Yesterday we talked about what extreme heat does to your body. Today let's talk about one of the best and most dehydrating places you can spend a summer day.
The beach.
There is no better way to spend a long summer day. There is also almost no better way to accidentally destroy your hydration without realizing it until you're driving home squinting at the road wondering why everything feels so heavy.
Here's how to actually stay on top of it so the beach day stays good from start to finish.
Why the Beach Dries you Out
It's not just the heat. At the beach you've got heat plus direct sun plus salt air plus physical activity plus probably some swimming plus the fact that you're having so much fun you forget to drink anything for three... or five... or eight hours straight.
Your body is sweating the entire time even when you don't feel it because the breeze and the water keep you feeling cooler than you actually are. Salt air pulls moisture from your skin. Ocean swimming does the same. And if you're in and out of the water all day, your body is working hard to regulate temperature even during the parts that feel effortless.
Sodium, potassium, and magnesium are leaving your body steadily all day long. Plain water replaces the fluid but not the minerals. And without those minerals, your cells can't hold onto the water you're drinking anyway. You can be sipping constantly and still end up depleted by late afternoon.
How to Set Yourself Up Before You Even Get There
Hydration on a beach day starts the night before. Drink water with dinner. Don't show up to a full day in the sun already running a deficit from the night before.
Morning of, mix a packet of MDRN before you load the car. Peach over ice while you're packing the cooler is a genuinely great way to start a beach day. Your body absorbs what it needs before the sun gets serious, and you're already ahead instead of playing catch-up by noon.
Pack more water than you think you need. Then add more. Bring MDRN packets in the beach bag so you can mix one whenever you need it. The packets are small, they don't need refrigeration, and they turn whatever water you have into something your body can actually use.
During the Day
Set a loose reminder to drink something every hour. Not because you need a schedule, but because beach days are specifically designed to make you forget time exists. An hour disappears fast when you're floating in the water or reading in the shade.
Mix a packet of MDRN mid-morning and again mid-afternoon. Tangerine is bright and easy in the heat. Strawberry Kiwi is great if you want something a little more fun. Both taste like something you'd actually reach for, which matters when you're hot and sandy and your motivation to do anything responsible is at an all-time low.
Eat something with water content. Watermelon, grapes, cucumber slices in the cooler. Hydration from food is real and it adds up over a long day.
Take breaks from direct sun. A little shade goes a long way when your body is working overtime to keep your core temperature stable.
The Drive Home
Before you start the car, drink something with electrolytes. This is the window that determines how you feel for the rest of the night. Your body temperature is coming down, your muscles are finally resting, and whatever you give yourself right now matters more than anything you drank at noon.
Peach is perfect for this moment. Smooth, easy, exactly what a tired body wants at the end of a long day in the sun.
The beach will be there tomorrow. Take care of yourself well enough to actually want to go back.
How to Actually Stay Hydrated on a Long Summer Beach Day
Yesterday we talked about what extreme heat does to your body. Today let's talk about one of the best and most dehydrating places you can spend a summer day.
The beach.
There is no better way to spend a long summer day. There is also almost no better way to accidentally destroy your hydration without realizing it until you're driving home squinting at the road wondering why everything feels so heavy.
Here's how to actually stay on top of it so the beach day stays good from start to finish.
Why the Beach Dries you Out
It's not just the heat. At the beach you've got heat plus direct sun plus salt air plus physical activity plus probably some swimming plus the fact that you're having so much fun you forget to drink anything for three... or five... or eight hours straight.
Your body is sweating the entire time even when you don't feel it because the breeze and the water keep you feeling cooler than you actually are. Salt air pulls moisture from your skin. Ocean swimming does the same. And if you're in and out of the water all day, your body is working hard to regulate temperature even during the parts that feel effortless.
Sodium, potassium, and magnesium are leaving your body steadily all day long. Plain water replaces the fluid but not the minerals. And without those minerals, your cells can't hold onto the water you're drinking anyway. You can be sipping constantly and still end up depleted by late afternoon.
How to Set Yourself Up Before You Even Get There
Hydration on a beach day starts the night before. Drink water with dinner. Don't show up to a full day in the sun already running a deficit from the night before.
Morning of, mix a packet of MDRN before you load the car. Peach over ice while you're packing the cooler is a genuinely great way to start a beach day. Your body absorbs what it needs before the sun gets serious, and you're already ahead instead of playing catch-up by noon.
Pack more water than you think you need. Then add more. Bring MDRN packets in the beach bag so you can mix one whenever you need it. The packets are small, they don't need refrigeration, and they turn whatever water you have into something your body can actually use.
During the Day
Set a loose reminder to drink something every hour. Not because you need a schedule, but because beach days are specifically designed to make you forget time exists. An hour disappears fast when you're floating in the water or reading in the shade.
Mix a packet of MDRN mid-morning and again mid-afternoon. Tangerine is bright and easy in the heat. Strawberry Kiwi is great if you want something a little more fun. Both taste like something you'd actually reach for, which matters when you're hot and sandy and your motivation to do anything responsible is at an all-time low.
Eat something with water content. Watermelon, grapes, cucumber slices in the cooler. Hydration from food is real and it adds up over a long day.
Take breaks from direct sun. A little shade goes a long way when your body is working overtime to keep your core temperature stable.
The Drive Home
Before you start the car, drink something with electrolytes. This is the window that determines how you feel for the rest of the night. Your body temperature is coming down, your muscles are finally resting, and whatever you give yourself right now matters more than anything you drank at noon.
Peach is perfect for this moment. Smooth, easy, exactly what a tired body wants at the end of a long day in the sun.
The beach will be there tomorrow. Take care of yourself well enough to actually want to go back.