Derval O'Rourke: The importance of hydration and tips for drinking enough water
Water is the key to wellness.Â
If there is one thing that will guarantee the right start to a healthy lifestyle, it’s water. When the body is dehydrated we often confuse this feeling with hunger and instead of giving the body what it needs, we cause the body to slow down and feel sluggish. This week I’m chatting about staying hydrated and recipewise I have a simple way to add flavour to your water.
Believe it or not, hydration gives the body so much energy. When you are properly hydrated, you have more energy, can concentrate better, snack less between meals and best of all your mood is better. Our bodies are 60% water so even a slight bit of dehydration can impact how we function.
1. Know your baseline intake. It’s a good idea to try to understand just how much water you take in. Try to monitor your fluid intake for a few days. Knowing what you drink in a day, even if that number is not good, will help you to adjust how much you need to drink.
2. Invest in a product. If you have a water bottle that you really like using and that keeps you sipping throughout the day then it is totally worth the investment. I use a water bottle called ‘The Head Plan’. It looks lovely and it also has little notes on the side reminding me to keep drinking. In addition to this I have a nifty little hydration monitor that can be placed on the water bottle, this product is from a company called Ulla and I stock them in my online shop.
3. Hydrate when you wake. I have a morning habit of drinking a glass of water while I’m making my coffee. It’s a habit so I do it without even thinking about it. Lots of us go straight to the cup of coffee but being mindful to drink a glass of water first is really helpful to start your day.
4. How do you take yours? Water is fairly simple but there are different ways to drink it, some people like it with ice and others will drink a hot cup of water with a slice of lemon. I’ve popped a couple of recipes below that might inspire you to flavour your water.
5. Fruit and vegetables for the win. We hear it often that adding more fruit and vegetables to our diet is the key to health but it also helps with your hydration. Vegetables such as cabbage, spinach and celery have a high water content as do fruits like strawberries and watermelon.
We often focus all our efforts on eating well and exercising but ensuring you get in enough fluids is a key part of a balanced diet. I often find that these tips really help me to increase my water intake and I try to incorporate them on a daily basis to help my body perform as it should.
Make your favourite meal this week. When preparing it, think of all the times you have prepared it and had the wonderful memories you have.
Hip Flexes – Standing shoulder-width apart, place your arms out straight like an aeroplane. Lean to the right, bending the knee. Come back to the centre and then lean to the left. Repeat for a rep of ten. (Great if you are sitting at your desk all day).
Mint is a gorgeous and versatile herb. I grow it, mainly because I use so much of it and because it’s super easy to grow. This is the main way I drink water.
- 500 ml water
- juice of half a lemon
- A few mint leaves, roughly chopped
Rosemary is the second most used herb in my kitchen. It is hardy, like mint and easy to grow. It’s a herb that you will always find uses for if you go to the trouble of growing it.
This combination is lovely.
- 500 ml water
- Half apple, cored and thinly sliced
- A few sprigs of rosemary
