Stay Healthy and Hydrated – My Cactus With E.D.

When I think of healthy ways to stay healthy and hydrated, my cactus with E.D pops into my mind. Succulents and cactus are some of my favorite garden plants. Summer temperatures are regularly over 100 degrees where I live, in the San Joaquin Valley in the middle of California. So drought tolerant plants are easy to manage here.

Sometimes I forget to water my succulents. I mean, aren’t they able to wait a month between waterings? I have one cactus that is about 8” tall, and I nicknamed “The Erectile Dysfunction Plant”. 🙂 I know it is time to water this cactus when it is curled over into the shape of “7”, and only about 4 inches tall. I guess it loses the ability to stand tall when it is dehydrated. It pops right back up after a good hydrating drink of water.

Here are a few photos of my E.D. succulent

There are other plants in my garden that require more frequent watering. Regardless of how frequently the plants need watering, the fact is that water is necessary for them to keep growing and producing.

Previously, I wrote about ways to know if you are dehydrated using the pee test. You can read that article here. https://blogshayolihope.com/signs-i-am-dehydrated-the-pee-test/

Healthy and Hydrated – We Need Water All Day Every Day

What The Heck Causes Dehydration?!
Dehydration happens when your body doesn’t have as much water as it needs. Too much water is lost and not enough water is taken in.

There are a few ways dehydration may happen:

• Intense Physical Activity- it is easy to intake less water than your body is sweating out.
• Prolonged High Fever- the body uses up more water. It is important to increase water intake while the fever goes on.
• Diarrhea- this prevents your body from absorbing water from foods. The body may also expel more water than you can drink.
• Vomiting- times like this it is easy to skip water intake and become dehydrated.
• Diabetes- this results in high blood sugar levels, frequent urination, and extreme loss of fluid in the cells.
• Frequent Urination- Causes of frequent urination can be: prescription medication, alcohol intake, antihistamines, blood pressure medications, antipsychotic medications, and too much caffeine.
• Dry Environments- body fluids become depleted when you are living in arid climates or in indoor environments where the heater or air conditioner runs more often.

In all of these circumstances, we’ve gotta take conscious steps to Staying Healthy and Hydrated.

How Much Water Should You Drink?

General guidelines suggest drinking half your weight in ounces of water each day. Huh? What?
Let’s say you weigh 100 pounds (I wish)
Half of 100 is 50
So a 100 pound person should drink at least 50 ounces of water daily.

Coffee, soda, juice, or alcohol don’t count. Just water.
If this is a new habit for you, split up the number of ounces into segments of your day. Here are two basic ways to know exactly how many ounces of water you are drinking each day:

1. Either use a jug with your daily total number of ounces, so you can see your progress.
   OR
2. Get a flask or sports cup, figure out the amount of ounces it holds, and note the number of refills you made during the day.

After taking these formal steps for a couple of weeks, you will learn how to sense your body’s hydration signals. Water intake will become a natural part of your daily routines. THIS routine is the way to staying healthy and hydrated. When you stay healthy and hydrated, internal organs and systems function at their best.

Staying hydrated and healthy is how to keep your skin hydrated and healthy, too.

Thousands have lived without love, not one without water. W.H. Auden

It strikes me as kinda ironic that we think experiencing love is vital to life. Yet water is the crucial necessity that keeps us hydrated and standing up straight like the Erectile Dysfunction Cactus.

It is never too late to begin a lifestyle of Staying Healthy and Hydrated.
Start the path to rehydrating today.

Enjoy your healthy life!

Pam Schmidt
Chemical Minimalist

https://chemicalminimalist.com/
Mindfulness Mentor

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