As anyone will know when it comes to caring for your body, hydration plays a key role. You could, in theory at least, go without food for a considerable period of time, try and go too long without sustenance from water and hydration, though, and you will be in a lot of trouble. This is why it’s so important that you can differentiate between facts, fiction and what actually should be done if you wish to stay well hydrated.
Important hydration facts
Of course, it’s important to also take into account the importance of staying wellhydrated in the first place.
Some of the most important factors about hydration that you should look to memorize include:
1. We get hydration from a lot more than just liquids. If you want to stay in good physical condition, then you can get a lot of hydration from your food. Most of our foods will come with water in them, and obviously things like tea and coffee have water in them, too.
2. Your water intake is all about your own lifestyle. Someone who lives a lowimpact life from a physical standpoint will naturally use up less water than someone who is moving around all the time.
The ‘right’ water intake for you might be totally different to what it will be for someone else at home.
3. Hydration matters in exercise. Since hydration plays a key role in making sure that our muscles and joints can work better, staying hydrated during a workout is about more than simply helping you to handle the excess sweating!
4. Hydration helps protect our spines. The more water that you take in, the more likely it is that you will have a strong and healthy spine. The spinal cord gets a lot of help from hydration, and this will make it easier for you to stay in good, strong and lean physical shape.
5. Staying hydrated regulates temperature. If you are too warm, or too cold, then drinking water will help to bring up your temperature to the right level. When the body is hydrated, it can function properly and this allows the body to make sure your temperature stays at a happy and healthy level throughout the day.
How to stay hydrated
If you want to make sure that you do more of the fact and less of the myth, then, here are some tips. Stick to these, and you should find the challenge of staying hydrated will soon be far less difficult than it might appear at this moment in time. So, what can you do if you wish to stay hydrated?
Have a water bottle with you at all times
It’s always good to carry around a water bottle with you. Keep it on your desk, in a visible compartment on your bag or even swinging from your keychain: whatever makes you drink more water, do it. Don’t allow yourself to fall out of the habit of regular hydration – if the bottle is visible, you are less likely to forget.
Set alarms
If you are going to be doing a task which will push your body towards its limit, then set a timer that you can follow. Set times every half an hour to stop and have a glass of water during a workout; to have a quick sip is very important.
Add some fruit
Do you find it hard to drink water all day as it’s has a bland taste? Then change it up. Throw in some berries or cucumber, even some mint, and you can add a bit of taste to make your water a more enjoyable to drink.
Don’t discount coffee and tea
Many of us try to cut back on our tea and coffee as we believe in the myth that caffeine is dehydrating us. Make your cup of tea/coffee as watery as you can, and you can easily enjoy your beverage whilst keeping yourself well hydrated.
