How To Always Stay Hydrated
It’s hot in Raleigh, NC, and that makes it easy in the summer to suffer from dehydration, especially if you’re doing something physical. Even mild dehydration can cause physical problems, which is why it’s important to find ways to stay hydrated. If you want to feel your best, be your sharpest and look fantastic, adequate hydration is important. Don’t turn to soft drinks or coffee to do it and unless you’re working out over an hour, sports drinks aren’t necessary. Instead, turn to the world’s best diet drink that has zero calories—water.
Why is it important to stay hydrated?
Your brain and your heart are approximately 73% water, and they’re two of the most important organs in the body. Every time you breathe, the air goes into your lungs, which is 83% water. Consider what would happen if you don’t have enough fluid. It would affect your brain, lungs and heart. You’d feel mentally confused, have rapid breathing and a rapid heartbeat. It only makes sense that it’s important to sip water throughout your workout to prevent that from occurring and make your workout better.
Carry a bottle of water with you at all times and you’ll be less prone to dehydration.
Drinking water throughout the day, so you get at least eight 8-oz glasses of water, is important. On days when you sweat profusely, increase your water intake. Have you ever noticed how delicious watermelon or other juicy fruit sounds on a hot day, even if you’re full? It may be because you’re craving the liquid in the fruit. Too often people mistake thirst for hunger and eat trying to fill their craving. If you drink a glass of water when you feel hungry, it will fill you up and fill the need for fluid, if that’s the problem. It could be just the tip you need to lose more weight.
So how do you drink more water?
Coffee just won’t do. It is a diuretic. Sugary drinks are also off the list of acceptable drinks, if for nothing more than just adding empty calories. If you don’t like the flavor of plain water, why not try some infused water. Just add cut up fruit, vegetables or herbs to water and allow the flavors to blend into the water for at least 12 hours in the refrigerator. There are many benefits of drinking infused water, depending on what you infuse it with. However, most people love the fact that it’s healthy, has few if any calories and tastes delicious. It can even help you lose weight.
- Instead of a sports drink, consider drinking coconut water. Coconut water consumed on a regular basis can help control blood pressure and improve digestion. It aids in maintaining electrolyte balance. (www.ipowner.org)
- If you’re feeling sleepy or tired and want a wake up cure, don’t head for the coffee. Instead, try drinking a glass of cold water. You’ll be amazed at how quickly it wakes you up.
- Enjoy an ice cold herbal tea in the summer and a warm cup in the winter. Herbal tea, such as hibiscus, rose or chamomile tea are good ones to hydrate you and taste delicious. They have other benefits, too.
- If you’re older, be more vigilant about staying hydrated. Seniors dehydrate quicker and often miss the cues that they’re thirsty. Even mild dehydration in seniors can cause UITs and symptoms that resemble dementia.
For more information, contact us today at Evolution Lifestyle Fitness
People often ask me why I talk about other types of exercise, which don’t involve coming to Evolution Lifestyle Fitness or linking to our website. It’s because I want everyone to enjoy the joys of being active and swimming is a very active sport. It’s fun and a good way to spend time with the family, while burning extra calories for weight loss.
You need all types of exercise to be truly healthy. You need ones that keep you flexible, ones that keep you strong and ones that improve your endurance and cardiovascular system. One of the easiest ways to get that cardio is by running. Running has a number of benefits. You can do it anywhere. It doesn’t require much equipment, outside of a good pair of running shoes. Aside from ensuring you have good posture, running for fun doesn’t require a lot of training either. Running is good for your heart and provides many other healthy benefits.
So much has changed recently. One thing hasn’t changed. Everyone needs exercise and everyone needs a little stress in their life. There are a lot of people in Raleigh, NC that are turning to outdoor activities to relieve stress. It doesn’t mean you give up the gym, but is a great way to spend a little time every day or week to enjoy everything nature has to offer. Finding more green areas to spend time can be a boost to both mental and physical health.
So many of you told me of the healthy indoor activities you’ve developed with your kids during the shut down. There’s so much more you can do with your child besides watching television, although watching a fun documentary with animals can lead to making animal moves, like a walking elephant and pouncing tiger. It’s all about movement and instilling healthy ideals while children are young.
My clients at Evolution Lifestyle Fitness in Raleigh, NC, focus not only on their fitness, but their family’s health and fitness. That’s one reason we have programs for individuals of all ages, from five to seniors who are 71+. I recommend meal preparation to help busy people stay in shape. Since some of my clients want to have healthier meals than schools offer, they’ve asked for school lunches that can be made ahead. These may be called school lunches, but they’re also a great option to have in the refrigerator for the kids even when they’re not in school.
Are you trying to build good habits, but find that bad ones get in your way. It’s time to change both. The person you are today is a result of the things you do continuously, which means your habits. If you have to lose weight, it isn’t that one piece of cake that put on the pounds you have to lose. It’s the habit of eating a few extra calories each meal or grabbing a high calorie snack that puts the calorie count over the top. If you’re out of shape, it’s not because you missed one workout session. It’s because you never actually got started and were sedentary most of the time. You are the result of your habits.
There’s nothing wrong with feeling good about your accomplishments or taking time to enjoy the progress you made, unless it causes you to quit trying. If your goal was to lose 20-pounds and you’ve made it to the halfway mark, it can be a time for celebration, but can also be an important time to hunker down and get back to work. It’s too easy to rest on your accomplishment and feel smug or satisfied with your achievements. However, it’s the very time you need to combat fitness complacency.
If you’ve experienced a lot of changes in Raleigh, NC, due to the recent outbreak, it’s time to make those changes benefit you and help you be more active in a family environment. You can do this by keeping goals in mind when you’re planning activities. Even though there was a mandatory closing of public places, there’s always fresh air and activity outside of normally crowded areas. If you’re inside, you can set up active games, exercise with the family and even have cooking adventures to make healthy meals.
What’s the best gift you can give to your children, parents, spouse or loved ones? It’s the gift of good health and energy. That’s why we focus on family fitness at Evolution Lifestyle Fitness. What happens to one person in a family affects all the rest, so each member needs to be healthy. If you’re not taking care of yourself, but focus only on others, you’re creating a dynamic that affects your family in both little and big ways. If you’re a parent, you’re a role model. You also need to be healthy to take care of your family, or they’ll end up taking care of you. Keeping each family member is important, even when that member is you.