6 Ways to Bump Up Your Water Intake this Summer!

As the proverbial English saying goes: We never know the worth of water until the well is dry.~ we don’t really know how important water is to our bodies and for our health, until our health begins to suffer. It makes sense that our bodies need sufficient water in order to be properly hydrated especially since it is made up of 70% water.

And so you’ve heard that drinking 2 L of water a day, is important.  While 2L of water may seem like a lot, it could be even higher, depending on whether you’re male or female, how active you are or how hot the weather is.

How many of us are actually getting in enough of our daily water requirement?  Well you could tell just by taking a quick squiz at the colour of urine.  The darker your urine, the less hydrated you are indicating off course that your water intake is insufficient.

Water in its’ purest form is best and we need it for a variety of bodily functions such as digesting and absorbing nutrients, flushing out waste from our bodies through perspiration, urination and defaecation, regulates our body temperature, produces saliva and prevents constipation.

But here’s the best part, water further helps to boost our energy by speeding up our metabolism.

A recent study also showed that drinking more water while on a weight reducing diet and exercising contributes to shedding those extra kilo’s.

For athletes, hydration is particularly critical in order to improve strength, power and endurance.

Here are some ideas that can help you stay hydrated this summer:

  1. Carry a 2L bottle of water with you everywhere you go. That way you’ll never be left stranded and you will be able to instantly track how much of water you have drunk.
  2. Set reminders on your phone to remind you to drink water periodically, alternatively use a water hydrating APP.
  3. Drink water throughout the day.  Pace yourself and drink about half your water requirement before midday.
  4. Make drinking water a healthy habit by drinking a glass of water before and a glass of water after a meal or snack.
  5. Be aware of thirst and satisfy it with pure water. If thirst is not a good stimulus for action, then be mindful and aware of this and drink water nonetheless.
  6. If plain water does not appeal to you, try adding some flavour with lemon, cucumber, orange slices or any other preferred fruit or sprigs of mint. 


Best in Healthy Eating, Nasreen Hoosen

nasreen@tyhn.co.za

November 2019

About the author:

Tanya has been providing dietary guidance since 2009 as a registered dietician licensed in South Africa. Her goal is to help patients understand the connection between diet and diagnosis for improved nutritional well being.

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