19 Jun Hydration, the key to everyday health and wellbeing
Do you ever feel tired, suffer with headaches or always feel hungry? These are just some symptoms that could be put down to poor hydration.
Did you know water makes up around 60-75 per cent of your body weight, serving as an important part of your nutrition and wellbeing.
Making sure you drink enough water in your daily life is essential as water affects a variety of bodily functions from alertness, appetite, performance, fatigue, body temperature, joints, nutrients, waste, skin, prevention of diseases and the list could go on.
Sometimes your job gets so busy, it can be hard to remember to keep drinking water, so here’s our top tips for better daily hydration whilst you’re at work…
Water at work…
Make sure you have access to a healthy source of drinking water at work, such as a water cooler or filtered water.
There’s a variety of water coolers available, which come with different temperature options and features.
Staying hydrated at work is as easy as access to fresh, healthy water and creating some habits that will help improve your intake.
If you are out and about…
The recommended amount is to drink 2 litres of water every day. So make water convenient for you and carry a water bottle with you when you’re out and about.
So many places have refillable water stations too, train stations, shopping centres making access to water even easier!
It might seem obvious, however many people don’t do this and find it difficult to stay property hydrated when on the go.
We are all different…
Although the guidelines are there to give you a rough idea of how much water you should be drinking on a daily basis when it comes to their hydration needs, remember we are all different.
Those factors that will have an affect could be…
- How much you exercise,
- How tall you are
- How much you weigh
- How efficiently your body uses water
You will learn how much your body needs, however it’s always useful to keep an eye on it.
Do you regularly feel tired despite getting a good night’s sleep or do you notice your urine is often darker in colour, or regularly suffer from headaches?
If there’s little or no improvement, try increasing to suit your own needs. If issues such as fatigue and headaches continue despite increasing your water intake, arrange a visit to your doctors to have the problem investigated.
Are you really hungry?
Before reaching for the office candy bowl and biscuit barrel, see if a glass of water does the trick.
Boost with nutrients…
Commonly forgotten, food can also provide a substantial source of water for hydration. Products such as fruit and vegetables can be used as a reliable source of both water and electrolytes. Did you know that both of these things help your body absorb the water that you drink?
Electrolytes include potassium, magnesium, calcium, sodium and chloride. Eating foods rich in these nutrients will boost your hydration, and should be considered as part of your plan to increase your daily hydration.
Once you have started to boost your hydration, hopefuly you should start to feel more energetic and generally better in yourself.
Don’t Ignore A Dry Mouth…
Being thirsty or having a dry mouth is one of the first bodily signs that you need to consume more liquids and should not be ignored.
Get your colleagues involved…
Enlist your co-workers in a staying hydrated at work challenge. See how many days in a row you can drink your recommended daily amount of water, and encourage each other to keep the streak going.
The key to your health and wellbeing is hydration, it is important to consider it daily to ensure you’re taking on enough water.