Staying hydrated isn’t always convenient at the best of times. Sourcing good quality water, avoiding plastic bottles, carrying a water bottle around with you, needing to pee ALL THE TIME. As the summer heats up it becomes more important to stay on top of your fluid intake. Did you know that by the time you feel thirsty, your body is already dehydrated? As they say ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’, so drinking a glass of water upon rising, and regularly throughout the day is a great idea for general dehydration avoidance.
But sometimes things happen: a crazy hot summer, a sweaty run/walk/hike, long world cup games with a couple of beers, you know, life. And then there are the less fun ways that dehydration can sneak up quickly on us: fever and excessive sweating, vomiting and/or diarrhea caused by cancer treatment (or the flu, food poisoning, pregnancy etc).
Regardless of how we become dehydrated, it is important that we replace those fluids and minerals lost. Fluorescent-coloured sports drinks are easy but they’re also filled with chemicals, food dyes and general non-foods that should really be avoided (I get that bright yellow looks more appetizing than my homemade brown lemonade, but let’s face it, sometimes healthy things are just brown). When it comes to giving your body an extra boost of hydration and the electrolytes it needs (sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphate & bicarbonate) a few more fluorescent-free tricks can be very helpful.
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