Water! Are you drinking enough?

I'm particularly talking about drinking water in the warmer weather, we are fast approaching the warmest months of the year and depending on your location on the globe you may already be experiencing a temperature rise. So, with that in mind I thought a new post on hydration was due.

I'm particularly talking about drinking water in the warmer weather, we are fast approaching the warmest months of the year and depending on your location on the globe you may already be experiencing a temperature rise. So, with that in mind I thought a new post on hydration was due.

The body needs water to deal with the heat

Our bodies function best when it is within a certain temperature range, when you get too warm you need to cool down. There are a few ways the body deals with this, one of them is sweating, but excess sweating can lead to dehydration. Drinking water helps to replace the fluids lost.

Here are some tips to maintain hydration

Start hydrating right away, it is NEVER a bad idea to drink a full glass of water upon waking, this sets you (and your digestion) up for the day and sets the stage to allow you to maintain a good level of hydration throughout the day.

Always keep a water bottle handy.

Drink during and after you exercise.

If you have a cup of coffee - have 2 glass of water to balance out as caffeine is a diuretic and effectively pulls water from your body.

Snack on fresh fruits that are rich in water, like berries, peaches and nectarines.

How Do I Know I'm Well Hydrated?

The answer to this one is pretty simple - but something you might struggle to do at first. When you go to the bathroom (number 1) check out the color of your urine. A rule of thumb here is - the darker in color it is the more dehydrated you are, you want to aim for a light, almost clear lemonade type of color. You don't want it completely clear! Think of what a glass of water would look like if you squeezed some fresh lemon into it, that's what you should be aiming for.