Hydration Nation

Hello again, citizens of the Internet! It's been a while since the last post, so I wanted to get things going this week with a topic that the majority of us tend to neglect: The importance of staying HYDRATED.

As a college student, it is relatively easy for me to forget to stay hydrated during the day. There are a few factors that contribute to this unfortunate habit:

1. Rushing out of the door:

• As students, we generally have a habit of doing things last minute, which means we are typically in a rush when we have to go to a class or meet up with somebody.
• Because of this, we often forget to grab a water bottle on our way out.

2. The weather:

• As we all know, the East Coast has been repeatedly hammered with snow storm after snow storm over the past month.
• When it's cold outside, it's easy to forget that you need to drink the recommended eight glasses of water a day.
• Just because it's not summer time and not blistering-hot, does not give us a free pass on neglecting our hydration responsibilities.

3. Lack of knowledge concerning hydration:

• We've all heard the doctor say, "Drink eight glasses of water a day." 
• The reality is that most of us have more juice, soda, athletic supplement shakes, etc. on a daily basis than we do water.
• There is NO substitute for water. Even if you are a regular gym-rat and toss back Gatorade all day long, there is no replacement for  the replenishing power of authentic water.

4. Lack of advertisement for water:

• I know this sounds ridiculous...in fact you may be thinking "It is so pointless to advertise for water...everyone should know to drink the recommended amount."
• The sad reality is that we see more advertisements on television and online for soft drinks, alcohol, and other products, but we rarely see advertisements for water anymore.
• Even if you are just a regular, tap water/brita filter/water fountain drinking person, the increase in advertisement of water through media outlets would subconsciously urge you to consume more of it everyday.

So, now that we've addressed four possible contributing factors to lack of hydration, here are some of my suggestions for staying hydrated...without even making the effort to think about it:

1. Carry a water bottle with you to class/work/gym/etc.

• a 32 oz. bottle is typically the standard that I carry on my person
• this means that if I drink two 32 oz. water bottle fulls a day, I will have satisfied my daily hydration requirement

2. Take advantage of water coolers at work/school:

• Most places of work will always have either a standing water-cooler or provide complimentary water bottles
• Take advantage of these options! This generally means that a company WANTS its employees to stay hydrated
• Most colleges and universities are installing filtered water fountains for students/faculty/visitors to use to stay hydrated

3. Carry a water bottle/disposable water bottles in your car:

• If you come from a commuter city like me (Atlanta, GA) you will often find yourself spending quality time in your car (our traffic situation is horrendous)
• What more perfect time to hydrate, than while you're stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic?
• It never hurts to have water in your car, especially if, due to unfortunate circumstances, your car breaks down and you end up stranded on the side of the road (especially during the burning heat of the summer)

I hope that , after reading this post, you will start to take more consideration concerning your hydration practices. Thank you for tuning in, one again! As always, Peace Love and Nutella!!