Hydration--Help yourself with a drop

It's amazing to feel the season change, a reminder that I do not control this world but giving me more reasons that I love living in it. The 20-minute evening walks help me step away the stress of the day, encourage digestion, and keep me in pace with blood sugar balance, hedging diabetes from my plate of life. Recently in class four types of Diabetes were described:

1. Diabetes Type I (hereditary driven), and

2. Type II (with its multiple causes including lifestyle), were joined by

3. Type III, (now identifying Type II as bridging to Alzheimer's), and

4. Type IV related to polycystic ovarian syndrome.

I'm grateful for the way that education and facts inspire me to keep moving. The after-dinner walk has been a great way to enjoy the weather.

Additionally, a recent interview with my nutritionist challenged my approach to daily hydration. I've long called myself a "gulper," each hour downing some 8-12 ounces of water to ensure that I hit my understanding of ideal hydration levels. I learned, however, from Dr. James that the liver cycles on a 30-minute basis--and consequently my hourly hydration habits leave the liver thirsty complicating its work:

• preparing bile for digestion,

• cleaning and sourcing nutrition from the blood of the stomach and intestines, as well as

• shunting additional nutrition to ALL of the other organs of the body on a twice-daily basis. This article from LiverSupport.com gives a few more insights to the link between hydration and liver function.

Our better habits respond to the Liver's 30-minute cycling, and LESS water, MORE OFTEN has made significant impact maintaining my electrolyte and blood sugar balances--increasing both my work and activity endurance.

How did I know how much to drink for the targeted 10 hours of hydration daily? Grab a calculator:) Here's Dr. James' Half-Hour Hydration Formula:

Body weight divided by 2 multiplied by 0.8, divided by 20.

For me, this reduced my water intake by more than half per half hour. Using this formula, a 200-pound person would drink 4 ounces--about 4 full mouthfuls every 30 minutes for 10 hours of the day.

BETTER than WATER--electrolytes can feed the muscles. There are many varieties, and your body will communicate your successful choices. After a year of sugar options, followed by a year of sugar-free sweetened options, my digestion flared. Now, I use whole food to make my own:

20 ounces of water--I overfill my bottle to more than 24 ounces.

2 teaspoons of pure maple syrup, OR 5 ounces of coconut water OR a 1/4 c. fruit juice

1/8 teaspoon of salt--Baja Gold is known for its purity and mineral content.

1 packet of lemon or lime crystals for taste, only

For those looking for a way to increase Collagen intake, you may add it hear daily.

When I'm playing tennis and sweating, hydration needs necessarily increase--I choose to take 2 ounces each time I cross the net approximately every 10-20 minutes--keeping up with my perspiration but NOT interrupting my game with an overfull bladder. Take care--if your lips are dry or after pinching as small 1/2 bit of skin on your hand or forearm it stays folded rather than quickly returning to its original flat self, you NEED more water for that activity--including house and yard work. For more information about taking care of yourself with heavy sweat, click for this Blog and begin reading under the embedded picture.

I've also tested the Half-Hour Hydration Formula during long-distance drives and have been comfortable for HOURS and MILES. Note the article referenced above for other empowering hydration benefits. As always, it's great to counsel with your own medical professionals to personalize practices for your best outcomes. Cheers! Rachel

Schedule at CMMT Today for a Better Tomorrow

Diabetes research and hydration practices can support your organs for long-term benefits.