3 Important Hydration Tips for Athletes and Everyone Else

It's widely known that water is essential to good health. When you're an active, staying hydrated becomes even more important...and just because you don't feel thirsty doesn't mean your body isn't. 

Water does much more than just quench thirst - it keeps your joints and muscles healthy, helps rid your body of toxins, and even keeps your skin looking young. When you're working out or on the go, you will lose fluids and it's important replenish regularly. Here are three ways to help keep you hydrated:

Drink Water Throughout the Day

Don't just drink water before and after a workout. While it's important to do so, it doesn't necessarily provide optimal hydration levels. If you always have a glass of water with your meal, on your desk, or by the side of your bed, you'll naturally drink more of it during the day, keeping your hydration levels up overall. Make it a practice to sip throughout the day.

Eat Your Water

Huh? Yup - eat your water. And no, we don't mean chew on ice cubes. Fruits and vegetables contain high water content that can help keep you hydrated. A fruit salad is a good choice for hydration, as watermelon, strawberries, grapefruit, and cantaloupe have some of the highest water contents of all foods.

Make Hydration a Game

You're an athlete; you like challenges. Make staying hydrated a challenge to ensure you keep up with your body's needs. Keep track of your hydration by logging how many ounces you've had to drink. Consider marking a water bottle or gallon jug with target levels and possibly time of day to help meet your targets. Part of a running or workout group? Challenge your peers with goals and come up with a reward based on performance to goal.

Determine how much water your body needs, by converting your weight into ounces and, depending on how active you are, drink between half and all of your weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 180 pounds target drinking between 90-180 ounces of water a day. Trust your body and always consult your doctor or trainer if you have any concerns.

Make proper hydration a part of your recovery process along with stretching, mobility, nutrition and of course, your trusty compression socks. Drink up, and stay healthy!