Boost your Hydration with these Summer Drink Recipes, PLUS reasons why you should stay hydrated!
- hellodonaldsonnutr
- Jun 17, 2024
- 4 min read
Up to 60% of the human body is made up of water, and having enough water is vital for human health and performance. Technically, most humans could survive a few weeks without food, but would NOT even be able to survive a few DAYS without water!
Water maintains the health of all of our body's cells - and water, along with electrolytes work together to regulate blood pressure and overall fluid balance within the body.
Here are just a few benefits of drinking enough water:
Sports Performance
Prevents Early Fatigue - Water helps transport nutrients to muscles and may help sustain activities for longer
Injury prevention - Optimal hydration can help keep our joints lubricated and maintain muscle elasticity. This may reduce the risk of some injuries such as sprains and muscle strains.
Body Temperature Regulation - Sweating helps prevent overheating. Our bodies need to have enough fluid in order to sweat, and it is important that we replenish the fluids lost through sweat after exercise
Supports Muscle Maintenance - water transports nutrients to muscle cells and removes waste products. This is important in helping your muscles recover, and limiting fatigue
Did you know that exercise performance is impaired when someone is dehydrated by as little as 2% of their body weight? (1) Here are some reasons why:
Impaired temperature regulation (less sweating, increased core temperature)
Increases rate of muscle glycogen use, meaning our muscles energgy stores may burn through faster
Reduction in blood volume, which may reduce cardiac output - in turn, increasing cardiovascular strain (2) and making training much more difficult
Digestive Health
Prevents constipation - Soluble fibre is known for alleviating constipation by absorbing water to our colon, thus softening stool. However, in order for soluble fibre to work, we need to make sure that we drink enough water to be absorbed!
Alleviates bloating - Optimizing fluid intake can prevent fluid retention that leads to bloating. It can also help our bodies digest food more efficiently, which can reduce gas build-up that can contribute to bloating
How much water should I be drinking in a day?
One of the best ways to assess your hydration is by checking your pee.
Your pee should be light in colour, but not completely clear and transparent. It is normal for your pee to be a bit more yellow in the morning, if you are noticing strong yellow or darker urine during the day, this is a sign you may be veering toward dehydration.
The amount of fluid you need depends on your age, gender, body composition, activity level, health status, and other factors. Elite-level endurance athletes may calculate their fluid intake for events depending on fluid losses through training - this often involves weighing before and after training. However, this is not necessary for most athletes, and this is something that should be done under the supervision of a dietitian or health practitioner who has experience working with endurance athletes.
Checking your pee is generally a safe and effective way to assess your hydration.
Tips to make sure you are meeting your fluid needs:
Make it convenient. Keep water nearby in places such as your desk, bedside table, car etc.
Choose water as your main beverage when thirsty. However, other beverages such as tea, coffee, milks/alternatives, juice etc can also contribute to your total fluid intake
Remember to drink more in hot weather, and/or when you're active
Add flavouring (ex: lemon slices, frozen berries, Mio etc) to your water
Need more ways to boost your fluid intake?
Here are some Non-Alcoholic Summer Drink Ideas to make hydration a little more fun!
Lemon Earl Grey Iced Tea
1 cup earl grey tea (brewed)
2 tsp dried lavender
maple syrup to taste (1-2 tsp)
1/4 medium lemon, juiced
ice cubes
Brew earl gre tea with lavender and strain into glass. Let cool. Mix in maple syrup and lemon and add in your ice!
Grapefruit Kombucha Lime Mocktail
1/4 cup grapefruit juice
2 tbsps lime juice
4 oz kombucha (plain, or cirtus flavour)
1/2 cup sparkling water
sliced grapefruit for garnich
ice cubes
Combine liquids into a glass, top with ice and add grapefruit as garnish!
Virgin Berry Mojito (makes two)
1/2 cup chopped strawberries or raspberries
1/4 cup mint leaves
1 lime, juiced
2 tsp maple syrup
ice cubes
1, 1/2 cup sparkling water
Divide berries, mint, lime juice and maple syrup between glasses. Mash and combine using a muddler or a fork. Top with ice cubes and sparkling water. Gently mix, and enjoy.
Peachy Lemon Hibuscus Tea
4 cups boiled water
2 tbsp hibiscus tea leaves (or 2 tea bags)
juice from 1 lemon
1 tbsp sweetener (ex: maple syrup), optional
1 peach or nectarine, sliced
1 cup frozen raspberries
Steap tea in hot water for at least 10 minutes (or leave in) and add in lemon and sweetener. Refrigerate tea for at least an hour or until its cool. When ready to serve, divide into cups and add sliced peaches and frozen raspberries to each glass.
Hydration is an important topic that is often discussed in many of my consults. I am still accepting clients, click here to book a free discovery call so we can go over your needs and create a plan to help fuel your success!
(1) Magee, P. J., Gallagher, A. M., & McCormack, J. M. (2017). High Prevalence of Dehydration and Inadequate Nutritional Knowledge Among University and Club Level Athletes. International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism, 27(2), 158–168. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2016-0053
(2) Watanabe, K., Stöhr, E. J., Akiyama, K., Watanabe, S., & González-Alonso, J. (2020). Dehydration reduces stroke volume and cardiac output during exercise because of impaired cardiac filling and venous return, not left ventricular function. Physiological reports, 8(11), e14433. https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.14433
Comments