Winter Dehydration Is A Thing And It’s Not Cute

by Cameron Cash (@thecameroncash)

I live in Los Angeles, and the other night while waiting at a red light, I watched a woman in a long coat, scarf and beanie hat with a cute fuzzy ball on top, hurry across the street with a stroller and a dog. She scurried through the crosswalk like someone rushing to stay warm. I looked down at the external temperature gauge on my dashboard. It read 64 degrees.

Winter in LA is more about fashion it seems, but for most of the country it’s about staying warm, and moisturized. Because we don’t feel as warm or sweaty, hydration tends to become less of a priority, but this is a huge mistake. The dry winter temperatures zap the moisture out of our skin, and our body is working double time to expel internal moisture as well.

The thing is, in the winter, a survival mechanism causes our veins to constrict to conserve heat and maintain body temperature. This causes an increase in blood pressure which forces our kidneys to create more urine. More pee = less fluids in the body also known as dehydration. It’s enough to make you want to move to LA. (Please don’t. The traffic is horrendous enough.)

Ever enjoyed a room temperature bottle of Core? Now might be the time to take the bottles out of the refrigerator, or off ice. Cold drinks get absorbed by our bodies faster, but warm or room temperature liquids are better at maintaining body temperature. When you’re active, like I know all of you awesome people are, maintaining optimal body temperature is ideal for cold weather workouts.

Water isn’t the only way to hydrate your body in the winter months. Eating fruit, like apples which are 84% water, is a nutritious way to get hydrated and boost energy. Learn which fruits and veggies have the most water here. Not hungry, want a new way to hydrate? Core is another way to dodge dehydration. Always remember that the body sometimes mistakes thirst for hunger, so be sure you are giving it what it really needs in the moment.

TBH even though it may not snow here in southern California, the winter still brings extremely dry weather conditions. Chapped lips aren’t cute and neither is dehydration. When in doubt, apply lip balm and reach for a bottle of #perfectlybalanced Core.