the butter is coming.
- It will take about 8-10 minutes to reach the consistency you want.
- Once you have a “butter” consistency, it will sound like you are whipping a liquid instead of grinding nuts. Then add your salt and cinnamon and blend just to combine. Taste to add more salt if needed.
- Pour into a glass container, seal and store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, in the cupboard unrefrigerated for 1-2 weeks.
NOTE: * I buy mine roasted and unsalted but plain raw cashews work fine too.
Recipe By: Ashley Munro, RD, CDE
Ashley is a Tucson native, and the owner of Ashley Munro Nutrition, LLC, were she offers virtual nutrition counseling and meal planning support. She is a trained chef, and certified Intuitive Eating counselor. Through delicious cooked meals and recipes, Ashley shares her passion for food freedom, cooking, and family on her blog. Outside of work, Ashley enjoys running and ice cream dates with her 4 year old.
Basic Moves by BodyBasics ~ 3 Station Total Body Workout
Community Events
Walk With a Doc at 8:00 A.M. at Children’s Memorial Park
Join our community partners, Dr. Seth Peterson, owner of The Motive Physical Therapy Specialists, and Amber Stazenski, Owner of Pusch It Personal Training, August 3rd at 8:00 a.m. for a mix of learning and moving! Dogs and friends or neighbors are DEFINITELY welcome! Dr. Peterson, Chris and Amber are all rallying to increase your fitness and the fitness of our community. So grab some friends, bring your dogs and come join us! The 30+ minute walk will be done using the paved path along the Rillito River starting at Children’s Memorial Park. For map of location and topic to be shared, please call us and Chelsea will be happy to get all information to you.
Team BodyBasics
Chris, Kris, Kristian, Amanda, Dustin, Chelsea, Xavier, Aaron and NEW to the team Mike
