With the extremely warm weather on the rise, it’s a helpful reminder to stay hydrated! Hydration is important not only during the summer months, but throughout the year. Water is one of the most essential nutrients for health and it is key for all body functions. The human body can’t survive without water for more than 2-3 days, which demonstrates how important this fluid really is!
Here are some health benefits to drinking water throughout the day:
- replaces water lost through sweating during physical activity and helps improve physical performance
- avoids dehydration side effects such as cognitive impairment, headaches, and fatigue
- controls your body temperature and maintains blood pressure
- helps with digestion and getting rid of wastes in the body
Is 8 cups enough?
It is clear that drinking enough water is important to maintaining good health but how much water is enough? Some say that 8 glasses a day is enough but it depends on several different factors such as age, activity level, and the environment. An easy way to tell if you are getting enough water is to check the colour of your urine. It should be a very light yellow colour. The darker it is, the more dehydrated you are and the more water you need to drink.
Here are some fun tips for staying hydrated:
- Eat water! Enjoy foods rich in water such as watermelon and cucumber
- Choose a fun, colourful water bottle to have with you at all times. Having one nearby that draws your attention will remind you to drink more water
- Slurp down a smoothie with your favourite fruits, vegetables and liquid of choice!
- Download an app on your phone that allows you to track your water intake such as iHydrate or Waterlogged
- Challenge yourself to drink a glass of water with every meal and after every bathroom break
- Use lemon, lime, berries, cucumber slices or mint leaves to add flavor to your water
Here’s to living the grounded life,
Emily
Written in collaboration with Sara Hanifi, nutrition student volunteer