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You’ve probably heard it a hundred times at least – that is, that your body is 70% water. But the fact remains that your body is mostly water. So when you’re active during the summer and losing a lot of your body’s water through both perspiration and respiration, you sometimes have to be a little creative in finding ways to stay hydrated. Still, you just have to do it.
Pre-Drink
When you know you’re going to spend an active day under the sun and in the heat, prepare for it by drinking plenty of water before you begin the day. Pre-drinking will give your body a head start on staying hydrated. It’s better to drink a little more than you need at the moment than to try to play catch-up on your hydration all day long.
Set Up a Drinking Schedule
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Another easy way to stay hydrated this summer involves just a bit of planning and organization. All you have to do is set up – and follow – a simple, structured drinking schedule. Guzzling down 64 ounces of water always seems like too big a task. But, as with any job, if you break it down into smaller parts, it becomes less intimidating and more manageable.
So you could, for example, make it a point and a habit to drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up each morning. (Remember: pre-drink.) Or you could, say, make sure to take a drink between errands or every time you get into your car. Scheduled, habitual water consumption times will keep you from forgetting to get the water you need.
Eat Your Water
And don’t forget to eat some water throughout the day. Many seasonal summertime foods are absolutely loaded with water, and you can get up to 30% of your daily water needs from these foods – foods that you should be eating anyway for optimal health. Here are some examples of foods that will allow you eat your water and their respective water-content percentages:
Celery, 96%
Cucumbers, 97%
Tomatoes, 95%
Watermelon, 92%
Strawberries, 91%
(Image source: Pixabay)
Use Soaked Chia Seeds
Now, this one may sound a little strange, but it works. You already know that chia seeds are an ancient “superfood” used by the Aztecs and Mayans to great advantage. But did you also know that chia seeds are hydrophilic? That means they can absorb a huge amount of water – up to 12 times their own weight.
So another creative way to stay hydrated is to eat soaked chia seeds. If you consume these water-saturated seeds before going out in the scorching summer sun, they will release that water as your body digests them. That way, you have a kind of timed-release water supply when you aren’t able to actually drink a glass/bottle of water.
Sure, you know you should drink eight glasses of water a day, but you also know that’s usually easier said than done, especially when you are, say, at the lake having fun. Still, by following these tips for staying hydrated this summer and being a little creative, you can meet your body’s water requirements. A hydrated body is a healthy, fully functioning body