How to Stay Hydrated throughout the Workday

More than half of your bodyweight is made up of water, according to FamilyDoctor.org.  Your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste and lubricate joints. With the arrival of summer heat (and sweating) you'll need even more water to stay hydrated. 

But, no doubt, drinking plain water throughout the day can get boring.  Although fruit and vegetable juices and milk can help you to stay hydrated, they may add unnecessary calories and sugar to your diet.  Coffee and other caffeinated drinks can also help you stay hydrated, but drinking too much can leave you feeling anxious and jittery.

Here are some suggestions for increasing your water intake — by making it flavorful and chemical free.       

1) Begin by purifying your water.  Attach a Brita faucet filter to the sink tap in the office kitchen supplied through EcoGreenOffice.com, or purchase a classic pour-though Brita pitcher and keep cold, clean water in the office fridge.  For personal use, consider a Brita water bottle.

2) Use herbs, fruits and flowers for flavoring your water.  Let mint leaves sit in a pitcher of water in the fridge for 10 minutes or overnight.  Bruise the mint leaves for a stronger taste, suggests HellaWella.com. 

Put a handful of cucumber slices in a pitcher of water.  For even more flavor, grind up the cucumber chunks in a blender, pour the contents through cheesecloth into a bowl and leave it in the fridge to drip overnight.  Mix the cucumber juice with a pitcher of water and “you’ve got yourself the most refreshing water you’ve ever tasted,” HellWella.com says. 

  

3) Fruit Ice cubes. Freeze lemon juice in ice cube trays and plop them in your water glass.  Or, try this recommendation from the Bits of Taste blog: place an individual piece of fruit, or sliced up fruit or herb, such as a lemon, lime, strawberry, or fresh mint leave, into your ice cube trays, pour filtered water over the fruit and let the tray freeze overnight. 

4) Last but, not least, go for some sparkling water. 

Using lemons and other fruits is one way to turn plain 'ole water into a fancy and exotic looking drink, while staying hydrated throughout the workday.

    

Sources

http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/prevention-wellness/food-nutrition/nutrients/hydration-why-its-so-important.html

http://www.hellawella.com/how-to-make-your-water-more-exciting-with-natural-flavoring
http://bits-of-taste.blogspot.com/2010/08/special-frozen-cubes-ice-cubes.html