“Heat Wave” -  written years ago and performed by many vocal artists, including Phil Collins and The Who. The words express what most of the United States and much of the world is experiencing right now. It’s summer in the Western Hemisphere and it’s HOT!!! Summer is prime time for outdoor sports, family vacations, BBQ’s, festivals and long days in the sun. While we are all pretty proficient at remembering sunscreen, we fall short of staying properly hydrated. While you are enjoying those activities and the hot weather, it’s easy to be hit by dehydration, and most people don’t see it coming. Summer is prime time for dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and even heat stroke—all of which are more common than you might think.

Insufficient Hydration - It Happens A Lot

Today, more than 50 % of all children and adolescents in the U.S. are not getting the hydration they need according to research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Put them on the playing field and that number, including adults, jumps even higher. In a study in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism of 11-to-16 year old children participating in a summer soccer camp, 9 out of 10 of them were under-hydrated, putting them at risk of serious health complications.

What Your Body Needs to Stay Hydrated

Help yourself and your family by consuming hydration boosting nutrients such as electrolytes and carbohydrates. They help to absorb whatever fluids you drink. Electrolytes, sodium chloride, potassium, magnesium, and calcium are especially important because they are critical to healthy nerve and muscle function.

Eat Hydrating Foods

About 20% of your daily fluid intake comes from the foods you eat helping supply your hydration. Luckily, many hydrating foods are in season in the summer months, such as melon, tomatoes and strawberries. These are rich in water, carbohydrates and minerals, including those all-important electrolytes. Potassium rich foods include tomatoes, citrus fruits, melons, potatoes, bananas, milk, coconut water and avocados. You’ll find plenty of magnesium in bran, fortified breakfast cereals, seeds, soybeans, nuts and spinach. Looking for Calcium? Try milk, sardines, (ya-huh) cottage cheese, mustard greens and kale. In addition to offering pre and post-workout snacks (orange slices, anyone?) infusing water with fresh fruit and vegetables, like cucumber, gives your ordinary bottle of water an extraordinary and healthy dose of flavor. That flavor boost may be your secret weapon in getting your kids to drink up – which is vital since kids are at increased risk of dehydration and heat stroke due to their body composition.

Secret Weapon to Keep Kids Hydrated - It’s in the Flavor

Research from McMaster University shows that when provided with beverages containing flavor, young boys especially, voluntarily drank up to 90% more fluid than they would otherwise. Without getting too graphic; check the toilet. If the urine is light lemon colored, you’re safely hydrated. Dark urine is a sign of trouble - you need more hydration. Also, weigh yourself before and after exercise. Every pound lost between the beginning and end of exercise represents 16 ounces of water – gone! Make sure you drink water the night before your morning workout. It helps stay “one step ahead” of dehydration. It’s obvious if you sleep 8 hours without drinking anything, you could wake up in a dehydrated state, so grab a couple of glasses of water shortly before you go to bed and try to drink water and healthy juices at breakfast.

Get a Hydrating Water Filter Bottle 

Of course, the obvious applies; always opt for water instead of soda or pop (depends on where you live as to what you call it). No matter what you call it, it has no health benefits. When you travel, camp, hike, backpack, fish, picnic or run to the grocery store, bring your Sagan Life Journey Water Purifier Bottle. It’s awesome because you can refill with any non-salt water at any destination...even Africa! You are guaranteed SAFE, delicious, refreshing, hydrating water whether you are in India or Indiana. Sagan Life water filters actually have the ability to hydrate your body better, making sure to hydrate every cell in your body - which is where the effective hydration happens.

Make Hydration a Year-round Habit 

Hydration is not just a summer thing. It’s all day, every day, 365 days a year. But enjoy summer; it’s only here for 93 of those days and offers us the joy of hiking, camping, fishing, travel watching a good, old fashioned baseball game or playing softball at the church picnic - all things we love to do in warm, or yes, HOT weather. Get out there and make the most of each and every one of those sweet summer days, but stay safe with proper hydration, with the help of the amazing products offered by Sagan Life Products.


Thanks to Nutritionnews.Abbott for some of the helpful information above.