Hydration After 50: The Most Overlooked Wellness Tool in Your Toolbox

Pull up a chair, pour yourself a glass of water (seriously), and let’s chat. You’ve probably heard that hydration is "important," but I want to show you why it's actually foundational, especially if you’re over 50 and focused on your health, strength, and energy.

I used to think hydration was just a background player in the wellness world. But the deeper I dive into hormonal health and metabolic function, the more I see it as one of the most powerful and overlooked tools we have. It supports 5 of my 6 Pillars of Wellness: Exercise, Nutrition, Sleep, Stress Relief, and the MELT Method. (And yes, Mindset too—but we’ll get to that.)

Here’s what every woman over 50 should know about hydration, blood sugar, and aging vibrantly.

Hydration & Blood Sugar: Your Secret Weapon for Cravings, Energy & Sleep

Let’s start here because this one surprised even me.

When we’re dehydrated, our blood volume decreases, which means the sugar in our blood becomes more concentrated. This raises blood sugar levels, stresses the kidneys, and makes blood sugar harder to manage—especially if you’re navigating perimenopause, menopause, or are insulin resistant.

Stable blood sugar is everything when it comes to energy, cravings, mood, and even weight loss. And hydration plays a key role in keeping it stable. When I started being intentional with hydration, I noticed less of that late-afternoon energy crash and fewer cravings for something sweet or salty by 5pm.

Tip: Start your day with a glass of water before coffee to rehydrate after sleep and help your body reset.

Exercise: Hydration Keeps Your Muscles and Joints Happy

Dehydration makes your heart work harder and your muscles feel heavier and stiffer. This is especially noticeable in strength training or during long walks.

Hydrated muscles are more efficient, and hydrated fascia (which we work with when we MELT) is more supple. When your tissues are dry, movement feels restricted and achy. This can make you want to skip your workouts, and that’s when the spiral begins.

Stay hydrated to reduce soreness, boost energy, and move better. Your joints will thank you.

Nutrition: Hydration Supports Digestion, Craving Control, and Weight Loss

Water helps your body digest food, absorb nutrients, and eliminate waste. But here’s where it gets really interesting: hydration helps with satiety.

Sometimes we think we're hungry when we're actually thirsty. Drinking enough water throughout the day helps you feel fuller and reduces cravings for sugary snacks or extra portions.

Add this to the Rule of 25: Pair your fiber, protein, and healthy fat with consistent hydration for a triple-win in blood sugar, digestion, and weight control.

Sleep: Dehydration = Hormonal Disruption = Tossing & Turning

Ever wake up at 3am wide-eyed and wired? It might be your blood sugar dropping from an earlier imbalance, and dehydration can be part of that picture.

Stable hydration supports better blood sugar, and better blood sugar supports deeper sleep. Plus, dehydration can make you feel hotter at night, which isn't exactly ideal when you're already dealing with hot flashes or night sweats.

Add a little sea salt or minerals to your evening water to help with fluid balance overnight.

Stress Relief: Supporting Your Adrenals from the Inside Out

Your adrenal glands love water.

These tiny but mighty glands help regulate your stress response and hormone production. When you're dehydrated, cortisol levels can spike. Chronic dehydration can actually mimic or worsen symptoms of adrenal fatigue.

Sipping water throughout the day (not just guzzling it all at once) can keep your stress response in check and help your body recover from both physical and emotional stress.

MELT & Fascia: Hydration Is More Than Just Drinking Water

Yes, drinking water is step one. But if your fascia (the connective tissue that holds everything together) is dry, tight, and restricted, you won’t feel hydrated in your body.

That’s why in the MELT Method we don’t just think about internal hydration—we focus on cellular hydration.

When you combine MELT with consistent water intake, your body responds faster. You get more release, better mobility, and less pain.

Mindset: Hydration as a Daily Habit of Self-Respect

The last pillar hydration touches? Mindset.

Choosing to hydrate is a decision to take care of yourself every day. It’s a small action with big impact. I tell my clients to reframe water as a daily reset button. It’s an easy win. And we all need more of those.

So, How Much Water Do You Really Need?

Here’s a simple rule of thumb: aim to drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day.

That means if you weigh 150 pounds, your target is about 75 ounces. If you drink coffee or caffeinated tea, match each cup with an extra glass of water. And for every 30 minutes of exercise, tack on 8 more ounces.

Also: sipping water slowly throughout the day is more effective than gulping it all at once. Your tissues absorb hydration better that way, and your fascia will feel more supple and supported.

💧Bonus tip: For better hydration, I like to add a pinch of Celtic sea salt, a dash of potassium (like NoSalt), and a little Thorne Magnesium Bisglycinate to my water. It helps your body actually absorb the water you’re sipping—and keeps your energy and muscles happy, too. Here’s my Thorne link if you want to check it out.

Include water-rich foods like cucumbers, berries, celery, lettuces, tomatoes and watermelon.

Bottom Line

Hydration isn’t just about drinking water. It’s about supporting your blood sugar, movement, recovery, digestion, mood, sleep, fascia, and stress response.

It helps power 5 of your 6 wellness pillars, and that makes it a pretty big deal.

If you’re working to feel better in your second act, hydration is one of the simplest, most impactful shifts you can make.

💧 Want more simple, science-backed ways to feel strong after 50? Grab my Strong After 50 Blueprint here and get started today.