As the sunny, fun, busy, hot days of summer are fast approaching I want to remind everyone to stay hydrated. Many of us are great at drinking our daily coffee but get side tracked in keeping up with our good old water consumption. We all know that water is what keeps our bodies functioning and not drinking enough can cause us to become lethargic, moody, over eat, struggle to concentrate and even get a headache. It’s important to drink water throughout the day; the projected amount per person is measured by your body weight. It’s recommended to drink ½ your weight in water, for example; if you weigh 140lbs then you should be drinking 70oz of water a day. I know that amount seems overwhelming, but it can be done. I will tell you from my own personal experience I feel more alert, energized, and overall better for the entire day when I’m on top of my water consumption. It also helps with eating less, often we think we are hungry but really you’re dehydrated. The best way to start your daily water consumption is to drink an entire glass when you 1st wake up before you even have a cup of coffee. They also recommend drinking an entire glass of water a ½ hour before a meal, this helps curb the number of calories you consume.
It’s just as important for kids to stay hydrated with water. Kids need water for all the same reasons adults do, maybe even more due to higher activity levels and sweat. They don’t need sugary drinks like Gatorade, Powerade, or lemonade to keep them hydrated unless they are participating in an intense sports camp in the hot sun. If your child is going to summer camp pack them two waters, a cold one and a frozen one that will thaw during the day but still be cold and refreshing for the afternoon. The daily consumption amount recommended for children are; 5 glasses for children ages 5-8, 7 glasses for children ages 9-12, and 8-10 glasses for children 13+
A few tips to help with water consumption:
1) Keep a container of cold water in the fridge at all times
2) Find a reusable water bottle that keeps your water cold ( YETI bottles or anything similar work well)
3) Get a reusable straw- when you can grab and sip you tend to drink more water
4) Check out Pintrest for labeling water bottles to help hit water consumption goals throughout the day.
5) Add things to your water such as berries, lemon, limes, oranges, cucumber, or mint to make it more appealing. * Only risk is that sipping on water containing these acid foods can increase your risk of decay. If this is the best way to increase your water consumption then make sure you are using Pro-enamel toothpaste and a fluoride rinse daily to help remineralize your enamel.