Anyone who knows me well knows about my commitment (verging on obsession) with staying hydrated. It’s not just because I need to replenish my water stores from my workouts—when I’m well-hydrated, I sleep better, my body functions well, my appetite stabilizes and last but certainly not least, my skin looks its best. Fortunately, there are ways to get skin looking its most hydrated and beautiful both from the inside and outside, and Lise Watier’s weatherproof HydraForce line (and its awesome hydration tool!) help you keep that dewy complexion going all day long every season of the year.
First of all, I was shocked when I tested my hydration levels (you can test specific areas, like your cheek, neck, forehead, etc using the HydraForce app and hydration tool)—mine was in the 30-50% range! The thing is, even if you’re doing everything you can to stay hydrated (more on that in a second), there’s so much that can be done topically too with the right products. The Gaspé algae found in all the HydraForce products (from the gel to the creme to the lip balm) perseveres even under the harshest conditions, meaning you can switch up from the gel in the summer to the creme in the winter and regardless of the season, you’ll be getting serious hydration all year long.
Now, while you need to invest in your skin care, there are some key things you can do to make sure you’re staying hydrated all day long too:
1. Get a H2O bottle you love (I love bkr and S’well bottles!) that you’re proud to tote around all day. It’s worth the investment because not only will it keep you hydrated all day, but you’ll be saving (financially + environmentally) on plastic water bottles. Make sure you know its quantity (I suggest 0.5L) so that you can track your consumption.
2. And that leads into my next point: track it! If you’re motivated by small little goals (like I am), tracking on an app (so many smart phones have built-in water trackers, but there are a ton of apps including Waterlogged!) that help you easily track it on your phone. I personally am a pen-and-paper kind of girl so I track it in a little notebook I keep with me all day for tracking food, water, etc.
3. I love the taste of water (we’re lucky here in Vancouver, we have some really tasty drinking water!) but if you don’t love the taste of water, make your own flavoured ice cubes to plunk in your bottles! They’ll infuse your water over the day and there are limitless possibilities. I like taking some raspberries and mint, plunking a couple in the ice cube trays and covering them with water. The next day, I can add a couple to my bottle for a healthy flavour boost!
4. If you’re really struggling with drinking regularly, set an alarm every hour or so just to check in and make sure you’ve had about 0.25L at a minimum.
5. Sleeping is really dehydrating so I keep a 0.5L bottle out and drink it as soon as I’ve had my lemon and hot water. It really wakes up the system and it will get rid of any of that sleepy grogginess remaining faster than coffee (and that’s coming from a bonafide coffee addict).
6. Still really disliking water even with flavoured ice cubes? Try herbal tea chillers! I like brewing some tropical herbal tea and then adding in some lemon slices, chilling it in the fridge and then drinking it either straight or cutting it with some soda water in the evening. You’ll stay hydrated this way but without adding in a bunch of sugar from soda or juice.
7. Remember to hydrate extra post-workouts! I can hydrate well all day but if I hit a spin class or do a swim and don’t drink tons of water afterwards, I get these nagging headaches in the evening. Everyone’s different but I usually need a good litre after a hard workout to get back to a baseline (though I drink a lot of water!).
8. Still struggling to tote around your bottles or limited to a smaller bag? Get a mini bottle by bkr—they hold about a quarter of a litre, but having a little on you is better than nothing and you can easily refill it all day. Plus, they’re so cute!
So drink up! It’s the easiest and cheapest way of taking care of your health now. As for your skin, make sure to get your hydration levels tested at the nearest Lise Watier testing station in your city (find it here!) because even when you’re well-hydrated, having a killer hydrating product like Lise Watier’s HydraForce products will help balance out the outer layers of skin and really get your glow on!
Thank you to Lise Watier for partnering with me for this post.
