Hydration - June 2022
Why is it Important to Stay Hydrated at Work?
Hydration is crucial for your health, but it’s also crucial for success at work too. Dehydration impacts your concentration, reaction times and mood, which combined will massively impact your work. Feeling groggy, tired and irritable from dehydration will not only slow down your pace but will prevent successful team collaborations. Staying hydrated at work will help you stay focused, clear minded and maintain a positive attitude towards your team and achieving your goals.
The following symptoms signal that you could be dehydrated
- Feeling sleepy or fatigued
- Feeling thirsty or hungry
- Headaches
- Dry mouth
- Dark yellow or amber colored urine
- Struggling to focus
- Dizziness
- Feeling restless or irritable
Avoid processed food
Fast food and other processed foods such as microwave meals contain excessive salt, sugar and fat compared to fresh food. Consuming excessive quantities of salt, sugar and oil speeds up the process of dehydration, so avoid fast food and opt for fresh foods instead.
Electrolytes
Electrolytes regulate the flow of water in and out of cells and regulate nerve impulses. We lose these essential salts in our sweat, and they are crucial to staying hydrated. If you are doing a lot of physical work consider taking electrolyte supplements to stay hydrated. Coconut water is a good natural alternative to sports drinks as a source of electrolytes.
Choose the right snacks
Pick a selection of fruits and vegetables high in electrolytes or with a high water content to see you through your working day. Bananas, raisins, avocados, spinach, sweet potato, coconut, beans and lentils are all high in electrolytes. Foods such as apples, pineapples, strawberries, blueberries, melon, cucumbers and celery all have a very high water content and make very hydrating snacks to keep you hydrated throughout the day.
Pick the right water
Avoid flavored water with added sugars and flavorings. Sugar and other additives have a dehydrating effect on the body. If you really can’t stand the taste of water try adding flavor with a fruit infuser bottle, which gives you the option of adding natural organic flavors of your choice to your drink!
Drink water regularly
One glass in the morning or at lunch won’t be enough to keep you hydrated. You should take in 2- 3 liters of water a day, so keep a bottle or glass of water with you all the time and prompt yourself to keep drinking especially on hot days. Alternatively, why not try our water coolers, which provide fresh drinking water on demand.
Wear light or loose clothing
Avoid wearing thick, dark or tight-fitting clothing that does not allow your skin to breathe and cause you to sweat more. Instead, opt for lighter and looser clothing that will allow your body to keep cool and prevent dehydration from overheating or sweating.
Try soups and stews for lunch
Soups and stews have a much higher water content than “dry” lunches. As well as keeping you hydrated, it is easy to make a large batch of your favorite soup or stew at the beginning of the week, and then you have your work lunches prepared for the rest of the week, saving you time!
Keep cool
Switching on or raising the air conditioning can really help with staying hydrated at work. But why is that? Fresh or cool air will help your body maintain a healthy temperature and prevent you from overheating. It will also reduce the loss of water through sweating.
Don’t wait until you’re thirsty
Thirst is actually a sign that you are already dehydrated. Keep drinking plenty of fluids throughout the day and eat fruits and vegetables with high water content to avoid becoming thirsty in the first place.
Hydrate yourself after exercise
Quit Smoking, vaping and nicotine gum
Nicotine – as well as various other chemicals found in cigarettes and e-cigarettes – causes dehydration and affects your body’s ability to regulate hydration. As well as numerous other benefits to your overall health, giving up these habits will also help you stay hydrated!
Drink ice cold water
Help keep your core body temperature down by drinking chilled water.
Check Your Urine
One of the quickest and simplest indicators of how hydrated your body is your urine. If you are hydrated your urine should be fairly clear, colorless and odorless like water. The darker your urine the more dehydrated you are. If it’s dark yellow or amber in color then replenish your water levels and guzzle down some H2O!
Take-Action Resources
- Why Hydration Matters (PDF)
- Infusing your Water (PDF)
- Monthly Minute (PDF)