How close are we?
You and I?
Close enough to ask this question….
What color is your urine: colored like lemon water or like orange juice?
Ahhhh…..refreshing!
Back to the post…
I know. Great question right.
But, if we are friends, I need to make sure that you’ve looked at your urine at least once in your life; realize urine shouldn’t be dark in color; and that you know the amount of water you drink is directly related to the color of your urine.
Why:
Water is important for hydration. We all know this as it has been drilled into our heads since we were kids (kind of like cigarettes are bad for you).
But, did you know that:
- water is key for the elasticity in your skin, which helps you look younger
- dehydration can cause headaches
- water aids in digestion (and is key to relieving constipation)
- drinking ONLY 5 glasses of water everyday can decrease your chance of colon cancer, breast cancer and bladder cancer (per the New England Journal of Medicine)
Normal:
First, I must warn you.
Don’t be scared if your urine is pink or red after eating beets or has a horrible odor after eating asparagus.
Seriously. The beet thing can freak you out if you forget.
Picture it:
“OMG…..I’m dying!” Says self.
“Whew! Now I remember I had beets ,” as I stare over the toilet and the person in the next stall makes a noise to remind me I’m not alone.
Nice.
Science says , that pink or slight red urine upon eating beets ( known as beeturia- isn’t there a name for everything? ) is normal and is caused by a compound in beets that doesn’t breakdown in your system and instead excretes ( I hate this word!) in waste.
The same is said for asparagus’ horrendous stench: it’s the non-breakdown of compounds that causes the stench, aka excretion (arghhhh!).
Btw-67% of us are ‘non smellers’, meaning we can’t smell the stench of asparagus and there’s even controversy if everyone that eats ‘the stalk’ even produces the stench!
Wow! I thought everyone smelled it!
With all that said, your urine isn’t suppose to have a smell ( unless you’ve ate something wonky) and it should be a lighter shade of yellow, meaning you are well hydrated. Darker ( like syrup) urine could mean you are dehydrated; transparent means you could be drinking too much.
Drink up:
So, I’m pretty sure I don’t drink enough water in a day (recommended ounces are half our your body weight-say what!?!?!??!).
I try really hard but I end up spending half my day in the WC….like every hour!!!!
Supposedly this is normal.
Ugh!
So, in an effort to drink more water, last month I joined the No Excuse Mom ( remember her from tv earlier in the year) for a ‘drink more water challenge’ .
Honestly, I only lasted 2 weeks (vino won that fight!), but I did notice the following changes, both good and bad, during that time:
- I retained water-yes, you read that right-I retained, although I eventually lost it all
- I got acne…at age 38! That’s no fun! But, supposedly this, too, is normal as I was excreting (ugh!) toxins through my skin
- I felt energized
- No sluggish feelings during the day or headaches
I would definitely give the ‘drink more water’ challenge another shot, maybe do it in 2 week increments.
That seems to be a little more realistic.
Too, I would stop my drinking at a reasonable night-time, like 9 pm. That way, I won’t spend half my night using the bathroom.
And…oh! You know there’s an app to remind you to drink water, right?
Actually it works pretty good. You set the amount of ounces you want to drink and set the times to be reminded. A cute, sweet little chime goes off and shows a picture of a glass of water, reminding you to drink up!
So, on this Monday, try to be more mindful of the liquids you are drinking this week.
Set a challenge to yourself tomorrow/ this week/ this month to drink more water…maybe 32ozs a day…maybe replace 1 or 2 soda’s with water…and see how you feel.
Sure, you will be running to the bathroom more (hey, that’s good for the pedometer) and you could develop acne for the first few days…but keep drinking!
Let me know how it works out.
How much water do you drink on a daily basis?
Ever experience any of these side effects (acne, bloating, frequent urination) from drinking too much water?
Ever had stinky or pink-ish urine from eating something out of the ordinary?
My own best self 