Many of us, including myself, have ‘drink more water’ on our list of resolutions for 2017. However, if you’re goal is to increase your daily hydration for health and wellness purposes, you might be surprised that water alone won’t necessarily help you out.

For a long time, I’ve heard rumblings about something called ‘electrolytes’. And it’s probable that you’ve heard about them to. But I’ve always wondered — what are they, and do I need them?

It turns out, electrolytes are vital for healthy hydration and are present in all of your body’s fluids. Electrolytes are essentially minerals such as sodium and potassium, and are necessary for healthy hydration. So when you drink demineralized water alone, your 8 glasses a day may not be helping you increase hydration!

Luckily, there are ways to add electrolytes to a water bottle and take it on the go. Individual packets, like Orange Naturals MagPop! Magnesium Glycinate Effervescent Drink, can be added to water to add the electrolyte magnesium.

My fave way to hydrate with these packs? Add one to my water bottle when I’m headed for a workout. It makes it easy to mix up the drink, and it has the added benefit of aiding in post-workout muscle repair. I find that it’s so important to have an electrolyte drink at hand, since sweating really changes hydration levels in the body.

For 2017, I’ve definitely changed up my New Year’s resolution. Rather than resolving to stay hydrated this year, I’m resolving to increase my electrolytes.

What are your health and wellness resolutions this year and what are your plans to achieve them? I’d love to read about them in the comments!