Learn how to stay hydrated – consistently – so you are alert, calm, vibrant and healthy. These simple tips will help.
If you want to stay fit and healthy, you need to stay hydrated – it’s the ideal thing to do to maintain good health and overall wellbeing. And it’s easy too, even if you might sometimes actually forget all about it. (We all do it, don’t worry!).
Water plays a vital role in many different bodily functions, including regulating your temperature, moving nutrients around your body to wherever they need to go, removing waste, and so on.
So of course, it’s crucial you make sure you stay hydrated and remember to drink enough water. If that’s not something you always do, you’ll know how bad you feel as a result.
With that in mind, here are some great ways to help you keep your water intake up to the right level.
Read on to find out more about how to stay hydrated so you are alert, calm, vibrant and healthy.
One of the simplest but actually one of the most effective (when you think about it) ways to make sure you stay hydrated at all times is to carry a reusable water bottle with you no matter where you go – even if you’re just popping out to the store. It’s a truly convenient way to stay hydrated. And when you’ve got a water bottle within arm’s reach, you can sip away all day. You’ll never actually reach the state where you become dehydrated. (It’s worth noting that once you start to feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated, And you could easily start feeling unwell very quickly after that).
You can stay hydrated very easily when you’ve got your own water bottle with you. And there’s the environmental factor to think about. Areusable water bottle means you’re not using a disposable plastic one. Since single-use plastic is such a terrible thing for the planet, that can only be a good thing.
Another reason to get a reusable water bottle is that they’re cost-effective. It’s true they’ll cost more than a single-use plastic bottle initially, but since you can keep using them over and over (just keep them clean and they’ll last for years in most cases), you’ll only have to buy one reusable bottle (or have a few so you can alternative), which is a lower cost in the end when you add it all up.
Plus when you own reusable bottle, you can track your water intake. You’ll then be able to make sure you really are drinking enough. There could be measurement markings on the side. But even if there aren’t, you can measure how much you’re drinking just by keeping note of how many times you fill the bottle up during the day. You will then want to try to better your ‘score over time. And you’ll find you’re a lot healthier as a result.
Finally, one of the fun things about reusable water bottles is that they can be completely personalized, which is fantastic. With custom water bottles you can add your company name and logo. You can have an image you love. And you can really just make it look exactly how you want. And if that doesn’t encourage you to drink more, we don’t know what will!
So we know that having your own special water bottle(s) is a fantastic way to start your journey to better hydration, but what else can help? One thing you can try is to set hydration goals, such as working out how much water you should be drinking each day and working out how to ensure you get that done. You can do it just by doing some research into how much water is best, but there are also useful apps you can download to help remind you to drink when you need to in order to reach your goals, for example, and if you currently don’t drink enough (which is true for most people), then that can definitely help massively.
Or how about time-based goals? Break your daily water intake down into manageable time-based goals, like trying to drink a certain amount of water by 10am, or by lunchtime, and then set another goal for the end of the day, and so on. If you’ve got that set as a reminder as well, it will be easier to do it and keep up with your targets. Over time, you won’t need the alarms and reminders anymore, especially when you realize how good you feel compared to when you weren’t drinking enough.
If you’re really taking care of your physical and mental health, you’ll be doing regular exercise throughout the week – ideally a little every day, but at least 75 minutes of rigorous activity through the week if you want to spread it out. Now when you do that, you’re going to lose water from your body through sweat, which is why it’s so important to keep your hydration levels topped up and drink water before, during, and after exercise.
Start by drinking water two to three hours before you start exercising – that means your body is well-hydrated right from the start. Then, around 30 minutes before you start exercising, drink more as a top up, just to be on the safe side.
Then, when you’re actually exercising, you’ll still need to drink, so sip water at regular intervals, especially if you’re exercising for more than 30 minutes in one go. If it helps, you could switch water for a specific sports drink so you’re not just staying hydrated but you’re topping up your electrolytes as well.
Once you’re finished exercising, drink more water!
As well as as drinking water, you can do your body more good by adding plenty of water-rich food into your diet, which doesn’t just keep you hydrated, but also gives you a load of added nutrients your body can use to its advantage.
Fruit is an excellent place to start, and things like watermelon (which you might have guessed thanks to the name!), strawberries, and oranges all have high water content – plus they’re tasty snacks, so it’s not hard to include them in your diet more. Vegetables can also do a great job of hydrating you, and some of the best include cucumbers, lettuce, celery, and tomatoes.
If you want something a little more hearty and warming, then you can go for soups and broths – they’re hydrating, warming, and comforting, so you’re getting a lot from one meal. Check the salt levels though; sometimes soup and similar food can be full of sodium which will dehydrate you as fast as you’re trying to hydrate yourself.
Let’s face it; water is pretty boring. That could be why a lot of people don’t drink enough of it – it’s just not that great when you’re craving something a bit more interesting. That’s why it’s not a bad idea to add some flavor to your water by infusing it with fruits, herbs, or vegetables – lemon, mint, cucumber, lime, berries, and basil are all popular and make water taste delicious.
You could also try sparkling water, which is a refreshing alternative to still water and can make the drink a lot more interesting. Be careful though. The carbonation can be bad for your teeth. And make sure you don’t buy the sweetened versions that you’ll find in stores. They’re full of sugar or sweeteners. And that’s bad for your health.
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