Should I have said drink more…water? LOL
I know having Hashimoto’s can make us feel like drink more non-water drinks, but the truth is the faster you fall in love with your water bottle the faster you can start healing.
What? Why? How? Keep reading to find out…
5 Reasons to Drink More Water
Improves Immune Function – Increasing your water intake can help support a healthy immune system. You may be feeling like “hey, Leigh. My immune system is a jerk and that’s why I’m even here.” And I get Get it, but a properly functioning immune system is one that DOESN’T attack us, so let’s give some support. Also, HashiGirls are notorious for our dry skin and skin is a HUGE part of your overall health. It is a barrier that keeps you from infection. Hydration also aides in nutrient transport (hello effective supplementation!), lymphatic draining, clearance of collar waste products and clears the highway for our antibody transportation. Water also helps our mucous membranes to remain functional and that is a big deal when it comes to pathogens trying to make their way into the body.
Weight Loss – If you are a HashiGirl it is likely that weight is, or has been, or will become, an issue for you. Drinking water supports your metabolism. It is a hormone-helper and for many HashiGirls that is the real weight-gain issue: hormones. Will it also help you feel full and possibly eat less? Sure. Will drinking more water aide in digestion and help your gut? Yep. Can it lower inflammation and keep you from looking so puffy? You betcha.
Prevent Headaches – So many of my HashiGirls have headaches! Friends, many of these headaches are from dehydration! Just keeping properly hydrated usually helps at least half of the girls in my course. For the other half, hormones and food sensitivities are usually the culprit. We’ll talk a little more about why water is so helpful to women with hormone issues in the next few sections. Water can help flush toxins and other molecules we’re sensitive too our of our system. I’m not telling you to replace your Epipen with a canteen, but there’s a reason your body craves water after a night out or a rich meal.
Healthy Skin – I already told you how important our shin is to our immune system, so I’m just going to come at this reason from a place of vanity. YOU DON’T WANT DRY SKIN. Dry skin is scratchy. It hurts. It makes your feet look weird in your new sandals and it can lead to weird oil production and acne on your face. I like to say if my body doesn’t look like I’m 16 anymore, then my face doesn’t get to either. Drinking water can help support your healing process and help your skin get its act together.
Hormone Health – This is a BIG one for HashiGirls. Drinking water supports your liver and kidneys. It allows them to filter out waste products AND hormone excess products. If your body detects high levels of broken down hormones it may not feel the need to release new hormones. Skewing your levels. So, drinking water actually helps your liver to correctly metabolize hormones in your system, and supports the kidneys as they rid your body of excess hormones. Water also helps your body remove toxins absorbed from the environment. This is crucial because environmental toxins can also cause your hormones levels to go bonkers.
Want to learn more about how Dehydration can affect your Hashimoto’s Symptoms? Click the image above to listen to this podcast episode.
How to drink more water?
Set a reminder in your phone!
Track your water intake with an app or fitness tracker.
Buy a pretty bottle you WILL USE and can go anywhere.
Here’s my new bottle (affiliate) and I’m a little obsessed. I prefer to drink out of glass and it HAS to fit in the cupholder of my car or I will forget it. If your bottle isn’t convenient/pretty/your new best friend, it just makes it too easy to lose track of.
How much water should you be drinking? Heres a quick formula:
Troubleshooting: “Leigh I have to pee every second of every day.”
Yep, but not forever! The first two weeks are tough. I wouldn’t suggest taking road trip across the country, but the good news is that after a little bit, your body gets used to your new water intake. Ever hear teachers talk about teacher bladder? Give yourself some time to adjust and while your bathroom trips will be more frequent, you’ll be able un-handcuff yourself from the bathroom.
So now you’re ready! Find yourself a bottle and get started.