“True hydration is the key to our greatest potential.”
1 Always drink before you get thirsty
What is the symptom of thirst? Thirst is the brain detecting low water levels in the body and driving our desire to drink. If you are thirsty, this can mean that your body is starting to become dehydrated or is already. Dehydration occurs when the body loses more fluid than it takes in. So rather than waiting for your brain to tell you that you need to drink, take the initiative early and keep your body well hydrated.
2 Drink a beverage with every meal or snack
This may sound like a no brainer, but many people do not drink when they are eating. This is a simple solution to help increase your fluid intake. As well as helping you fill up and feel more satisfied after your meal, the water that you drink alongside your breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack will aid the digestive process.
3 Reduce your intake of caffeinated drinks
If you are an individual who uses a water tracking app, you will see that when you track your caffeine intake it will reduce your overall water consumption that day. This is because caffeine is a diuretic, a substance that will encourage your body to produce more urine. If you are making a conscious decision to try and up your daily water intake, but still continue to enjoy several cups of coffee a day, in theory all of your efforts are ‘going to waste’! Why not try a decaffeinated alternative?
4 Buy a water bottle
From water bottles with built in diffusers to timing markers, there are plenty of water bottles on the market to help hydrate you. By buying your own water bottle you are not only saving yourself money in the long run, but more importantly you are no longer contributing to single use plastic bottle waste. The biggest reasons people buy plastic water bottles are that they are convenient but also have a perceived better water quality content which is untrue. The World Health Organisation carried out a study and found that a shocking 90% of bottled water tested from major companies contained plastic fibres – plus you have substances such as BPA to worry about.
BPA is a potentially dangerous chemical often found in consumer goods including the plastic bottles used to sell water. Research shows links between BPA and certain cancers, reduced fertility, diabetes and birth defects, and it has been banned in certain parts of the world such as California.
Our advice – Stick to the tap! Treat yourself to an appealing glass or steel bottle and always keep it handy. Just remember if you are buying a plastic bottle for reuse it should be labeled as ‘BPA free’.
5 Mix it up
You don’t always have to drink your water. Hydration can come from water rich food too. Natural whole foods have the highest water content with fruit and vegetables containing 80-98% water!
The best fruits that pack a water punch
- Strawberries
- Watermelon
- Peaches
- Melon
- Grapefruit
The best vegetables that pack a water punch
- Cucumber
- Lettuce
- Cauliflower
- Courgette
- Cabbage
You can also drink skimmed milk (which contains 91% water), dilute your water with a ‘no added sugar’ cordial or add citrus fruits to make it more nutritious and appealing.
Water makes up two thirds of the human body and poor hydration can lead to impaired energy levels and mood, a reduction in memory and brain performance, headaches, dizziness, urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney stones and general poor health.
Good hydration on the other hand has has many benefits such as, weight loss (if taken instead of sugary drinks), lubricating the joints, boosting skin health and beauty (helps stop wrinkles!), regulating body temperature, maintaining blood pressure and of course most importantly – when you’re at a HITZone session it boosts performance during exercise!
Water is a simple and easy part of your diet to take control of and get right, so start to drink your way to better health!
