Water is one most important nutrients you need to take in everyday. Perhaps the most important one. And yet we are so spoiled these days in its availability that we take it for granted, and we may find ourselves unknowingly dehydrated or close to dehydration. This situation may range from uncomfortable to life-threatening. Follow these five tips to keep your water levels where they need to be.
Duh! Seems like a no-brainer, but let’s face it, some of us don’t drink plain water all that often. Most of our beverages contain either sugar, caffeine or both, and these ingredients make you lose water. Carrying a water bottle around and refilling whenever possible will remind you to take a sip every now and then. Hopefully it’ll become a habit. If you’re one of those people who just dislike plain water, there’s still hope for you. Read on!
Listen to your body
Your body is quite capable of telling you when you need to replenish your liquids. The color of your urine is a very useful marker to see if you need to increase the amount of water you drink in a day. A dark yellow color means you’re low on water, while a dark brown means you’re near to dehydration and need to hydrate ASAP. More obvious cues from your body include dry mouth and eyes, as well as a general feeling of fatigue.
Eat foods with a high water content
If plain water just isn’t your thing, you can choose to eat your water requirements in tasty natural products. Fresh leafy greens like lettuce and spinach help hydrate you as well as providing useful minerals like magnesium. Watermelon and tomatoes are mostly water, and also contain important antioxidants, like lycopene. Even meat and poultry have large percentages of water in them, and I don’t have to tell you how delicious those are! Getting your water from food doesn’t just taste good, it’s also a healthy way to snack.
Avoid losing water
Although you can’t help to lose some water during the day, you can avoid consuming products that dehydrate you. They come in two types: hygroscopic and diuretics. Hygroscopic are substances that extract water from their environment, like sugar and alcohol, and even the polyethylene glycol (PEG) found in e-cigs. Diuretics are substances that make your body pee more often, like caffeine and (again) alcohol. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have a drink or get your vape on at Liquido24 as well, just remember to drink an extra glass of water to compensate if you do.
Wear appropriate clothes
Whether you’re exercising or just enduring a particularly hot day, wearing loose clothing that allows the air to cool your body helps you not to sweat as much. This is most important to keep in mind when visiting places where you’re not used to the weather. If you expect to do a lot of walking in very warm, humid places, take plenty of water with you.
Remember that water is essential to all of your body’s functions, and how well you do during the day is directly linked to how well hydrated you are. So keep this tips in mind and go have a great day!