Many of us are now feeling the heat of summer, and we all know that it’s very important to keep hydrated. Lack of fluids can make you feel quite unwell, and even be dangerous for your health, so I’m going to suggest some ways of keeping up your fluid intake in this hot weather.
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Wherever you go, always make sure that you have a bottle of water in your bag. It’ll be more refreshing if you chill it in the fridge before going out. Keep sipping from it regularly – don’t wait until you are thirsty as that means you are already dehydrated.
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Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, which have a high water content. Fruits such as watermelon are especially good, since as well as being refreshing, they have especially high levels of water. Cucumber is also pretty much nothing but water!
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If you find it hard to consume enough fluid, try spreading it out throughout the day. You don’t need to down the recommended two liters in one go! Drinking little but often will help you keep hydrated, and you should find it much easier to consume enough liquids.
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Alcohol dehydrates you, so keep your consumption down in hot weather. It won’t cancel out the effect if you add coke to your rum either! So avoid alcohol altogether, or at least keep it to a minimum. It’s especially important if you’re going to be out in the sun.
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Do you avoid drinking water because you find it just too dull? Try adding a slice of lemon to give it just a hint of flavor. The lemon will make it really refreshing, without being too strong.
There’s a huge variety of soft drinks available these days, so you have no excuse for not keeping up that fluid intake! It’s best not to consume too many sugary, artificial soft drinks, but the occasional one won’t hurt, and any fluid is better than nothing. The best option is water or fruit juice, of course.
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If you like hot drinks, even in the heat, then hot drinks can count as part of your fluid intake. The best, and most refreshing option, would be herbal tea. Coffee and tea do count, surprisingly, but should be the decaffeinated version.
I hope this has given you some great ideas on keeping hydrated in this hot weather. Do you have any suggestions of your own? Any great ideas for summer drinks?
Top Photo Credit: VarUni7 (my days are always too short)