Hydration for Energy, Focus, Mood & Sleep (Nita Talwar, Founder of Uppy!)

In this episode of Thursday Tea with Sami: Your Sip of Wellness and Mental Health, Dr. Samia Estrada sits down with Nita Talwar, founder of Uppy!, to talk about one of the most overlooked foundations of wellness: hydration.

Nita shares why many people are mildly dehydrated without realizing it, the early signs of dehydration (like headaches, low energy, poor focus, sleep issues, and muscle cramps), and why waiting until you feel thirsty may already be too late. We also explore how hydration supports the core pillars of lifestyle medicine — including energy, cognitive function, mood, stress, recovery, and sleep — and what to do when plain water isn’t enough.

You’ll also hear practical, realistic tips for daily life: how to build a morning water habit before coffee, how to stay hydrated while traveling or flying, what to do if you forget to drink water, and common hydration myths (including the truth about electrolytes and why a small amount of glucose/sugar can matter for absorption).

Whether you’re feeling tired, foggy, irritable, or just want a simple wellness reset, this conversation will help you start with one doable step.

Connect with Nita / Uppy!:
Website: www.Uppylife.com
Instagram: @UppyLife
Email: hello@UppyLife.com

If you enjoyed this episode: please follow, rate, and share Thursday Tea with Sami — it helps more people find the show.

Until next time, stay well and keep being your best.

Transcript

Samia (00:00)
What has surprised you most in your entrepreneurial journey?

Nita (00:04)
So that you don't have to be perfect to execute. It's more important to execute and you can live with mistakes. I don't have to have all the answers. It's been hard to do that because I come from a place of where I'm always shooting for perfection and it's not possible. I would make myself crazy.

Samia (00:09)
Yes.

Yes, yes. I can imagine.

Yeah, yeah, I have yet to meet a perfect person.

Nita (00:28)
Yeah.

Samia (00:40)
Welcome to Thursday Tea with Sami, your sip of wellness and mental health. I'm your host, Dr. Sami Estrada, every week we gather here for thoughtful conversations about mental health, wellbeing, and what it really means to live well in everyday life. Before we begin, a quick note.

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical or psychological care. Listening does not create a therapeutic relationship, and the views shared by my guests are their own, and everyone's experience is different. Please seek personalized care from a qualified professional. Now grab your favorite cup of tea or whatever brings you comfort.

And let's get into today's conversation.

Samia (01:43)
Hello everyone and welcome back to Thursday Tea with Sammy, where we slow things down and we talk about simple, meaningful ways to support our well-being. Today's episode is all about hydration, something we often underestimate, yet we rely on every single day. I'm so happy to be joined by Neeta Talwar, the founder of Uppy! a wellness brand focused on redefining hydration for modern living.

We're going to talk about how hydration impacts energy, focus, mood, sleep, and overall health, and why it might be the missing link across so many lifestyle medicine pillars. Nita, I'm so glad that you're here. Welcome to the podcast. Thanks for joining me today.

Nita (02:26)
Thank you so much for having me.

Samia (02:28)
I'm so happy to have you here. I want to start with just learning a little bit more about you and what led you on your path. So tell me a little bit about what led you to become so passionate about hydration as

wellness.

Nita (02:43)
Well, you know, it's a fact that three out of four people are chronically dehydrated and they don't even realize it. And that just stopped me in my tracks. I realized there's such a simple thing that we can all do that would give us more energy and help us do the things we want to do in life. So it just really struck me. And I said, okay, I think I can do something about this.

Samia (03:04)
Yes.

Yes, that number is huge. I had no idea that it was so big. And like I said in the introduction, hydration is something so simple that we can all do and yet something that we often overlook. Yeah. Or underestimate, yes, absolutely. I know that sometimes I can start to notice that I'm dehydrated if my skin starts to get dry or like my scalp starts to get dry.

Nita (03:21)
or underestimate.

Samia (03:34)
But by that point, it's way too far beyond dehydration, right? I shouldn't notice those things.

Nita (03:40)
Correct, correct. When I

was, I do a few treks in the Himalayan mountains and things like that, and our guide had told us, if your lips are dry, it's too late. You're already dehydrated. You should never get to a point where your lips are dry. I would say in everyday life, if you're feeling thirsty, it's too late. You're already mildly dehydrated. So you have to be more proactive about it.

Samia (03:51)
Wow.

Yes.

Yes.

Got it. That's really important to know. And I'm glad that you mentioned the Himalayas because I know that you live between the US and Europe. How has living between the US and Europe shaped your approach to health and daily habits? Has that changed at all because of that?

Nita (04:15)
Thanks

Yes, absolutely. I feel very fortunate to be living in both of these places and there's definitely, you know, benefits to both. I think in Europe, activity and walking is just part of your daily life. I don't even own a car. I walk everywhere or I ride my bike and

Samia (04:39)
Yes.

Nita (04:44)
health or food is a joyful, wonderful thing to have. And, you know, in the United States, we talk about organic and things like that. And in Europe, I find it's more the norm. So it's very interesting. I feel like in the US, it's more about performance or, you know, there's a

intensity about health, that you have to go and do something, where here in Europe, it's just part of your daily life. Which has been interesting over Christmas holidays, I was in the States and I couldn't get my steps because I am used to the car in the US, right? So I have to make a conscious effort for a simple thing just as walking.

Samia (05:08)
Yes.

⁓ no.

Relate!

Yes, There have been times when my husband and I or my family and I have been traveling and it's the same thing. know, we're traveling and we're we get probably two or three times as many steps when we're traveling as we and of course your sightseeing and all that. But there's there's something that it just feels very natural about walking or like said, bike riding when you're in Europe or somewhere else. And then you're in the US and everything is by car.

And certainly there are some areas in the United States that are more walkable than others, thinking about those kind of things being more part of your everyday life makes it way more sustainable than when you have the intensity that you are talking about. Like I have to go to the gym or I have to do this or I have to get my 10,000 steps and that means that I have to.

carve time out of my day to go for a walk rather than I'm gonna go to the store, so I'll just walk there, right?

Nita (06:26)
Exactly. I guess like, you just have to be intentional about it in the States versus here in Europe, you're just, it just becomes part of your life without even realizing it.

Samia (06:36)
Yeah,

you don't have to think about it as much. Yeah, well, I was fortunate enough to read your authority magazine interview, which was great, by the way. You shared some meaningful reflections on total health. Can you talk a little bit about how your own experiences have maybe led you to the creation of Uppy!?

Nita (06:39)
Yes.

Thank you.

Yeah, absolutely. I used to be in the fashion industry back in the day and I'm also a certified parent coach and I had my own practice and I would say all of these things were pretty darn intense. And in fact, when I was younger, I had a bleeding ulcer. So I just tended to focus on balance, balance, balance. It became a mantra for me, you know, and

Samia (07:07)
Okay.

Nita (07:29)
you know, looking at your health physically, mentally, socially, emotionally is, I like the idea of the holistic view. And I definitely try to incorporate that in my life and in the lives of my kids as well. Yeah. And I think, you know, a basic pillar of that, which is often underestimated is just the power of hydration.

Samia (07:54)
Yes, Why do you think that hydration is one of the most overlooked pillars? Yes.

Nita (08:00)
I think because it's so simple. You don't really have to do a whole lot, right? You just grab a

glass of water and you start drinking. And it's the simple things that we tend to overlook, but the benefits of them, I would say like our great, great, great grandparents probably knew that. But for us, we actually have to be intentional about it.

Samia (08:23)
Yes, yes. And you and I were talking about the science of dehydration, which by that point it's too late. But what are some of the earliest signs of dehydration that people can look out for?

Nita (08:35)
Headache. I would say if you have a headache, very first thing I would request you to do is to drink a glass of water. Lack of focus, lack of energy, muscle cramps, sleep issues, digestive issues. There's just so many things. And as you mentioned, know, dry skin, dry hair, all of those things. Dry lips.

Samia (08:56)
It's amazing that you were talking about cognitive function too, because dehydration can affect mental clarity, right? And I think that's something that we would never think there's a relationship.

Nita (09:07)
Yeah, absolutely. It totally affects how your system operates. It doesn't operate as efficiently if it's in a state of dehydration.

Samia (09:09)
Yes.

Okay.

and in that respect, I would imagine it also can affect your mood and your emotional balance.

Nita (09:22)
Yeah, I mean maybe if I snap

at my husband I'm like, ⁓ maybe I need to drink some water.

Samia (09:26)
Yes, now we know, now we have the solution. Just drink water.

No, but all jokes aside, this is what I talk to my clients about too, is that sometimes we overlook the most basic things, right? Like our nutrition, our water intake, our physical activity, sleep. You know, I was just talking to somebody earlier about sleep and how underrated that is too, because we will push ourselves to do more and more.

Nita (09:50)
Thank

Samia (09:54)
at the cost of our sleep and then, you know, over time our memory is affected, our mood is affected and we wonder why we're feeling this way but we're also, you know, not taking the time to give our body the rest that it needs. Yeah, so I think all these basic things are so important and so overlooked. Yeah.

Nita (10:09)
Exactly, exactly.

and not sexy.

mean, that's why I think they're often overlooked.

Samia (10:18)
Right? Yeah,

yeah. Well, could you walk us through the basic physiology of why hydration is so transformative for energy and for daily functioning?

Nita (10:31)
Yeah, absolutely. So it helps with fluid balance. So nutritionally, it helps us. It helps our muscles recover. It helps our muscles prepare for workout. It also helps our muscles recover after workout. As you mentioned, it helps with sleep because when your body is in a state of dehydration, you tend to feel more anxious and more stressed. And so it lowers the cortisol levels.

Samia (10:35)
Mm-hmm.

Nita (10:55)
It is emotionally balancing for us, as I mentioned, if I'm snapping at my husband. One of the things other than sleep that I need to look at is hydration. It also helps us if we partake in caffeine or alcohol, it helps the body deal with it better if you're fully hydrated versus in a state of dehydration.

Samia (11:02)
Yeah.

Yes.

Okay. ⁓

that's great to know because, you know, we always talk about the effects of caffeine and alcohol on our body. But it does make a difference whether you're hydrated or not. Yeah, absolutely. And it makes sense, right? It's the same as, you know, people say, I can't drink if I haven't had something to eat, for example. And it's the same thing with hydration, I would imagine.

Nita (11:27)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, absolutely.

Great.

Yes, absolutely. I I try to have a glass of water if I have a couple glasses of wine in between each one. And you can't always do that, but it definitely does help if you are able to every once in a while.

Samia (11:55)
And another thing I've heard is drinking a glass of water first thing when you wake up. Why is morning hydration so important for our body, especially for people who go straight to coffee maybe? Okay.

Nita (12:08)
I used to be that person. I would wake up

and was like, give me my coffee, hook up the IV. And I realized that that wasn't...

Samia (12:12)
I'm

Nita (12:17)
the best way for me to start my day. It didn't set me up for success. And then I studied more about it as I got into this business and studied the science of hydration. our body's asleep for six to eight hours. so we tend to wake up dehydrated. So you're already in a state of mild dehydration. So the very first thing you want to do is have a glass of water and then go about and have your coffee or whatever you want.

Samia (12:21)
Yeah.

Yeah.

So if you don't have your water and you have your cup of coffee then is your body getting even more dehydrated? Because I don't know if I'm wrong about this you can correct me but is caffeine something that dehydrates you more?

Nita (12:55)
caffeine can dehydrate you more and then you just, if you have caffeine or even alcohol, you need to increase your hydration. So, you know.

Samia (12:57)
Okay.

Okay.

Nita (13:04)
we actually have an Uppy! with caffeine in it. And that's really, really good if you're going for a workout, right? You need your muscles to be on alert. You need to be on alert yourself. And then we recommend having the Uppy! without the caffeine for after your workout to rehydrate those muscles. So caffeine's not bad. There's a lot of health benefits of caffeine. You just have to

Samia (13:13)
God.

Okay.

Yeah.

Nita (13:33)
I guess be more in tune with how do you feel and do you need to increase your water intake?

Samia (13:37)
Yes.

And do you know about how much the average person really needs to drink and I know that this is going to be, I can almost guess what your answer is going to be. It depends on the person, but there's so many misconceptions about hydration. And then there's these concepts of it's eight glasses of water or it's, you take your weight and you do this fraction and you know,

Nita (13:49)
Thanks.

Samia (14:00)
What do you think is the... ⁓

Nita (14:02)
Yeah,

I think the eight to 10 glasses of water is quite common. I've heard more, I've heard less, and you're absolutely right. It depends on the individual. You need to listen to your body. You need to figure out what works for you. Are you having a very active day? Are you traveling? Are you not well? Are you, you know, just watching TV today? Like, what are you doing? And that will determine what your hydration level should be for that day.

Samia (14:08)
you

Yeah.

Yeah.

Nita (14:31)
Again, you know, it's important to learn how your body is so you don't feel those signs. You you pre-hydrate.

Samia (14:32)
God.

Yes.

Right.

Yes, to be more proactive rather than reactive. Yeah, and you mentioned travel. How does travel affect our hydration?

Nita (14:45)
Yes.

Well, anytime we're stressed, anxious,

sweating, running through airports, whatever it may be, trying to make sure we get to the gate on time, it depletes the minerals and the hydration in our body. So it's important to hydrate during travel. Also, the airplane, if you're traveling via airplane, the air in that airplane is as dry as a desert. So that's depleting completely all your hydration stores. So we really recommend

Samia (15:13)
Okay.

Yeah.

Nita (15:21)
to hydrate with electrolytes when you're flying.

Samia (15:24)
And that was going to be my next question. When is plain water enough? And when do we need to use electrolytes? Or when do they become necessary?

Nita (15:33)
I would say plain water, everyday hydration. I say if you're doing something, then the electrolytes really help restore the balance to your body.

Samia (15:36)
Okay.

that's good to know. Are there any myths about hydration that you wish people would let go of?

Nita (15:49)
Yeah, absolutely. think one we already discussed, which thirst is the first sign of dehydration. It's definitely not. Yeah, that more water is always better would be another myth because I would say effective, efficient water, meaning with the electrolytes, is sometimes better than drinking more and more water.

Samia (15:57)
Yeah.

Nita (16:11)
Also, speaking of electrolytes, I believe there's a myth that people think electrolytes are only for athletes, and that's not true. If we do any activity in our lives, even if we're just sitting at a desk, but we're working on something that's stressing us out, we're depleting those electrolytes in our body. I would also say one of the bigger myths out there is that sugar is bad.

Samia (16:26)
Yeah.

Nita (16:37)
and should not be in hydration drinks. There's a lot of hydration drinks or mixes out there that are zero sugar. And in actuality, you need a tiny bit of glucose, which is sugar, in order for the hydration to be effective. You can consider it like a key that unlocks the cell that lets all the minerals and the hydration get in to the cell. So I guess that's a big one.

Samia (16:54)
Bye.

Okay.

Nita (17:05)
Also,

you know, we talked a little bit about coffee, so just to be conscious.

Samia (17:10)
Wow, that's really interesting about the sugar. I never knew that. You taught me something new. Yes, wow.

Nita (17:14)
Yeah, yeah. It's interesting because

I look at a lot of hydration products out there and some have a lot of sugar and then some have zero sugar and they're both marketed as hydration products. Uppy! has two grams of sugar and it meets the scientific requirements of it. So you don't need much. You need a little bit just to make it effective.

Samia (17:23)
Mm-hmm.

Okay.

Right.

Yeah, just enough to be able to deliver that. Okay. What would you say if we had to think about like the five most practical things that we can do for hydration that are accessible habits, right? What would you say those would be?

Nita (17:52)
I would say, you know, we talked a little bit about it already, but hydrate before caffeine. ⁓ Increase the hydration during stress or travel. Make it convenient to you, whatever that may be. It doesn't have to be hard. Part of your daily routine, you know, starting the day with hydration. See if you can do that.

Samia (17:57)
Uh-huh.

Okay.

you

Yeah.

And I love water. I carry my water bottle everywhere and I have no problem drinking water all day long. But I know some people just don't like water and they often reach for something else. What would you say to people like that? How would you fix that?

Nita (18:25)
Yeah, we have a lot.

So I know a lot of people who don't like water. And some of the things that some of the Uppy! takers do, I wouldn't recommend. We know somebody who puts it in alcohol because they don't like water. But one of the things about this, because it is a real thing that people don't like water. So there are a lot of products out there that definitely have flavors, and that helps.

Samia (18:34)
⁓

Okay.

Yes.

Nita (18:55)
But one thing that we did with Uppy! is you only need four ounces for it to be effective. So consider it a shot, consider it medicine, and it's just as effective as drinking a full glass of water, or even more than that, actually. And so I would just, yeah, that's what I would offer. Like, try it.

Samia (19:01)
Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

yeah. I mean, if we think about it like that, like a shot, if anybody can do a shot, because you barely even taste it going down, you're done, What about people who forget to drink water? I know there's a lot of people who are like, I know I need to drink water, but I always forget. Are there any tactics? And I know this this might not be your area of expertise. Like, what do you do with forgetful people? But

Nita (19:22)
Yes. Exactly. Exactly.

Samia (19:41)
Do you have any tactics or any ideas for people who forget to drink water?

Nita (19:45)
It goes back to your general health again, because for me, I'm at my computer a lot and I feel like I do need to rest my eyes and I do need to walk around. So I'm setting alarms every 30 minutes.

You could do the same thing for water. Just remember that when you get up to walk around, also grab that glass of water or something like that. Or do it in a way, when the kids were in school and we had to prepare their backpack at night, we kept everything ready. So if you're preparing for your day tomorrow, make sure your water bottle's already filled up and it's with you to go in your car, to go out the door.

Samia (20:02)
Yes.

Yeah. Yeah.

Yes.

Yes, yes, I love those ideas. And, you know, we use reminders for everything. So why not use it for water? It makes sense. I used to have a water bottle that was as red as the shirt I'm wearing now. And so I couldn't miss it. You know, it was always in front of me. I carry my water bottle with me everywhere. So now it's a habit. I don't need to have a red water bottle anymore. But but I remember when I did

Nita (20:34)
Yeah.

Samia (20:48)
It was always in my line of vision because it was so bright and beautiful. I was like, oh yeah, water, water. So sometimes I think if we can make it fun and visually appealing and maybe a bright color that will call out to you, that can also help.

Nita (20:55)
Yeah.

Yeah, I mean, we've, we've, right now it's January. I know this won't air in January, but it's dry January for a lot of people and taking a little, ⁓ Uppy! is an effervescent tablet. So it's fizzy. So putting it in a champagne glass or in a wine glass in the evening, it's just fun, you know, and it does the trick.

Samia (21:12)
Yes.

Okay, yes.

Yes,

yes, absolutely. that's great. tell us a little bit more about Uppy because I know you've been mentioning it. We haven't really talked about Uppy. Tell me a little bit more about your company and what Uppy is

Nita (21:38)
I wanted to create something that was easy to use, easy to take with you.

So Uppy is a tablet that dissolves in water. So you never have to worry about liquids taking it with you. It's in a tube of 10 tablets. It fits in your pocket. Easy to take with you. Easy to take. All you need is four ounces of water, half a glass of water, and you get hydrated, feel better, recover faster. And one of the things that was really, really important to me is I wanted it to follow the scientific

Samia (21:57)
⁓ sweet.

Nita (22:13)
requirements for a hydration product. The World Health Organization has set these requirements. Uppy follows them. We use all natural ingredients, all clean ingredients, natural flavors, no colors, no artificial colors, not even, what do you call it, plant colors, just because it's a flavor that you think should be colored.

Samia (22:15)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

Nita (22:38)
We don't do that. ⁓ I know other people do that and that's fine. But I just wanted it to be easy to use, follow the scientific requirements, and be something that maybe people could just make part of their everyday life.

Samia (22:45)
Yeah.

Okay, perfect. And so then if you, like you said, a glass of wine or something, it makes it fizzy, it makes it more fun, but if you just drop it in your water bottle, it also provides you the electrolytes that you need, the hydration that you need, and it's easy to carry, compact. And does it come in different flavors?

Nita (23:13)
So right now we have lemon lime. ⁓ We used to have a caffeine, but we sold out of that. And we have orange coming down the pipeline, as well as an orange caffeine. And then we're working on a melatonin version. Yeah.

Samia (23:15)
them in there.

Okay.

Okay.

we get the secret know-how before it comes out. I love it. that'll be great for people who are trying to get better sleep.

I love that. How soon do you think that will come out?

Nita (23:41)
I don't know. Completely honest, I don't know. I haven't, you know, I'm very, very picky on the formulation in that it has to be clean, it has to be all natural, and it has to taste right. So it takes time to get there. Yeah.

Samia (23:42)
You don't know? Okay. That's okay. We'll be on the lookout for it.

Yes.

Yeah.

Yeah, I can imagine. Yeah,

yeah. And I so appreciate that you pay so much attention to detail and you worry so much about it being a product that you can put your name behind. Well, I know we talked a little bit about stress and how that affects hydration.

Nita (24:12)
Yeah.

Samia (24:19)
I'd like to ask you now about health and aging. How does hydration support skin health, aging, overall appearance? Because I imagine it makes a big difference.

Nita (24:30)
Yeah, absolutely. I think you mentioned it at the beginning, dry skin, dry hair, that, you you avoid that if you're adequately hydrated, hopefully less wrinkles. It's just the, I would say the foundation that helps you both internally and externally.

Samia (24:34)
Yes.

hydration is so important. I'm so glad that you got into this space, the hydration out of your own need and desire. Right. You wanted something better for yourself and and and you created your own company and you're very meticulous about the ingredients that go in there and the flavor. And that just makes it such a great brand. This is also a landscape that's

dominated by large players, essentially. How has that been for you having to compete with that?

Nita (25:19)
difficult. I'm completely honest, very difficult. Because the other players are, there's huge companies out there. I won't name them, but they're really huge public companies that have a lot of people, dollars, resources behind them. And I'm just trying to stay true to the whole reason of Uppy! that

Samia (25:20)
Yeah, I can imagine.

and

Yeah.

Nita (25:44)
It will help people in their daily lives. It's easy to use, easy to take with you. And people will use other products and that's absolutely fine. And I don't want to compete on the shelves with these players because I know they'll squash me. So I'm just, we have a bit of a following. We have people who love the product. And as long as I can meet the needs of those people,

Samia (25:58)
Yeah.

Right.

Nita (26:13)
I think that's a great place to start.

Samia (26:15)
Absolutely, yes. And I can imagine that, the care and the love that you put into your company,

this started from something that you saw a need in yourself and something that you wanted and you wanted to learn more about and you wanting to share this with others. It's not about becoming big, but it's about having a good product that will work for everyone.

Nita (26:39)
Yeah, absolutely. mean, I think part of it also is just being able to help people, help people realize the importance of hydration in your daily life. And, know, in line with that, we are registered as a public benefit company, which means that we are obligated to give back.

Samia (26:45)
Uh-huh.

Yeah.

Okay.

Nita (27:01)
So every year we give resources towards nonprofits that help provide clean, safe drinking water to communities that don't have access. I mean, you have to have access to water in order to be able to hydrate. So that's one of the pillars of our company as well.

Samia (27:02)
Okay.

Right. ⁓

⁓ that's beautiful. I was wondering when you were talking about the World Health Organization, what that entailed. And now I'm curious about what you just talked about giving back. Can you tell us a little bit more about all that?

Nita (27:33)
So you get into the nitty gritty of the science a little bit. There's something called isotonic, hypertonic, hypotonic. And it just, all of these scientific words just mean how is the formulation, how will it hydrate you? Will it hydrate you over time? Isotonic, which is what Uppy is, is the same fluid balance as your body. So it helps keep you

Samia (27:37)
Yeah.

⁓

Okay.

huh. ⁓ huh. Okay.

Nita (27:58)
balanced on all times. And, you know, there's place for all types of hydration science. ⁓ We just happen to use the one that's the most balanced. And there's so much years of research behind all of this that the World Health Organization does that I feel we would be remiss not to follow it.

Samia (28:04)
Yeah.

Go.

Right.

that was going to be my next question is how is Uppy! different from other hydration companies? But it sounds like that's part of it, right? It's a product that's really balanced. It's like you said, it's all natural. It's easy to carry. It's compact.

Nita (28:34)
Yeah.

And then I would just say it's the most, at the moment, the most efficient product out there because you only need four ounces. You don't need more than that.

Samia (28:43)
Yes.

Wonderful. I'm so excited. And where is Uppy offered?

Nita (28:50)
So we have our own website, ⁓ uppylife.com. We're on Amazon globally, actually. and there's a few small retailers here and there, but the easiest place to get it would be through our website or through Amazon.

Samia (29:00)
Okay.

Okay, perfect. Good to know. What has surprised you most in your entrepreneurial journey?

Nita (29:08)
Great, thank you.

So that you don't have to be perfect to execute. It's more important to execute and you can live with mistakes. I don't have to have all the answers. It's been hard to do that because I come from a place of where I'm always shooting for perfection and it's not possible. I would make myself crazy.

Samia (29:18)
Yes.

Yes, yes. I can imagine.

I have yet to meet a perfect person. So I think achieving perfection is just, it's not something that we can do, right? So, and even when we think about like in business classes and things like that, they often recommend first do and then perfect because if you don't, if you wait for perfection, you might be waiting forever, right? So first you do and then you perfect.

Nita (29:38)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Right,

And also I would say as things go, not as planned, what did I learn? To me that's really important. What did I learn and how can I use that for going forward?

Samia (30:11)
Makes all the sense in the world. And you know, as a psychologist, I want to know, what do you do? Because, I mean, your work, you're busy, you're doing so many things, and you created your company. How do you personally stay grounded while still running a wellness company?

Nita (30:11)
Yeah.

Well, it's interesting because your podcast is all about slowing down and taking it easy a bit. And I try to do that in the mayhem. I try to make sure that I spend time in nature every single day, even if it's just going into the backyard, right? And just looking at the beauty of nature around us.

Samia (30:36)
Mm-hmm.

good. Yes.

Nita (30:54)
I used to also, when I started the business, make myself crazy and work all hours because US, Europe, you can work 24 hours, you know? And so wherever I am, I make sure that I stop and I say, can wait till tomorrow. And that took me a long time to be able to do. And then I would just say connection, connection, connection, my kids, my husband, my family, my friends.

Samia (31:03)
yeah. Yes.

Okay.

I can't.

Yes.

Nita (31:22)
definitely make time for that. It has so many benefits, psychologically, physiologically, socially, mentally. It's just really important. So I try, try to do those things.

Samia (31:36)
Yeah. Yes. I'm so glad that you set those boundaries for yourself because when you work globally, it's all hours of the day and night, And it can be really easy to just say, well, I have to do this in the middle of the night or, and then get up really early in the morning and try to be your best self when your sleep isn't there, your hydration isn't there, you're not taking care of yourself, but

Nita (31:40)
Yeah.

Samia (32:01)
And I also love that you mention having nature every day because that really slows us down. There's so much calmness and stillness in nature that it just helps us feel more grounded.

Even the trees, you know, there's a chemical that the trees release that help us to feel more relaxed. and it doesn't matter if it's the backyard or the park or you go to the forest, right? You still get no matter where you are in nature, you still get those benefits.

Nita (32:17)
Yes.

Yeah.

I mean, sometimes we're hit with the really bad snow storms and we can't go anywhere. And sure, shoveling the snow is part of being out in nature, but you can just stand there and look at it. Feel the cold. Be happy that you can feel the cold. I think that's like amazing.

Samia (32:38)
Yes.

Yeah,

There's something about snow that, you know, everything gets quiet and still when it's snowing. And that's a beautiful part of nature too. Even if, you know, like I said, getting out there and shoveling is definitely part of it. But even if you can't get outside and you can just stand in the window and watch, there's so much stillness and beauty in that too. Oh, I love it. Well,

Nita (32:56)
Yeah.

Yeah, absolutely.

Samia (33:13)
Now that you have your own company and you've studied so much about hydration, how has your definition of total health changed or how do you define it today and how does hydration fit into that?

Nita (33:25)
I really look at health as can I do what I want to do when I want to do it? So I can give you an example. I was on a trek and my knee gave out on me. And our guide said, you know, you might have to go back.

Samia (33:33)
Mm-hmm.

⁓

Nita (33:45)
And I was so upset with my body. was like, you know, what I want to do, my body is failing me, right? And so I took a lot of painkillers, Tylenol and whatever, and I put a lot of like, you know, pain patches on my knee and I made it through. But I made myself a promise that I was going to take better care of my ⁓ muscles, my body, my health.

Samia (33:48)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

Yes.

Nita (34:12)
so that I can do the things I want to do. Or if I'm flying somewhere and I have the opportunity to meet a friend at night, but I'm too jet-lagged or too tired, I don't want to say no, I want to say yes. So I would say hydration is again the foundation of that. Once you hydrate, then you can look at other things to add on.

Samia (34:15)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Yes.

Go.

So important to take care of our body and oftentimes we don't think about it until something goes wrong, right? But when we become more proactive, then we can avoid a lot of these things, your example is exactly what you talked about before is that something happened and then you learned from that experience and you said, okay, I'm going to take better care of my knee or I'm going to take better care.

Nita (34:41)
Right.

Samia (34:57)
of my body next time because I want to be able to do the things that I want to do. Do you think there are any, common mistakes that people make daily ⁓ in regards to hydration or even taking care of their body without even realizing it?

Nita (35:02)
Right.

Well, the caffeine before water is a big one. I think lots of people do that.

Samia (35:15)
yes, the caffeine before water.

okay.

Nita (35:17)
and then also waiting

until you're thirsty.

Samia (35:20)
definitely having that glass of water before anything when you first wake up because you're dehydrated from night. And don't wait till you're thirsty. Yeah, yes. What would you say to somebody who feels maybe overwhelmed by all these wellness trends but

Nita (35:28)
Yeah.

Samia (35:37)
wants to start to feel better?

Nita (35:40)
I really believe in baby steps. Like what's the one baby step you can do today? Can you pour yourself the water and put it next to you? Don't even drink it. I mean, if you drink it, fantastic, but if you don't, I mean, but if it's in front of you, I feel like you're more inclined to take it. So something simple like that,

Samia (35:50)
Yes. Yes.

Right.

Yes.

Nita (36:04)
Are you able just to do that? Or when you have your meal, are you able to have a glass of water there with you at the meal? How can you incorporate it into what you're already doing without it overwhelming you?

Samia (36:13)
Yes.

Yes.

Right, okay, perfect. That's great advice. I always talk about baby steps because sometimes we try to make really big changes and it's hard to change a habit like that, but when we take those baby steps, it makes it easier and more sustainable. Yeah, and I love the idea of having your water right there because you can drink it or not drink it, but if you have it there, you're more likely to drink it. You know, it's easy access. You can see it. You can remember it.

Nita (36:29)
Yes.

Right.

Yeah.

Samia (36:49)
Yeah, great advice. Well, I know where we can get Uppy!, but how can listeners connect with you if they want to learn more about Uppy or about anything that you've talked about or about your work? Is there a way that they can connect with you?

Nita (37:03)
Sure, we have our Instagram, which is at UppieLife. Also, you could just send us an email, hello at UppieLife, and the team will get it to me and I will respond.

Samia (37:14)
Wonderful. And I'll add those to the description of this episode too, so that people can find you easily. great. Nita, it was such a pleasure talking to you today. Thank you for the insight, the practical tips, helping make hydration feel more doable instead of feeling overwhelming or, you know, hard on us. I'm so glad that you joined us on the podcast today.

Nita (37:18)
Okay, perfect, thank you.

Well, thank you for having me. I really enjoyed it.

Samia (37:42)
My pleasure. And to everyone who's listening, I hope today's conversation reminded you that wellness doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes it starts with something as simple as a glass of water and a little more awareness. Try one small hydration shift this week and notice how your body responds. Go from there. Until next

well and keep being your best.

Samia (38:12)
Thank you so much for tuning in to Thursday Tea with Sami, your sip of wellness and mental health. I hope that today's episode gave you a little inspiration in your journey. Remember, your journey to wellness starts here. I would love to hear from you. Drop me a comment letting me know how you liked this episode or what topics you want to hear more about. Until next time, stay well and keep being your best.