Aurélie Canzoneri’s 10 tips for staying well hydrated!

As soon as you get up, drink a glass of water to hydrate your body.

2. Always keep a drinking bottle with you, so you’ll remember to drink the amount you need each day to enable your body and mind to function well.

3. A smoothie can help to hydrate you (while still drinking 1.5 liters of water a day). You could blend some of the most water-rich fruits and vegetables (such as strawberries and watermelon, or mint and cucumber) for a hydrating afternoon snack.

4. We often mistakenly think that we’re hungry at certain times of the day. To avoid confusing real hunger with emotional hunger, drink some water and you’ll know which type of hunger it is! If you can sate your appetite by drinking water, you’ll avoid snacking. This could also be a way to lose pounds and keep your blood sugar levels down!

5. Be careful when you eat chia seeds. They are highly absorbent and swell on contact with liquids, forming a thick, viscous solution known as mucilage. It’s important that you remember to drink lots of water on days that you eat chia, to prevent dehydration, as the seeds tend to absorb the fluids in your body.

6. Drinking water promotes cell renewal and flushes away toxins, so it helps to combat acne.

7. It may sound counterintuitive, but drinking plenty of water actually helps to fight water retention! The reason is quite simple: if you don’t drink enough and you’re dehydrated, your body will try to hold on to the small amount of water you give it, and this in turn can lead to water retention.

8. For those long summer evenings when the drinks are flowing freely, try to drink at least two glasses of water for every glass of alcohol. As you may know, alcohol is highly diuretic, so it can dehydrate you. No doubt you’ve already noticed that you can wake up with a headache the morning after drinking. The best way to remedy this is simple: with water!

9. Remember to drink lots of water before eating a meal to activate digestive enzymes and help ensure the food you eat is digested well. Avoid drinking during and just after a meal so you don’t dilute these enzymes.

10. Water represents, on average, 70% of the human body. Our blood, muscles, brain, and even our bones contain water! We lose water through sweat and urine (among other things), so it’s absolutely essential to hydrate the body every day.

11. The older we get, the less we feel thirsty, which is another reason why it’s so important to get into the habit of drinking lots of water from a very young age. It has to be anchored into your daily routine, so you’ll always avoid severe dehydration.

Credits: Louise Skadhauge