Staying hydrated at work isn't only good for your overall health. It also plays an important role in your professional well-being.
Did you know the average person drinks less than 50 ounces of water a day? You could be dehydrated, and not even realize it.
So, how can busy professionals be sure to have proper hydration throughout the work day? Here are a couple of easy tips to help you stay hydrated at work, so you're performing your best on the job!
Benefits Of Good Hydration At Work
First, we need to talk about the benefits of good hydration. On the most basic level, being hydrated helps you stay energized throughout the day. It also helps with your productivity.
But in reality, proper hydration plays a much bigger role in our health than we realize. We all know that 70% of our body is made of water, and that isn't something we can just ignore.
Hydration is extremely important for the function of our digestive and circulatory systems, our detoxification process, and our overall health.
If better productivity and energy during the work day wasn't reason enough to stay hydrated, the biological reasons should be.
Symptoms Of Dehydration
So, what happens when you're not properly hydrated?
The first, and most common, symptom of dehydration is mind fog or a headache. You may also feel hungry, which is just thirst registering in your body as hunger.
Another sign you could be dehydrated is you're simply not feeling yourself. Maybe you feel sluggish. That happens to everyone once in awhile. But if you feel like this all the time, dehydration could be to blame.
How Much Water Should You Drink To Stay Hydrated?
A good rule of thumb to follow to calculate your daily intake of water is: 1/2 your body weight in ounces.
For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you would divide that in half to get 75. So, you need to drink 75 ounces of water to stay hydrated every day.
If you want to figure out how many cups of water that translates to, divide your final number by 8, since there are 8 ounces in a cup of water.
To continue our example, a 150-pound person needs about 75 ounces, or a little less than 9.5 cups, of water a day to stay hydrated.
It is important to remember that this is only a recommendation. If you're an active person, you may need to drink more water a day to feel like you're properly hydrated.
Your hydration can come from plain water, hot or iced UNSWEETENED tea, seltzer water with NO ADDED SUGAR, or infused water with lemon, cucumber, mint, or any fruit that you like.
Tips For Staying Hydrated At Work
Now that we've talked about the importance of proper hydration, and how to calculate how much water you need on a daily basis, here are our top tips for staying hydrated at work!
1. Start your day off with a full glass of water
Even before you take your first sip of coffee in the morning, make sure you have a full glass of water. This will get you in the mindset for staying hydrated all day. Plus, it's a great way to boost your GI tract.
2. Keep a water bottle with you all day
Not only is keeping a fun, reusable water bottle with you at your desk eco-friendly, but if you know how many ounces your water bottle is, you know how many times you have to fill it during the day (maybe three or four times). This makes it super easy to keep track of your hydration goals.
Want to be better at staying hydrated at work? We're challenging you to consume the daily recommended amount of water for five days! Follow the formula above to calculate how much water you need to drink per day for proper hydration, and aim to reach that goal for the whole work week.
We bet you'll feel a lot better!
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Note: Individuals should always speak to their physician before making any significant dietary or lifestyle changes. The daily water intake formula above is only a recommendation and does not take into consideration activity level, medications, or other factors that could impact the accuracy of the recommendation.
