💧How Do You Stay Hydrated? You’re Not Tired—You’re Just Thirsty: The Busy Woman’s Guide to Hydration

When you’re juggling deadlines, soccer drop-offs, and what feels like a never-ending laundry vortex, the last thing on your mind is drinking water. You might even try hard to convince yourself that your coffee has water in it, right?

But here’s the truth: if you’ve been feeling like a drained phone battery by 3 PM, your brain fog gets worse as the day goes on, and your mood swings make dinner time tough, hydration might be the secret weapon you’ve been missing. How do you stay hydrated?

💦 Why Water Matters: What’s Really at Stake?

Did you know your body is about 60% water? (Your brain is even more dramatic—clocking in at about 75%!) That means every sip you take is literally fueling your cells, organs, mood, energy, and digestion.

Here’s a quick peek at the systems that rely on water like it’s their full-time job:

🧠 Brain & Mood

Feeling foggy, cranky, or anxious? Your brain’s performance is one of the first things to dip when you’re even slightly dehydrated. Water helps deliver nutrients to the brain and flushes out toxins—so when you’re parched, your mood and mental clarity can take a hit.

💃 Hormones & Detox

Your liver and kidneys (aka your detox dream team) use water to flush out excess hormones and metabolic waste. Without enough hydration, things start to back up. Cue hormone imbalance, fatigue, and breakouts.

💩 Digestion & Bloating

Water is a natural digestive lubricant (fancy, right?). It helps break down food, keep things moving, and prevent constipation. If you’re bloated or backed up—don’t just reach for fiber, reach for your water bottle too.

💖 Heart & Circulation

Your blood is nearly 90% water. That means hydration directly affects your blood pressure, heart rate, and circulation. It even plays a role in regulating body temperature—so your hot flashes? Yeah, they care about hydration too.

🧬 Metabolism & Energy

Even mild dehydration can tank your energy and slow your metabolism. If you’re dragging by 3 p.m., it might not be the coffee you need—it could be water. (Okay, maybe both. Let’s be real.)

🚩 Real-Life Signs You Might Be Dehydrated (Not Just “Tired”)

Let’s skip the textbook stuff and get real about the signs that might be showing up in your life:

• You’re snapping at your partner over the way they chew. (No judgment.)
  
• You need caffeine to start your day—and survive it.
  
• Your skin feels like it belongs in a desert climate.
  
• You get headaches, especially in the afternoon.
  
• You’re bloated (ironically, water helps here).
  
• Your energy crashes before dinner prep even begins.
  
• Your “I’ll go to the bathroom later” mentality turns into never.
  

Sound familiar? You’re not alone—and you’re not broken. You’re just dry.

💡 Fact vs. Myth: The Hydration Edition

💦 MYTH: “I need to drink 8 glasses of water every day—no matter what.”
✅ FACT: That old rule isn’t one-size-fits-all. Your needs depend on activity, weather, and even hormones.  There is a trend going around that says to take your body weight and divide it by 2, and you will get how many fluid ounces you need in a day. That is a start, but it’s not an exact science or meant for you personally since we all have different needs.

💦 MYTH: “If I’m not thirsty, I’m hydrated.”
✅ FACT: Thirst is a late sign. By the time you’re craving water, your body is already dehydrated. It’s like when you put off eating until you’re shaking when you’re really hungry—by then, it’s too late to keep it calm and find a healthy meal, and you’re grabbing whatever is around.

💦 MYTH: “Coffee and tea dehydrate you.”
✅ FACT: Moderate caffeine still counts toward fluid intake. If you typically drink a cup of coffee a day, your body gets used to that, and it counts toward hydration, not against it.. Same thing with tea. What we don’t want to do is rely on caffeine for “energy.” Caffeine is not fuel; food is.

🚰 Action Items for the Woman Who’s Already Doing All the Things

Let’s make hydration doable—not another to-do list item you resent.

1. Start with a Morning Chug

Before coffee, before emails, before you start your daily TO-DO list, go ahead and drink a full glass of water. Keep it on your nightstand if needed.

2. Level Up Your Water Bottle

Invest in a cute (and large) water bottle you want to carry around. Bonus points if it has time markers or is a color or pattern that makes you happy. Keep it at your desk and make sure to take drink breaks. Set a timer on your phone if you have to, or put a sticky note on your computer as a daily reminder.

3. Make It Fancy

Add lemon, cucumber, berries, or mint if plain water bores you. Or go wild with a splash of coconut water for electrolytes without the sugar crash. Freezing the fruit doubles as an ice cube. I even have some clients who use a clear, fruit-flavored protein powder with their water to give it a flavor and add a macro here and there.

4. Link It to a Habit

Drink water every time you check your phone for emails, finish a Zoom call, or yell “Where are your shoes?!” to your kids. That’s called habit stacking, and it works.  Think of it as your newest adult drinking game. 

5. Hydrate with Food

Watermelon, cucumbers, oranges, and soups count. Find the link to a PDF about the fluid content of foods here. Remember you won’t get 100% of the benefits but you will get some.  Liquid IV, elemental electrolyte powders are not necessary, but if they help you drink, then I’m not opposed to them by any means. If you’re someone who needs to watch the sodium in your diet (high blood pressure, fluid retention and edema, or congestive heart failure), those electrolyte drinks can add up fast, so be mindful.

6. Watch Your Pee (Yes, Seriously)

If it’s pale yellow or clear, you’re golden. If it looks like apple juice… time to refill that bottle.  If you’re someone who can’t take multiple bathroom breaks during the day, drink early morning, a glass or two at lunch break, and then focus on the water when you get home from work (~4 pm on) is what you will need to do to make this work for you.

🧠 A Final Word, Woman to Woman

If you’ve been feeling off, tired, moody, or foggy, it doesn’t always mean something is wrong. Sometimes, it means your brilliant, beautiful body is whispering, “Hey, I need a little help here.”

You don’t need to overhaul your life. You just need to start sipping.

Small steps, big results. Hydrated You is sharper and calmer. If you feel like you are doing well with your hydration but are still feeling fatigued, low on energy, and having gut issues, then you definitely want to check out my Chaos to Clarity Program. It’s a 6-month program where we dive deep into your nutrition-related issues to come up with personalized plans that fit into your life to improve your overall mental and physical wellness.

Hydration isn’t a trend. It’s a daily act of self-care that takes 5 seconds and pays off all day long.  So, take a second right now and sip some water, coffee, tea, seltzer, or milk. BOOM! Look at you, you’re already putting action into place.

Your Proper Hydration Enthusiast,

xoxo

Jackie