How to Rehydrate Your Body | 4 Quick & Easy Steps

While chugging water may seem like the obvious solution, you can actually drink too much water, over diluting your cells and riding a roller coaster of electrolyte imbalance. Drinking enough (but not too much) water and replenishing electrolytes is the key to handling dehydration.

As soon as you notice dehydration symptoms, immediately drink water with supplemented electrolytes. Even in the case of mild dehydration, you’ll need to bring in the big guns. While bottled water brands that market toward electrolyte enhancement may help, they won’t give your body the big boost it needs to restore full function. 

My electrolyte formula, Super Hydration Boost, contains the major electrolytes, in addition to, minerals and antioxidants for dehydration rescue. It can be taken in capsule or powder form added to water. Like all BodyManual products, it is free of sugar, artificial coloring and flavoring. 

All water is not created equal! Always drink filtered water when you can. Contaminants can cause health problems that may only lead to dehydration in the long run.

Dehydrated or not, make the switch from table salt to sea salt. This will give you added minerals that your body needs to restore or maintain hydration.

If dehydrated, eat water-dense vegetables that are sprinkled with sea salt while drinking electrolyte supplemented water. 

Bone broth is an excellent source of electrolytes and other minerals. In addition, it has amazing health benefits that will have you hooked. In fact, I can’t think of any part of the human body that doesn’t benefit from bone broth’s properties.  

Avoid over exerting yourself and sweating for at least 12 hours after you rehydrate. Do your best to choose healthy whole foods.

Recovering from dehydration and other stressors is much easier when you’re at optimal health. In general, a healthy body supported by proper diet, supplementation, movement and lifestyle will offer you more resilience, strength and immunity. It’s true that proper nutrition lays the foundation for avoiding imbalance and disease within the body. These habits will not only help to keep you hydrated but they’ll improve the quality of your life too. 

They’re often high in sodium and lack any other electrolytes, which creates an instant imbalance. Restaurant and packaged foods are notorious for triggering dehydration- and throwing your body out of whack.

The best solution to maintaining electrolyte levels is to ditch the junk and consume electrolyte-rich foods: 

• Cruciferous broccoli, cabbage, leafy greens
• Water dense celery, cucumber, citrus, watermelon, pineapple
• Avocado – also packed with healthy fat, fiber and zinc
• Chia seeds
• Beets
• Almonds and pumpkin seeds

Note: While you may have heard that bananas and dairy products contain electrolytes, they’re also a big source of sugar - and can be gut irritants. It’s best to avoid or limit these options and get your electrolytes from the sources above.

Electrolyte imbalance stems from not enough water or too much water in your body. The key is to drink enough water so that you keep your sodium and potassium levels just right. 

How much water is enough? This is determined by lifestyles factors: activity level, age, diet, sweat production, etc. The general guideline of 64-80 ounces daily tends to provide most adults (who are not athletes) with enough hydration BUT this water should really be filtered and contain electrolytes. Since the concentration of electrolytes in drinking water can vary greatly, I suggest supplementing.  

Note: If you’re active, you really need to consume extra water during and after exercise AND supplement with electrolytes. This could be 12-24 ounces extra depending upon workout length.

It’s possible (and common) to be chronically deficient in electrolytes, especially magnesium and potassium. Using Super Hydration Boost daily (especially if you’re active) or at least a few times per week, along with a healthy diet, will really help ensure electrolyte balance. 

Research has shown that insufficient sleep may lead to dehydration by way of hormone disruption. Find out how much sleep you really need here. 

Alcohol and caffeine not only dehydrate you in the first place, they also disrupt your natural sleep cycle. If you want to wake up refreshed, stay hydrated throughout the day and don’t be tempted by that “night-cap.”

If you need more convincing, check out my video and blog, “Is Drinking Alcohol REALLY That Bad For Your Health?”