Navigating Hydration: Understanding Our Changing Needs

The Importance of Hydration in Our Lives

When I grew up in the late 60s and 70s, nobody carried water around. Not in the car, not in school, not during sports, and not even while getting a manicure. Water came from one place: the school fountain. And honestly? That was enough.

Breakfast was simple. We enjoyed cereal, pancakes, or scrambled eggs with a glass of orange juice. Lunch often consisted of a PB&J and an apple stuffed into a metal lunchbox or a paper bag as we got older. We weren't chronically dehydrated, dizzy, or fatigued. We didn’t count ounces, time our sips, or track anything.

Fast forward a few decades, and suddenly hydration feels like a full-time job. Every woman I know—especially in midlife—is carrying a 32-40oz bottle everywhere. Hydration has become a lifestyle, a trend, and in many ways, a survival tactic.

What Changed? Because Something Definitely Did

Let’s be honest: today's world is not the world we grew up in. Food was simpler back then. Ingredients were straightforward, and soil was healthier. Growers wanted it that way. Portions were smaller, and we were all fine with that. Stress was present, but it wasn’t the chronic, relentless pressure we face today.

We weren't constantly indoors breathing dry, recycled air. We weren't running on caffeine and adrenaline. We weren’t pushed into 24/7 productivity. Hydration wasn’t a trend because our bodies didn’t feel like they were running on empty every day. But now?

Our Food Has Changed

Today, our food is full of preservatives, stabilizers, industrial starches, dyes, gums, and additives that pull water from the body and stress the gut.

Our Soil Has Changed

Minerals, especially magnesium, have dropped dramatically. Minerals are what hold water inside your cells. Less minerals mean more dehydration.

Our Gut Health Has Changed

Antibiotics, processed foods, stress, and environmental toxins all damage the gut lining and affect fluid absorption.

Our Stress Is Off the Charts

Chronic stress burns through electrolytes and increases water needs significantly.

Our Lifestyle Has Changed

Indoor living, screens, and constant air conditioning and heating all contribute to drying us out.

Our Hormones Have Changed

Midlife is a season of shifting water retention, electrolyte balance, and temperature regulation.

So, it’s not as simple as saying, “We didn’t need this much water back then.” Back then, everything around us supported hydration. Today, everything around us drains it.

I Know This Because I Live It Too

If I don't drink enough water, I feel it immediately: fatigue, headaches, gut issues, sluggishness, dizziness, and mood dips—all of it hits. And I’m someone who eats well, pays attention, and supports my health.

So, imagine how the average woman—juggling kids, jobs, hormones, stress, poor sleep, ultra-processed food, and endless demands—must feel.

We are dehydrated today because the world we live in has changed. Our needs have changed. Our bodies are trying to keep up in a world we might not have been designed to live in. Hydration isn't a fad; it's a symptom of something bigger going on.

So Why Do We Need More Water Now?

Because:

➕ Our food is less nourishing.

➕ Our minerals are lower.

➕ Our stress is higher.

➕ Our environments are drier.

➕ Our hormones are shifting.

➕ Our guts are struggling.

The water bottles aren’t the problem. They are the response. They signify that women today need more support than ever—not because they are weak, but because the world is harder on our bodies than it used to be.

A Simple Truth: Hydration Isn't About Water... It's About Support

To stay hydrated today, women need more than just water:

• Minerals

• Real food

• Less stress

• More sleep

• A stable nervous system

• A supported gut

• Fewer ultra-processed ingredients

  
  

Water isn't magic on its own. It needs the rest of the system to function well.

Final Thought (and a Sneak Peek)

I can’t help but wonder—while watching aisles filled with fifty kinds of water bottles—how much of this hydration culture is driven by:

• Genuine human need

• Environmental and nutritional changes

• Modern stress

• A consumer world that knows how to grab our attention

  
  

We’ll talk about that more in another blog because there’s definitely something there.

But for now? Just know this: If you're thirsty, tired, or dehydrated...it's not your fault. Your body isn't broken. It's responding to the world around you—and maybe it's time we start responding back.

---wix---