In order for us to all lead happy and healthy lives we need to keep our foundation strong and healthy – that being our bodies. On that notem a few weeks ago I wrote a post How to Start Your Day Off Right which offered up some tips on things we can incorporate to our daily routine whichcan potentially improve our overall lifestyle. Back to water…I am sure you already know but just in case I will state it again – our bodies are made up of about 70% water. Yes! Way more than half of what out bodies are made out of is good old water. Now, we are always told to drink water all…the…time and don’t get me wrong I love water. My liquid intake consists of two things coffee and water – I do not drink soda (let go of that bad habit many years ago) and I have never been a fan of juice. Sometimes I’ll have natural freshly squeezed juice or a fruit smoothie but none of the processed juice we can find at the grocery store.
What a lot of people may not be fully aware of is that we can also hydrate our bodies from sources other than water. Below I will outline the foods we can have which will supplement our water intake along with a few things we should steer away from.
1 | Fruits
Yep – fruits. Fruits are a great source for fluids - fruits like watermelon (92%), oranges (87%), canteloups (90%) , pineapple (87%), strawberries (92%) to name a few have a very high water content. Note: a fruit whose water content of 80% + is considered to have high water content.
2 | Veggies
Veggies typically do not have as high of water content as fruits do but they do have a substantial amount. A few that are top of the list are: brocolli (91%), carrots (87%), celery (95%), spicnach (92%) and cucumbers (96%) – quick side note on that, I always tought that they were a fruit!
3 | Tea
Drinking a warm cup of tea may not seem like it’s a water source but it is! I am not a huge tea drinker (I usually only gravitate towards it when I am under the weather) but if you do enjoy drinking tea consider upping your intake.
Just as there are things we can do on a day to day basis to make sure our bodies stay hydrated there are also things that we may be doing that lead to dehydration. A few examples of those are:
1 | Hunger
If we allow ourselves to get hungry our body will start getting to our water source to regain some energy. This is why is is so, so important to have healthy snacks on hand if you are ever too busy to have a healthy meal.
2 | Stress
We allow ourselves to feel stressed out from everyday pressures of life and work but many of us do not see the correleation between the stress and the harm it can cause to our health. One of the direct side effects of stress is dehydration.
3 | Drinking Alcohol
But you already knew that, right? Yes, alcohol dehydrates the body. Ever notive when you drink alcohol your body immediately responds by having to use the bathroom? Im not saying you hae to nix alcohol, but I am saying to follow one simple rule – for every alcoholic drink you have drink a glass of water.
My main message here today is to take care of your body. After all it is the only one you have. Pay attention and listen to it, realize what it needs and does not need. Your busy will repay you with good health and abumdant energy. Stay healthy!
Do you already follow the do’s and how do you deal with the don’t’s? Share your approches to staying hydrated below!