Summer has definitely hit our beautiful city, and it’s making for good outdoor times, backyard barbecues, patio cocktails and much needed beach time!
But on the downside, our plants are thirsty and most of us can’t walk around our homes with clothing because every room has become a sauna. I personally need to bring a fan to every room I walk into just to survive doing daily tasks like eating and napping (it’s way too hot to do anything else).
Now with this great heat wave comes great responsibility to maintain our health and sanity, the main one being hydration. And no, sitting on the patio of a microbrewery doesn’t count; I’m talking about drinking actual water. It is very important that we are getting enough water intake at this time as it is responsible for so many bodily functions that we take for granted.
Our bodies are made of mostly water and the proper balance of electrolytes and water can determine how some of our systems function, such as our nerves and muscles. Water is needed for essential functions in our body like our saliva and stomach secretions, which help digest food, and in sweat it removes body heat generated during exercise. Water is also critical for heart health: keeping well-hydrated means that your heart is able to pump more blood smoothly through your blood vessels and to your muscles, helping them remove waste so they can work more efficiently. In other words, the more hydrated you are the less work your heart has to do.
Every cell, tissue and organ in your body needs water to work properly, your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste and lubricate joints. One of the best ways to keep hydrated is to be aware of the symptoms associated with dehydration. These include thirst, little to no urination or urine that is darker than usual, headaches, sleepiness or fatigue, dry mouth and irritability. But you don’t have to wait until you have these symptoms to drink water, make sure that you hydrate frequently throughout your day.
Water is the easiest and cheapest form of liquid used for hydration, but a lot of people look to sports drinks to hydrate, and who could blame them? They have the allure of bright fruity colours and flavours that make them desirable and satisfying. Unfortunately, the promise of labels stating words like “natural” and “electrolyte” and “real fruit juice” can be very confusing and misleading. Sports drinks typically contain high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as a sweetener, artificial flavors to give it that fruity taste and food colouring for that overwhelming pop of brightness. All of these additives have been known to cause all sorts of health problems, some being quite serious.
Now while sports drinks do claim to have electrolytes there are more natural ways to restore electrolyte balance such as water, coconut water, watermelon juice and vitamin-infused water.
Another option is to make your own sports drink. Here are a couple of recipes that will flavourfully quench your thirst all summer long. It’s also a great yummy way to get kids to drink water if they don’t like the taste.
Natural “Gatorade”
3 cups water
1 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1 tsp Himalayan salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
Make your own sports drink
3.5 cups water
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
