Water - What's the big deal?

Staying hydrated is important for a many reasons. Water lubricates and cushions your joints, protects your spinal cord and other sensitive tissues, and transports wastes from your body. Being hydrated helps with memory and cognition; it also helps to improve your mood and immune function

Your body uses water in all its cells, organs, and tissues to help regulate its temperature and maintain other bodily functions. Because your body loses water through breathing, sweating, and digestion, it's important to rehydrate by drinking fluids and eating foods that contain water.

The human brain is composed of about 70 percent water. Water protects the brain and spinal cord as it acts as a shock absorber, according to the U.S. Geological Survey website. Drinking water is necessary to ensure that they are properly cushioned.

Your joints also rely on the fluid that surrounds them for cushioning and to keep them moving freely. Not drinking enough water can cause your joints to feel stiff.

Drinking water also benefits the skin. If your skin is not getting the sufficient water, it will become dry, tight and flaky. Dry skin is prone to wrinkling.

How do I know how much water I need?

Every body is different and everybody’s hydration needs are different. There are several ways to get a good idea about how much water you need everyday. There is the age old rule of thumb, eight glasses a day, but is it really enough? Try this chart below or check out the hydration calculator at Rehydrate Pro.

rehydratepro.com/hydration-calculator

Alright! I know I need it and now I have a good idea of how much I need but how do I get it done? Here are a few thirst quenching ideas.

Be competitive

If you have a competitive streak, rope some of your friends, colleagues, and family members into turning hydration into a sport. How about a “drinking game” at the office? Take a sip of water whenever someone draws on the whiteboard, talks about another project, tells a bad joke (again), pushes back a deadline, etc. Keep score, see who wins the water battle.

Set timers or alerts or mark deadlines on your water bottle

Look for a water bottle that helps you track your intake. Some have motivational quotes

and time measurements others have a light that flashes to remind you to drink up.

Find a water bottle that makes you happy or motivates you

Like this one from our friends at motivationalbottle.com

Get some flavor in there!

Fruit

Ginger

Cucumber

Lavender

Mint

And there are some great sugar free flavor enhancers like Crystal Light

Or you can eat your water

Foods with high water content (including cucumber, lettuce, celery, radishes, watermelon, tomatoes, spinach, bell peppers, strawberries, broccoli, zucchini, and other raw fruits and vegetables) can contribute to your daily water intake goals.

Cucumber: 97%

Raw Radishes: 95%

Celery: 95%

Watermelon: 91%

Raw Broccoli: 89%

Peaches: 89%

Yogurt: 88%

Raw Carrots: 88%

Plums: 87%

Apples: 86%

Water can be boring!

Water is a healthy and safe bet, sure. In fact, it can’t be beat. So what do you do you drink when you can’t stand another glass of plain old H2O but don’t want to stray from healthy choices? Luckily, there are several beverages that can do what you need while waking up your waterlogged palette.

1. Pomegranate Juice

2. Low Fat Milk

3. Green Tea

4. Orange Juice

5. Beet Juice

6. Hot Chocolate

7. Kale Juice

8. Lemon Juice

9. Ginger Tea

10. Cranberry Juice