In this age of busy, on the go lifestyles, it’s easy to fall into unhealthy habits and neglect our health. It seems like we often can’t find the time to cook nutritious meals or even drink enough water. Coffee is considered to be productivity juice, along with sugary energy drinks that promise improved performance. While these beverages are delicious, at the end of the day, we end up feeling tired, dizzy and dehydrated. So, how do we avoid this? How to stay hydrated all day? In this article, we are exploring the best hydration techniques and ways to avoid dehydration.
Signs of Dehydration
Dehydration is a condition that occurs when the body doesn’t have enough fluids to carry out its normal functions. This happens when you lose more fluids than you take in. Causes of dehydration, other than the obvious one – not drinking enough water, may be: fever, vomiting, acute diarrhea, increased urination or excessive sweating.
The signs of dehydration might go unnoticed at first, as dehydration can be mild, moderate or severe. The most common symptoms of dehydration are:
- Thirst
- Dry mouth, eyes and lips
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Infrequent urination
- Dull skin
- Dark yellow and strong-smelling urine
- Constipation
How to prevent dehydration? The answer is very simple: drink water! Sure, water may be a boring and tasteless drink, but it’s actually amazing for your overall health.
While drinking water is undoubtedly the simplest way to prevent dehydration, IV therapy also can serve as an alternative means of dehydration, especially in cases where drinking water alone may not be sufficient. By delivering fluids and essential nutrients directly into the bloodstream, IV therapy can provide a quick and effective way to dehydrate the body, particularly for individuals with severe dehydration symptoms, athletes, and those with chronic conditions.
Benefits of Drinking Water
Once you develop the habit of drinking water, you will get to enjoy the amazing benefits this liquid has to offer. Every organ in the body needs water to function properly, so it’s no wonder that staying hydrated is good for you.
Drinking enough water will help you:
- Increase energy levels
- Flush out toxins
- Improve skin texture and complexion
- Regulate body temperature
- Protect joints and tissues
- Improve digestion
How Much Water Should You Drink Daily?
What is the exact amount of water you should drink every day to be properly hydrated? We’ve all heard of the recommended 6 to 8 240ml glasses of water, which is around 2 liters a day. However, The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends around 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men and 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) for women. This includes the food you eat during the day, which usually contains 20% of the water you need. If you live in a warm climate, make sure to follow these recommendations, as heat causes excessive sweating and fluid loss.
Best Hydration Techniques
If you’re wondering how to stay hydrated all day, you need to look into the best hydration techniques. These are super easy to implement in your daily routine, so you should definitely try out at least a few!
Get a Water Bottle
If you don’t have one already, you need to get your hands on a reusable water bottle as soon as possible.
Having water nearby at all times will help you take frequent sips no matter what you’re doing. You can also get a marked water bottle that will allow you to see your progress throughout the day. These come in many different designs – some even have fun motivational quotes for every hour of the day!
Set a Daily Goal
Are you the type that’s always up for a challenge? Setting a daily water intake goal will motivate you to drink more water. This is one of the best hydration techniques because every time you hit that goal, you’ll feel accomplished and proud!
Reward Yourself
Of course, after you’ve hit your goal, it’s time to reward yourself. Choose an activity that you like, or a sweet that you enjoy, and reward yourself after a week of staying properly hydrated. Set even a bigger reward for a full month of accomplishing your goals. Simply having this reward in mind will motivate you to drink plenty of water and keep on hitting your goal.
Use a Water Tracker App
Using a water tracker app will help you keep track of your water intake throughout the day. You’ll be able to track your progress and set regular reminders and daily goals. If you want to know how to stay hydrated all day, you should definitely download a tracker app.
Eat Your Water
One of the ways to increase your water intake is to eat your water. Yes, the best hydration techniques include eating lots of fresh foods!
Make sure to add water-rich fruits and vegetables to your diet, such as: cucumbers, broccoli, apples, oranges, tomatoes, watermelon, spinach, blueberries, pineapples, cantaloupes, strawberries, zucchini, celery, grapefruit, etc.
You don’t have to limit to plant based foods because surprisingly, meat contains up to 60% of water. So, you can eat your water in the form of vegetable soups, stews, smoothies, and even burgers.
Flavor Your Water
If you find it hard to get used to the lack of taste in plain water, you should try adding some flavors. To make flavored water, add lemons, strawberries, oranges, fresh mint leaves, or any other fruit or vegetable that you like. This is an easy fix for everyone that’s just beginning to drink more water.
Drink Other Healthy Beverages
Although plain water is best for staying hydrated, you can also opt for other healthy options that are high in water and low in calories. Instead of soda and sugary drinks, choose fresh fruit and vegetable juices and herbal teas. If you’re exercising daily, you should consider having sports drinks – these are an excellent source of electrolytes.
Implementing some of the best hydration techniques to your daily routine will surely result in better skin, better digestion, increased energy, and overall better health. And who wouldn’t want that? Now you know how to stay hydrated all day, and that it’s super easy to develop a couple of these habits. So, don’t wait to get thirsty – raise your glass of water and get all those amazing benefits!