Are you Drinking Enough Water?

How often do you have to remind yourself to drink more water? Why is something so essential so easy to forget? Keep reading to learn why drinking enough water and staying hydrated is essential for overall wellness, as well as some tips for keeping yourself hydrated.

Our bodies are composed of 60% water. Staying hydrated is important for maintaining this balance and ensuring we feel our best. However, it’s often easy to forget to drink enough water during your busy schedule.

We all know drinking water is necessary for our bodies to function properly. But we often wonder just how much water we should be drinking. According to Healthline, the answer ultimately comes down to: it depends. General guidelines suggest that individuals should drink 8 8-ounce glasses of water per day, but each individual’s health impacts how much water they should drink. To read more about this, check out Healthline’s article here.

Benefits of Drinking Enough Water

• It helps to maximize physical performance. Water helps your muscles and joints work better by keeping them lubricated.
• Drinking water impacts energy levels and brain function. Your brain is strongly influenced by your hydration status, so making sure you are drinking enough water is important for staying alert and motivated all day long.
• Staying hydrated may help prevent and treat headaches.
• Water also keeps your body cool and regulates your body’s temperature.
• Drinking water also boosts skin health. When someone is dehydrated, their skin is less elastic. Drinking enough water helps the skin to be more supple.
• Water also helps to cleanse the body.

To read more about the above points, check out the following sources: Healthline, Medical News Today and One Medical.

Tips for Staying Hydrated

If you struggle with drinking enough water throughout the day, try some of the following tips for staying hydrated:

• Add flavour to your water. Having a little extra something in our water glass can make staying hydrated more enjoyable. Next time you fill up your bottle or glass, add some fresh fruit and herbs for added flavour. Some options to try out are strawberries and lime, lemon and blueberries, mint and watermelon, or classic lemon.
• Make it a habit to drink a full glass of water every time you take a bathroom break.
• Keep a full water bottle nearby. Make it easy on yourself to drink water throughout the day.
• Next time you are craving a sugary drink like juice or pop, have sparkling water instead!
• Buy yourself a fun new water bottle to drink out of. If you have already tried this and have a cupboard full of water bottles, go digging in your stash! There is most likely one you like that you can use there.
• Make an effort to eat foods that are rich in water. For your morning and afternoon snacks, add cucumber, watermelon, zucchini, grapefruit, strawberries and celery.
• Get a water bottle marked with how much you’ve had to drink. It will allow you to easily keep track of how much water you’ve had throughout the day and keep you motivated to drink the whole bottle!
• Set reminders to get up and move throughout the day and drink water! Take 5 minutes every couple of hours to refresh by having a nice cold glass of water and stretching.

Thanks to Self for some of the above tips!

Take care of yourself with a Personal Health Plan from Saskatchewan Blue Cross. A Personal Health Plan offers coverage for Health Practitioners such as massage therapists, physiotherapists, naturopaths and acupuncturists.