Since there are so many great apps out there, I want to ask the ever-so-important question: Which one is absolutely essential to your daily life?
I'll go first: Waterllama! I started using it a few months ago because I really like to know precisely what and how much I drink each day, especially during the summer.
I'd love to hear about the app you use the most and why it's so important to you. And if you have any tips or tricks for getting the most out of the app, I'd love to hear those too!
I have never understood the modern obession with hydration, carrying bottles everywhere, drinking a glass of water on a schedule.
Out bodies have internal hydration tracking. It's called being "thirsty" or do we only use that word in relation to sex now?
The issue is that when you feel thirsty, it indicates that your body is already dehydrated (essentially experiencing a water deficit), which is not ideal. Therefore, it's important to avoid reaching that point. I used to only drink when I felt thirsty, but since using Waterllama, I have been able to maintain better hydration levels (and I must say, I also feel better!).
I've seen that claim made and also refuted multiple times and it honestly doesn't make any sense to me in the context of animal behavior. All animals presumably drink when they're thirsty. My cat is not game planning its next drink to avoid dehydration before it hits. They drink when they're thirsty and that's probably just fine.
I really don't think this is as big of an issue as people make it out to be.
I believe it's about optimizing our well-being by staying ahead of potential dehydration and supporting our body's functions more consistently. When we maintain proper hydration levels, we're not just preventing thirst – we're also supporting digestion, circulation, temperature regulation, and overall cognitive and physical performance.
But I think I am digressing too much from the topic of the post.
I just don't buy that at all and I'd love to see some credible sources for it.
Except drinking all the time also has proven drawbacks. In proffessional sports, drinking too much plain water is known to be detrimental to performance.
You do not sweat nearly enough to warrant the multiple glasses of water the average school teacher makes kids drink in PE nowadays. Even though you do get thirsty.
What your body actually needs, are the salts and other minerals you just sweated out, which was the whole point that created Gatorade.
Also a lot of the research that claims thirst to be "too late" in telling you when to drink, is funded by companies that sell bottled water.