The New Year has just arrived and the likelihood that you have written ‘drink more water’ on your New Year’s Resolutions list this year is fairly likely! Here in the UK, the most popular New Year’s resolutions for 2018 are to; exercise more and lose weight. Both of which, have an impact on your hydration levels;
Exercise more – Exercising whilst dehydrated is never a good idea, as dehydration can lead to a drop in your cognitive performance. Fatigue will be experienced almost immediately, which will decrease the amount of exercise you are physically capable of carrying out. Your core temperature will also rise faster and your heart will have to work a lot harder.
Lose weight – Drinking a glass of water before each meal, is said to help you to feel fuller faster, decreasing your calorie intake. Plus, a cold glass of water boosts your metabolism.
Hydration plays a vital part in allowing our bodies to function the way they are meant to; this is because our bodies are roughly 70% water. The effect that water has on our brains is best understood when we understand that our brains are made up of approximately 85% water. When we are not hydrated properly, we can experience anything from mild symptoms, such as headaches and fatigue to severe symptoms like seizures. So what are you waiting for – get drinking!
Here are some handy tips to help you drink more H2O:
1.Buy a water bottle – having a water bottle with you at all times will encourage you to drink more. You will also be able to measure the volume of your water intake more easily. We would suggest purchasing a marked water bottle, or even making your own as this can be extremely helpful.
2.Work out your recommended intake – the general recommendation of drinking between 6-8 glasses can be completely wrong. How much you should drink is dependent on many variables, the weather can even play a role in it! So, use this tool below, to see how much you really should be drinking:
3.Eat your water! Plenty of fruits and vegetables contain water so increasing your intake of these will help to hydrate you. Cucumber for example, contains 96.7% water, which makes it the highest containing solid food, followed closely by Iceberg lettuce, which contains 95.6%
4.Drink a glass of water after each bathroom break, this way you will be able to easily develop a routine.
5.Add fruit to your water –demotivated to drink water because it tastes boring? Adding fruits like raspberries or orange slices to your water will motivate you greatly to drink more. Common things to add are; grapefruit, strawberries, lemon veggie slices, cucumber, ginger, celery and mint.
