It may be late summer but it’s still hot outside. I’m loving it and escaping to the beach as often as I can. As much as I enjoy summer, the heat can be taxing. I can be seen carrying my purple, quart size cup of water pretty much everywhere. Drinking enough water can be crucial to staying healthy in the summer and year round.
Why is drinking water so important? Water flushes out toxins from our vital organs (you know those super important organs like the liver, kidneys and brain), helps regulate body temperature and helps convert food to energy. Our bodies are 75% water so keeping ourselves hydrated will help us maintain optimal health.
If you have frequent headaches, are feeling tired, or having difficulty concentrating, try drinking water before you reach for the ibuprofen or something caffeinated. Just being 1-2% dehydrated can have these effects and your body doesn’t register thirst until you are 1% dehydrated.
Staying hydrated is simple. Drink water throughout the day instead of all once.While water is best, sport drinks can be ok if you have been exercising for more than 40 minutes. Try to stay away from sodas and caffeinated beverages because they can dehydrate you. If drinking plain water seems a little dull, try adding a slice of lemon. Lemons help detoxify the liver.
How much water you need to consume varies from person to person depending on a number of factors. Click Here to use a cool calculator to determine how much water you should try to drink to stay properly hydrated.
Nicely done, Emi. I drink so much water that gills are forming behind my ears. And yes, most of the time I squeeze and/or drop a slice of fresh lemon or lime into it. But how do you make sure the lemon or lime skin is clean before you plop it into your glass? Is simple rinsing it under running water enough, or should we do something more? I mean, how many people or sprays hit that skin before we got it?
Thanks so much for the feedback and I’m glad to hear that you are drinking tons of water.
The pest thing to do is scrub the lemon or lime thoroughly with warm water and a little dish soap. Using a veggie brush or fruit/veggie wash is another option, but both will remove some of the pesticides and waxes that are applied to citrus fruit. Both lemons and limes did not make it on to the Environmental Working Group’s annual review of which fruits and vegetables have the highest pesticide usage, but to really eliminate pesticides, buy organic. Here is the website for EWG http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/