We all lead busy lifestyles. Whether you’re always traveling, you go to every major music festival in the country, you’re feeling dry during the holidays, you work for hours and hours outside, or you have trouble drinking water throughout the school or work day - phew, that was a mouthful - you’re not alone. We're here to help and compiled these tips to help you stay hydrated.
How Do I Stay Hydrated While Traveling?
Especially if you’re traveling on an airplane, it’s easy to become dehydrated. Still, these travel tips are helpful even when you’re going on a road trip or you’re out on a camping adventure.
Start by drinking a lot of water before your trip. You want to have a good baseline of hydration to build from, especially if you don’t know the next time you’ll be able to fill up your water bottle and refuel your body.
You may also want to try coconut water or other electrolyte-rich beverages in order to hydrate your body even deeper. Available at most airports and rest stops, this is a great way to make sure you’re keeping hydrated.
Make sure you bring a reusable water bottle, too. Again, airports and rest stops often have water fountains available and bringing your own bottle means your saving money on the outrageous prices of the airport or vending machine drinks.
How Do I Stay Hydrated at a Music Festival?
Festival season presents a real danger of dehydration considering the location of these events as well as the time of year.
First and foremost, be prepared. Similar to traveling, you’ll want to make sure you have a good baseline of hydration before you go. Plus, make sure you pack umbrellas, hats, and have a plan for avoiding the sun. Staying out of the heat as much as possible, especially during daytime concerts will be key to avoiding dehydration.
Since you’ll most likely be drinking alcohol or energy drinks in order to stay up longer and party the night away, you’ll want to use the one to one rule. This means for every caffeinated or alcoholic drink you consume, you alternate with one glass of water (at least). This may not leave you hydrated but it’ll make sure you at least don’t get dehydrated.
How Do I Stay Hydrated Over the Holidays?
Holidays are the time of year where we perhaps drink a little more booze, eat a little more food, and end up a little less active. And that’s totally fine - we should always take time to celebrate! Still, your holidays will be far more enjoyable if you’re feeling energized and hydrated meaning that your lips will be less chapped and your skin less achy and dry.
Again, let’s reiterated that you should definitely be drinking a glass of water in between every alcoholic beverage. It’s an easy way to make sure that spiked egg nog won’t get the best of you. Another fun thing you can do is swap out creamy drinks like hot chocolate with water-based holiday favorites like peppermint tea.
You’ll also want to be drinking water before you eat a big meal. It’ll help prevent overindulgences and you’ll feel more hydrated because of it. You may also find it helpful to bring your own water bottle to holiday events, giving you no excuses not to drink at least a bit more water than you would’ve otherwise.
How Do I Stay Hydrated Working Outside?
Doing active labor outside is one of the quickest ways to get dehydrated. When you’re sweating, you’re losing all the precious water you’ve been working so hard to build up in your system. That means you need to take extra care to replenish that lost water.
One thing you definitely need to do is bring a refillable water bottle with you at all times and drink some whenever the thought crosses your mind. If you’re known to get really into your work, setting alarms that remind you to take a few gulps will really come in handy.
You’ll also want to stock up on your electrolytes with something like coconut water and make sure you’re eating hydrating foods like fruits and veggies throughout the day. Do your best to stay in the shade and wear protective sun gear, too.
Other than that, taking designated water breaks will be essential. Every hour at least, you’ll want to take a few minutes and just drink water. Before and after work, it’ll be really important to make sure you have a good water-drinking habit as well.
How Do I Stay Hydrated When I’m Sick?
When we’re feeling sick, the best thing we can do is stay hydrated. It’s important to drink more water than you normally would since your body is using all of your resources to fight that cold. Water helps transport the helpful cells that are combating the bacteria so without water, nothing can move.
There’s a reason why you spent an hour at the doctor’s office for them to give you ibuprofen and tell you to drink water. Thanks, Doc.
So, how do we make sure we’re staying hydrated when we’re sick?
As always, it’s important to have a full water bottle nearby. In between naps and medicine breaks, you’ll want to be drinking as much water as humanly possible. There is a possibility of too much water but err on the side of caution and drink as much as you can.
Herbal teas can help do the trick, as well. Even just hot water with a bit of lemon and honey can soothe a sore throat. Steep some ginger with lemon or a bit of chamomile tea for an upset stomach. Since herbal teas are all water-based, you’re on your way to hydration at the same time.
You should also increase your electrolyte intake. When you’re sick, you probably won’t have as much energy as you’d like. Choosing drinks with electrolytes can help you regain some energy to help kick your sickness faster. Stay away from the sugary sports drinks though. Yes - they have electrolytes, but you don’t want a sugar crash on top of feeling low in the first place.
How Do I Stay Hydrated at School or Work?
In the hustle and bustle of it all, something as simple as drinking enough water can easily be overlooked. You have to almost play games with yourself in order to make it happen. Here are a few tips.
Every time you need a bathroom break, drink some water before and after. Every time you’re waiting for a document to load or you’re stuck on a math problem, have some water to break up the moment. Every time you go to have a snack, have some water too. See the idea? We’re trying to fill all the gaps in your day with water. You might be surprised at how much more you’ll start drinking this way.
For you busybodies, if you have multiple coffees a day, switch that third one out with a cup of herbal tea instead. It’s higher in water content and an easy alternative to coffee.
You’ll definitely want your own reusable water bottle, too. Maybe even more than one to make sure water is always nearby. That means you have one at your desk, one in your bag, one in the car, and one at home. If you’re in a room, your water bottle should be there, too.
Overall, there are a few takeaways to remember
- Have your own reusable water bottle and keep it filled up with you at all times.
- Drink one glass of water for every coffee or alcoholic beverage.
- Include water with electrolytes if you can.
- Avoid excess heat.
- Make it a habit!