It’s come to the time of year when we can see our breath when we exhale. When we were kids, this was a fun way to pretend we were dragons. But now that we have to be “mature” adults, it should come as a reminder that we’re losing water and need to drink more to stay hydrated. To help you stay hydrated this winter, here are some useful tips for you to follow.
Remind yourself to drink water
When it’s hot, staying hydrated is normally at the forefront of our minds. But when the weather is colder, it is easier to forget about becoming dehydrated. If you tend to forget to drink water, then set up some reminders for you to drink water throughout the day. You could stick a “drink water!” post-it on your computer screen, for example, or get one of those refillable water bottles marked with guidelines of how much you need to drink by certain times of the day.
There are also lots of mobile apps that remind you to drink water and even gamify the process to make it more interesting.
Eat a diet rich in water
If you struggle to drink enough water over winter, then the food you eat can help you out. Soups and stews are a good way to increase water intake and warm you up at the same time. A lot of fruits and vegetables also contain high concentrations of water. Here are a few you should eat more of:
- Watermelon
- Apples
- Strawberries
- Cucumber
- Oranges
- Lettuce
- Celery
- Peppers
Have enough salt in your diet
Salt is one of those things that you shouldn’t get too much of or too little of. You probably know the dangers of a diet that’s too high in salt, but too little salt can cause you too become dehydrated and cause your muscles to cramp. We lose sodium when we sweat, so make sure you replace salt levels through your diet, especially if you are working out in the winter.
Choose tea over coffee
You probably find yourself reaching for the kettle more over winter than you usually do. A hot drink on a cold day is a lovely way to warm yourself up. But caffeinated drinks have diuretic effects on your body, which means you’ll lose more water through urination. Caffeine can be especially dehydrating, so make tea your hot beverage of choice, or even a nice hot chocolate. Don’t go crazy with the mulled wine, either, as alcohol is another diuretic.
Hydration is not just a summer game. Make sure you keep your hydration levels in check over the winter, too. If you need a bottled water delivery service to keep fresh water readily available to you over winter, then contact us for home or commercial water delivery across North Carolina and Virginia.