Drink up!

Whoo! It’s hot out there!

And guess what? Your body, though very clever indeed, takes a while to register dehydration. So when you’re thirsty, you’ve already lost quite a bit of water (1-2% of your body weight). By then you start to feel fatigued, and maybe even hungry (though really, you’re just very thirsty).

Water is the best liquid out there for hydration (unless you’re vigorously exercising more than 30 minutes, in which case you could go for a cup — 8 oz. — of Gatorade to ensure you get enough electrolytes. There’s also a number of water products with eletrolytes that would fit the bill). If you can’t stand the taste of plain water, try squeezing a fruit (or floating some, like oranges and a cut strawberry) in there for some flavor. Tea or coffee will help, but they aren’t as good as water. And soda? If you have no other choice. Soda’s got some water in it, but it also may have sugar or artificial sweeteners and a ton of chemicals. Have water also. A water chaser?

If you are carrying water around all day, the safest way to avoid chemicals is: The Klean Kanteen. The stainless steel keeps water cool, the plastic in it is safe and does not leach chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA). You can order one here. There are also safe bottles by Sigg. Even better than recycling.

Disposable bottles are relatively safe, but do not let them heat up in the car, as all plastic can leach chemicals into your water. Avoid Polycarbonate bottles with a recycling “7” on the bottom, because most of them contain BPA, which can cause hormone-like effects and may cause other health problems. Filtered water from the tap, or heck, plain tap water are just fine!

If you can fog a mirror, you’re losing water. Water humidifies our breath, comes flying out of our pores (even if you aren’t visually sweating), and of course we excrete quite a bit. So drink up!