A DRINK TO HEALTH

Drinking plenty is a life hack. Improving your health might actually be a drink away. We however are not talking any liquid, since we all can binge on our favourite drink given the chance. It’s recommended that we drink 6-8 glasses, unsweetened drinks daily. Imagine that! That’s about one and half to two litres a day. Who’s got time for that! amazingly though, even if we are not conscious about taking in this amount, our bodies do find a way of ensuring we get close to this intake daily. We crave a soft drink here a juice there. Ice cream. That’s the body deciding for you when and what to drink. So whether we are intentional or not about what we drink. We are able to attain our daily fluid intake.

The difference is that when we are intentional about what we drink and when we keep track, then we are not at the mercy of cravings. Our minds so at the end of the day We do achieve that knowingly or unknowingly.

Intentionality is key to a healthy life.

So we

The saying we are what we eat/drink is wholly true. We eat and the food gets processed and we

Staying hydrated is important as it prevent confusion, mood changes, overheating, consumption.
Ensure you take water 15mins before/after meals to ensure that you get your proper hydration.
Easiest way to know if you take enough water is through checking your urine. The dark yellow indicates need for more water while the light yellow indicates proper hydration.
Water intake varies based on age, sex, weight and many other factors.
There is higher intake in infants and children plan for the adults. Children have longer body surface area and a reduced capacity for sweating compared with adults and have a high risk of dehydration especially when experiencing fever, diarrhea or exposure to extreme temperatures (e.g., in vehicles during supper).
Adult males over the age of 19 to consume 3.7 liters per day. Adult women non-lactating 2.7 liters per day. Pregnant females and lactating need 3-3.8 liters per day.
Healthier drinks options.

1. Water (this is the best option for a regular drink)
2. Low fat milk or calcium fortified, unsweetened dairy alternatives.
3. Unsweetened tea/coffee (limit for young children, pregnant or breastfeeding mothers)
4. Vegetable/fruit juices and smoothies.
   Importance of drinking water.
5. Help in temperature regulation.
6. Water acts as a lubricant and cushions your joints.
7. By drinking water and keeping hydrated, you are helping your heart to do its job of pumping blood continually 2000 gallons of blood throughout your body daily.
8. Helps in weight loss – water has zero calories and therefore, substituting water for soda or juice can reduce your calorie intake.
9. Body weight is consistent of water although women have higher percentage of bodyfat than me.
10. Transportation of nutrients all over the body and removing waste products that are passed in the urine
11. Cell production.
    Sports drinks and hydration.
    Physical activity increases the amount of fluid you need to consume to replace the amount lost through sweating
    Before beginning an activity, ensure you are well hydrated and drink at intervals. For moderate exercise that most individuals take water is good for rehydration. For high intensity exercise which is usually one hour and above, it is recommended so as to replace electrolytes lost, you should take an energy drink that has sodium.
    For some people, water does not look appealing. The following are ways of making it appealing;
    i. Adding slices of lemon, lime or orange.
    ii. Infusing water with fresh berries, pineapple or melon.
    iii. Freeze bits of fruits in ice cube trays for ore flavor.
    iv. Slice cucumbers and add to water for a fresh clean taste.
    v. Enhance water with fresh mint leaves, basil, ginger, rosemary of cilantro.