Drink To Health And Success – The Importance Of Hydration

Oct. 1, 2009 - PRLog -- In fact, while an average adult can survive up to three weeks without food, three days is the maximum a healthy adult can survive without food and water together.

By drinking six to eight glasses of water a day you can help your body function properly as well as staying in top condition.

Keeping hydrated is important for a number of reasons. During the working week it’s important to keep drinking water-based drinks as your concentration (http://www.myflavia.co.uk/about-flavia/latest-news/flavia-blog/employee-engagement/) levels can decrease by 13% and short-term memory by 7% if you get dehydrated.

But you don’t only have to drink water to keep hydrated. Other drinks that are strong hydrators include:

- Water
- Herbal Tea (infusions) (http://www.myflavia.co.uk/drinks/tea/herbal/)
- Fruit Juices

Tea and coffee are diuretics so can lead to dehydration if drunk instead of water. However, there is little harm for the average person in drinking one or two cups of tea or coffee a day for enjoyment.

In fact, research (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2104561/Drinking-t...) findings published by the British Nutrition Foundation suggest that three cups of tea a day can cut the risk of a heart attack. An additional benefit could also be increasing bone strength. Clinical studies have also shown that natural plant antioxidants found in tea – called polyphenols - have a number of beneficial effects on many biochemical processes in the body. So, moderation in all things could be the key to enjoying a range of drinks.

It’s essential to keep drinking fluids throughout the day as by the time you actually feel thirsty your body has probably already lost between two to five cups of water!

There is a simple test to see if you have enough water in your body. All you have to do is to pinch the back of your hand. If the skin takes some time to fall back into place when you let go of the pinch, you need a top up. Ideally, the pinched skin should quickly snap back into place once released.

Here are some top tips for keeping up your daily water intake:

- Start the day with a cup of hot water with a good squeeze of fresh lemon in it to give your digestive system a real boost.

- Ensure water is constantly available to you throughout the day.

- Create a schedule so you don’t forget! It can be as simple as having one drink with each meal or putting reminders on your phone / computer.

- Select a cup of water as well as your cup of tea or coffee.

- Drink a glass of water before and during each meal.

There are lots of benefits to keeping hydrated too. Drinking water helps to reduce your appetite and is calorie free so it can help you if you’re trying to lose weight. Often a small feeling of hunger can actually be thirst and having a glass of water can stop those hunger pangs.

Keeping water close by can be difficult, but as more people have become aware of the importance of drinking up to two litres a day, many have started buying bottled water. The downside to this is the environmental impact as large amounts of resources are used to extract, package and transport bottled water. However, through ever improving plastic recycling facilities, both waste and energy consumption can be reduced. And this seems to be continuing to improve, as in 2007 35% of plastic bottles were recycled – a 68% increase on the previous year.

An alternative solution to help reduce the environmental impact of keeping up your water consumption is to use water dispensers or vending machines for your daily dose. Drinks vending machines can be found within most offices as well as public places. Cups can then be used again and then recycled in an environmentally friendly way.

And don’t worry about drinking too much in a day. The kidneys of a healthy adult can process fifteen litres of water every day!