Living the Lush Life
Hydration isn’t just for hangovers and hitting your gains. It’s about the balance of your minerals - the sweet spot where electrolytes in your blood stream are in sync. Water is the carrier, but minerals are what’s up. Sodium, potassium, magnesium and chloride keep your cells moving and grooving, your kidneys flushing and your mind sharp. Without these essential electrolytes you’re just peeing all that water out. If you’re peeing too much you’re dehydrated, if you’re not peeing enough, you’re dehydrated. Super cool.
Hydration is chemistry, baby. Your body is about 60% water but that water has to flow right in order to maintain proper function. The electrolytes essentially unlock the cells to let the water in. Your body uses sodium to balance fluids and blood pressure, potassium to keep your heartbeat in rhythm, magnesium to sooth your nervous system and chloride to balance out your pH levels. When you sweat, cry, pee or even just exist you’re losing these precious lil babies so replenishing them with just plain water? not enough. In fact, overhydrating on water without the minerals can flush them out and leave you feeling dizzy, bloated or just plain dumb - yes, electrolyte imbalance can cloud cognition and mimic anxiety. Super cool.
So, what the hell? Guess we better get mineralized. Make hydration extra high vibe.
Make it a #redcupsummer.
A few snippets from Fayecheezy Mag: Chapter Two
the get good…remix
The Get Good is a perfect summer refresher. Coconut water, a bit tart, a splash of creamy & a pinch of salt makes for a delicious afternoon.
Remix this baby with some muddled berries and lemon. Or pop it in the blender with pineapple and lime for a creamy froth. Really you can’t go wrong with this base. I’ll be playing with new flavors all summer long. Strawberry and cinnamon. Mango and Chile. Hibiscus Rose. Passion fruit. Lychee. Orange. Possibilities are endless.
the pharmacy
You can get all kinds of electrolyte supplementation through brands like ELMT, Liquid IV, or Noom. Even the World Health Organization has an electrolyte supplement that you can order on Amazon. These are great options for extra minerals in your water but it’s much cheaper and super easy to make your own. Also, you can control the flavor by adding your own favorite sweeteners and fruit powders or juice to enhance the experience. My taste buds don’t really like Stevia and Monk Fruit doesn’t really like my tummy so the fact that I can make a powder without these is awesome. A warning: it does kind of feel like being a chemist…or a drug dealer, depending on your mindset. Yeah, let’s go with the chemistry angle.
You’ll need a scale for this one…a scale that weighs in grams (told you it’s got drug dealer vibes)..
This batch makes a whole bunch!! LIke 30 servings!
Each serving is 1 tsp for 16-24oz water (or whatever liquid you want to salt up..it’s salty…)
75g sea salt (Iodized table salt has a lot of minerals removed so opt for a sea salt or Himilayan Pink Salt)
12g magnesium (your choice of what kind…)
12g potassium chloride
optional ingredients:
20g Laird dehydrated coconut water
5g citric acid or a TrueLemon packet
Fruit powders for flavor
Check out my Instagram for highlights on this recipe, including a run down on each element and the ones I chose. I got all of these ingredients through Amazon but you could also find them at places like Natural Grocers, Sprouts or probably even the pharmacy.
**Make sure you order the POWDERS not tablets unless you want to grind them up. The veggie capsules also work, you can break them open and dump the powder into the mix.
Spice Up Your Life
One 6 oz can V8 juice
One 12 oz can Hops Water
Couple dashes Tabasco & Worcestershire sauce
pinch salt
limes
ice
Tajin for the rim (and extra in the drink if you want)
Coat the rim of the glass with lime and Tajin (or salt or skip it).
Add half a lime juiced in the glass
Add Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce then throw in that V8. Stir it up and toss in the ice.
Top it all off with your Hops water and garnish with more lime…or shrimp…or beef jerky…or a hot dog…whatever you wanna do, it’s your life. Spice it up.
Hops water is the effortlessly cool cousin of your fancy LaCroix - but also, it’s less off the chain as its brother, good ol’ fashion beer. Unlike other sparkling waters, hops water is flashy with its flavor. Hops water is bubbly, botanical and lowkey mood-enhancing (very lowkey). The hops flavor is strong making it a great gluten-free replacement for a light lager. Made by steeping hops (yes the same ones as beer) in water, it delivers a crisp, floral bite without the booze or the bloat. Hops are naturally calming thanks to its plants compounds, which have been studied for anti-inflammatory and anxiety-reducing properties. Perfect for winding down, chilling out your cortisol or just having a beer by the grill, give hops water a try. My favorite brands that I’ve tried so far have been the Sierra Nevada Hops Splash and Hopslark. These are both free of natural flavors and are just hops and water. Pure joy.