Hydrating Body & Soul

Hydration is probably one of the most popular topics I read about in the running world and it's popularity is well-earned. Drinking enough fluids is key to running well and, actually, staying alive!

The average person will be able to survive only 3 to 5 days without water (source). Normal levels of dehydration will make a runner feel uncomfortable and cause them to slow down (source). Dehydration is even more dangerous in pregnancy because it can lead to serious complications including premature labor (source).

How much water should you drink each day? There are a few different theories for how much water we should drink. For one, Runner's World shared the below formulas for calculating the water intake for moderately active males and females. That leaves me drinking about 40 oz. of water a day.

Male Drinking Requirement, in fluid ounces:
Body Weight x .35

Female Drinking Requirement, in fluid ounces:
Body Weight x .31

Now the American Pregnancy Association that recommends drinking 8 to 12 glasses of water a day. With either perspective, that's a lot of water! I do my best to drag my water bottle with me everywhere as a reminder to drink water during the day - otherwise I seriously forget. A lot of water means a lot of trips to the bathroom... including in the middle of the night. Those night-time bathroom trips didn't happen in my first pregnancy until the third trimester!

Morning prayer time with my water and the Living Water!

So what is my point of all this hydration babbling? Water is not just important for our bodies - it's essential.

In John 7, Jesus refers to Himself as our source of water - that means He's essential to our lives! When we fill our souls up with Jesus, the Holy Spirit flows from our lives into the lives of those we are around. That means we can share the joy, peace, patience and love we receive from the Holy Spirit with other people.

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” JOHN 7:37-38

Every day we have a choice to drink from numerous different sources, but only One source satisfies our thirst for Living Water. We can try to fill ourselves with material things, people, ungodly TV shows or whatever it is that "feels right" at that moment. Problem is, they won't quench our thirst. They are all a cheap alternative and temporary solution to fill the thirst God created within us. God made us to thirst for a relationship with Himself, Jesus and the Holy Spirit!

As I was sipping on water during my prayer time this morning, I was thinking about the cheap alternatives in this world. After my time with God, I hit the treadmill for some slow pregnant-lady-running and, even though I only run for 30 minutes these days, I sip my water throughout the run. Pregnancy makes me super thirsty! What if, instead of drinking water on my run, I drank coffee?

Attempting to fill my soul with material things is like drinking that cup of coffee on my morning 3-miler.

Filling an emotional void with food is like drinking eggnog during a marathon.

Putting my worth in what others think of me is like drinking soy sauce in a 5k.

Those alternatives go down, but they come with consequences and will not satisfy my thirst. Nothing else will fill me with life. Everything is a cheap alternative compared to Jesus - our Living Water.

Filling ourselves with Jesus means spending time with God each day and believing in Him. It means reading the Scriptures and keeping it on our hearts. Being filled with Jesus means sharing the love of Christ with others because it is overflowing from our own souls.

How much water do you drink in a day? Have specific goals?
How do you fill your soul during the day?

Linking up at Mommy Moments and Fitness Friday.