Hydration Before Your Wedding
Staying hydrated before your wedding is important. Let’s talk all about it!
Hydration Before Your Wedding
What are the benefits to drinking water?
Water and hydration are some of those things that we all know we need to be aware of and make sure we’re getting enough. That’s why I wanted to start with the benefits. It’s good to remember why you want to make sure you’re getting enough water each day. This is true whether you’re wedding planning or not.
Here are some top reasons to stay hydrated:
Increases brain power
Provides energy
Improves your complexion and gives you more radiant skin
Helps promote weight loss
Helps with weight management
Prevents headaches and helps decrease likelihood of migraines
Helps with going to the bathroom (#2)
Flushes out toxins
Prevents bad breath
Boosts immune system
Prevents cramps and sprains
Helps regulate body temperature
Improves heart health
Takes the edge off headaches
What are water recommendations?
The general guidelines are for water recommendations for adults range between 8-9 glasses per day. Obviously, this varies depending on how big your glasses are, how much you personally need depending on activity level, where else you’re getting hydration from, whether you’re spending all day in air-conditioning and so much more.
Foods with a large water content also count towards this recommendation - such as watery fruits and vegetables (e.g. watermelon, celery, cucumbers).
Foods can actually contribute 20% of our water requirements. So, if you're eating a well-balanced diet, you generally don't need the full 8-9 glasses.
I would recommend beginning with understanding how much you’re drinking now. Either use a large bottle to track how much you drink or if you’re getting a glass from the fridge each time, use a little notepad next to the fridge to track. You might surprise yourself with how much or little you drink.
From there, you might want to try increasing it glass by glass. Each day try to beat what you did the day before, until you reach an amount you’re happy with, taking into consideration how much you might be getting from food.
What if I’m exercising to tone up for the wedding? Do I need more water?
Regardless of the reason you’re exercising, whether it’s to tone up for the wedding or because you love the endorphin rush, you may need additional hydration. As you sweat, you’re going to be using up the water in your system so to replace it make sure you’re consuming at least 1-3 glasses of additional water during those days of exercise. Hydration can also help clear up, and have radiating skin.
How much water should I drink on my wedding day?
During the day of the wedding, it's important to stay hydrated. Dehydration can lead to headaches and lethargy, the last things you want on your wedding day! However, you probably want to consume generally the same amount of water you drink normally since it's a pain to mess with the dress. You don't want to be continually running to the bathroom!
So, pay attention to how much water you normally drink now, and ask your maid of honor or a bridesmaid to help you make sure you're drinking that much the day of your wedding. This is a great thing to delegate to someone else to keep an eye on. It’s likely that you’ll get distracted or busy and not pay enough attention. So enlisting the help of a friend will help you keep track.
What about other beverages (cough, alcohol, cough)?
During the wedding celebrations, stick with 1-2 alcoholic drinks so as to not get too tipsy, and alternate with water or seltzer throughout the night to stay hydrated and avoid hangovers the next day.
By alternate I mean:
Water or seltzer
Alcohol
Water or seltzer
Alcohol
Etc.
This is the easiest way to keep track of which you should be drinking next. Avoid the temptation to have your glass topped up continuously. It makes it hard to know how much alcohol you’ve had until you’ve had too much.
How can I make sure I enough water leading up to my wedding?
Worried that you’re going to struggle to keep up with getting enough water? This can be true especially if you’ve tracked how much you’re currently consuming and it’s low.
Here are some ways to make sticking with it fun!
Get a cute water bottle like this one. One of the biggest reasons people don’t drink enough water is it’s not hitting them in the face that they need water. Our body is pretty good at existing without it for a while so you might not even know you’re thirsty. Keeping a visual reminder like a large bottle that you know you have to finish on hand can help you remember to drink up.
Use an app - here’s a list of top ones! Phone use can be detrimental to our health, with endless scrolling and comparison on social media. Why not turn that around and use your phone for good! The gamification of building a habit can help encourage behavior with things like streaks and challenges to keep you accountable.
Buddy-up with a friend (or another bride, or maid of honor, or bridesmaid). Accountability can be a game-changer when it comes to goals or behavior change.
And!
Here is an article from Martha Stewart Weddings on hydration for the big day - they included some thoughts from me - thank you guys for including me! What an honor.