Being intentional about your fluid intake is always important, but especially so during the hot summer months. And while this is something that should be prioritized, it can often feel difficult to drink an adequate amount of water throughout the day.
One way to beat this challenge is to take a different approach with how you’re taking in water. By making your daily water consumption a little more appealing, you’ll be hydrated like never before. Here are some of our favorite ways to make hydration a little more fun!
Why Adequately Hydrating is Important
We all know drinking water is important for staying hydrated, but why exactly is it so important to be hydrated?
Water plays a key role in nutrient delivery to every cell of your body, aids in removing waste, protects your joints and ligaments, and maintains body temperature. When dehydrated, you may feel foggy and tired, have a hard time concentrating, and even struggle with constipation. Additional symptoms you might experience include fatigue, nausea, headaches, cramps, heart palpitations, weakness, and confusion.(1)
From an exercise or athletic performance perspective, research shows that just 2% body fluid loss can lead to significant decrease in performance and increase in fatigue. At 5% fluid loss, scientists observed that subjects experienced as much as 30% decrease in capacity for work; meaning they were working 30% under what they could typically do when exercising with adequate fluid levels.(2)
Safe to say, you should steer clear of fluid loss and dehydration so that you can feel your best! Drinking enough water daily is the best way to get there. Read on to learn how you can boost the appeal of water and optimally hydrate your body.
1. Flavor Your Water Naturally
Make your plain water a little tastier with fruit and other organic flavorings! Infuse your H2O with mint, cucumber, lemons, oranges – really anything that you can think of that sounds refreshing – and notice how quickly that water disappears. It feels fancy, fun, and healthy all in one.
What’s more, this is a great way to reduce your empty calorie intake. While fluid intake is important, not all beverages are suitable for daily consumption. Many drinks such as soda, sugary coffee or tea, and juices have a high sugar content, amongst other ingredients, that we are likely better off without or in very low levels. Drastically cut back on your sugar intake by swapping out soda and the like for naturally flavored water. A much healthier alternative!
2. Electrolytes
Electrolytes are essential minerals that help your body with various important functions. Processes like balancing fluid levels, balancing pH levels, moving nutrients and waste in and out of your cells, supporting blood pressure, and supporting muscle and nerve function (including your cardiac tissue!).(3) It’s safe to say that without electrolytes, our bodies would not be functioning at their best.
For the most part, electrolyte supplementation is not necessary on a regular, daily basis. However, exercising on hot days or engaging in intense exercise will cause an increase in body fluid loss. In these instances, an electrolyte supplement may be a beneficial choice. With a greater volume of fluid loss to sweat, taking in water with electrolytes can help your body retain more fluid than it would with just water alone.(4) Opt for low or no sugar choices like coconut water or a sugar-free supplement powder.
3. Eat lots of Fruits and Veggies
Eating food with high water content will aid in boosting your daily fluid intake. Foods like fruits and veggies not only contain fiber and essential micronutrients, but they also hold water. This is an excellent option if drinking high volumes water is difficult for you. Check off two dietary boxes while you have a yummy, healthy snack and hydrate at the same time!
4. Get a Cute Water Bottle and Always Have it With You
Always have a drink in hand by investing in a sturdy, reusable water bottle! This will ensure you have access to water anytime you get thirsty, but having something close by may prompt you to take a water break more often. It’s also a great excuse to treat yourself to a cute water bottle or insulated container – more motivation to hit your fluid intake goal!
Keep Sipping!
These tips are just a few ways to get started with upping your daily fluid intake. There are so many ways you can make it work for you! Taking these extra steps to ensure you are hydrated will not only benefit your workout performance and workload, but it will also allow your body to function at its best, day in and day out. Stay hydrated and continue to enjoy all the summer fun!
1. Medicine, G. F. I. G. (2023, June 4). Why it’s important for you to drink water and stay hydrated. good-food. https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/good-food/why-its-important-for-you-to-drink-water-and-stay-hydrated/2022/07#:~:text=It%20plays%20a%20key%20role,be%20your%20go%2Dto%20beverage. Accessed 14 June 2024.
2. Dehydration and its effects on performance. Human Kinetics. (n.d.). https://us.humankinetics.com/blogs/excerpt/dehydration-and-its-effects-on-performance. Accessed 14 June 2024.
3. U.S. National Library of Medicine. (n.d.). Fluid and electrolyte balance. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/fluidandelectrolytebalance.html. Accessed 14 June 2024.
4. Millard-Stafford, M., Snow, T. K., Jones, M. L., & Suh, H. (2021). The beverage hydration index: Influence of electrolytes, carbohydrate and protein. Nutrients, 13(9), 2933. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13092933. Accessed 14 June 2024.
