Do you drink enough water? Most people do not.
Water makes up over half of our body weight. It is essential for survival and optimal health. Water helps us excrete waste through urination, sweat, and bowel movements. It helps with blood pressure, pulse, and body temperature. It is required for every cell in our body to work.
Dehydration, not getting enough water, comes with significant risk. Dehydration can be as mild as having dry mouth and dry skin. But it can be as severe as causing rapid heartbeat, passing out, shock, or even death.
Feeling thirsty, dark urine, dry skin, sunken eyes, dry mouth, being tired, and dizziness are all classic signs of dehydration. Some people are so used to being dehydrated; they may not even notice the signs in themselves. If you are thirsty, you should drink. If you haven’t had enough water, you should drink.
But how much water should you be drinking? You’ve likely heard the classic 8 cups of water per day. But everyone is different. Depending on your size, level of activity, and health status.
If you exercise, you will need more water to cover what you lose through sweat. During the summer and times of heat and humidity, again you will need more water. Pregnant and breastfeeding women also require more water. Talk to your health care provider about how much water you should be drinking.
What are the best ways to stay hydrated? Drinking water and eating foods with a high percentage of water, like fruits and vegetables is the best way to go. Fruit juices, sodas, and beverages with caffeine aren’t always the best option for staying hydrated. But the reality is, a lot of people don’t like the taste of water.
What can you do to make stay hydrated and enjoy the taste of water? There are a variety of low-calorie flavorings available on the market today. Powders and liquids that you can add to your water to give it a little more flavor. You can also purchase pre-flavored waters or sparkling waters at the store.
Prefer to go a little more natural? You can enjoy infused waters by adding fresh fruits and herbs to your water. Infused waters no not only taste great, they look good too! A subtle taste of fruit can make water even more refreshing and help you to stay hydrated.
Making infused water is simple. You just add cut fruits and/or fresh herbs to your water bottle and let it sit for the flavors to peak. Classic options include sliced lemons, oranges, lime, cucumber, or strawberries.
If you want to mix it up for something fun and refreshing, try the following recipes:
- Citrus Medley water: cut up your favorite citrus fruits- lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit
- Strawberry Mint water: slice or mash strawberries and toss in fresh mint leaves
- Cucumber Watermelon water: slice cucumbers and add crushed watermelon
- Lemon Rosemary water: sliced lemon and fresh sprigs of rosemary
- Mojito water: sliced limes and fresh mint leaves
- Raspberry Lime water: sliced limes and whole or crushed raspberries
Many people struggle to stay hydrated during fall and winter. When it’s hot outside and they feel thirsty, they may be more likely to drink water. During fall and winter, adding more soups to your diet is another way to stay hydrated. Using low sodium broth-based soups is a great way to stay hydrated and sneak in some healthy vegetables, protein, and whole grains.
You can find many great recipes online or in cookbooks, here are some great soup ideas:
- Classic chicken noodle soup
- Orzo vegetable soup
- Minestrone soup
- Italian bean soup
- Chicken and kale soup
- Egg drop soup
Don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink enough water. Make a plan and a commitment to stay hydrated for your health and for your wellbeing. Perhaps you can carry a water bottle with you and commit to drinking a certain number of bottles per day.
You can also set up times during the day that you drink water. A glass first thing when you wake up, with each meal, between each meal, when getting to work, when getting home, before working out, after working out. Looks for opportunities that work for you and your schedule.
How ever you do it, make a plan to stay hydrated for your health.
About Author
