Last updated on June 14, 2017 by Liza Hawkins
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HydrateYourSummer #CollectiveBias
Use these four simple tips to stay hydrated while you’re on the go this summer!
I’m writing this blog post as the first morning of summer vacation looms a mere eight hours away. Our county in central Maryland had the unfortunate fun luck of not only getting a waiver to end school a week early, but also a mandate from the governor to start school a few weeks later than normal … after Labor Day. Yay.
While I’m sure some families enjoy an extra month of no school, I find things get a little irksome around here come the second week of August. The kids—ours anyway—are ready to go back to school … bored, fidgety, bored, bored, bored. Work-life balance gets a little more precarious as the hours of kiddo-time-at-home increases with each stroke of midnight and we all wish there was more time to goof off together (so long as there was exponentially more money to do said goofing off).
That said, we have quite a few amazing and fun things planned this summer, interspersed with plenty of “lazy, go find something to do” time as well: a vacation to the Finger Lakes in New York to enjoy my cousin’s wedding; dance classes, company camps and dance intensives; a week of sports camp; beginning of soccer season; Dead & Company shows for my husband; work trips and at least one visit to NYC for me.
I feel like this summer we can really use those extra few weeks (I can’t believe I just said that). And, with all those activities, we’ll have to be careful to pace ourselves while we’re running around and exercising outside!
4 Simple Tips To Stay Hydrated
When life’s busy, especially in the summer, I find it’s hard to remember to drink enough fluids. These tips to stay hydrated can help a crazy summer stay fun and joyful, instead of being a drag and exhausting. There’s nothing worse than feeling run down and headache-y because of something preventable like dehydration.
1. Take more breaks than you think you’ll need.
When my husband goes on road trips to see shows, he likes to make sure his car’s freshly vacuumed and wiped down before spending hours in there. Here in Maryland it gets really hot and muggy in the summer—just this weekend it was in the 90s, but with the humidity and full sun it felt even warmer. It’s important to take breaks to pause while you’re packing up the car or cleaning it out, find some shade or go inside, and make sure to drink water or other hydrating fluids. I find it’s really easy to get sucked into an outside project and before I know it a few hours have passed without even one pause. Oops.
Tip: set the alarm on your phone to alert every half hour when you know you’ll get engrossed in a project outside on a hot day, that way you don’t have to remember!
2. Make staying hydrated convenient and enjoyable.
It’s funny how the smallest changes can make a drink more palatable: addition (or removal) of ice, using a straw, adding fizz, or even infusing water with various fruits. If your kid’s hangup is an open top, then pour the water into a spouted reusable water bottle. If you get bored with plain water, try infusing it with berries or cucumber. Or, change things up by picking a different hydrating beverage all together, like squeezed lemonade flavor vitaminwater zero™ that I grabbed at our local Safeway, which uses stevia leaf extract to sweeten—an important note for folks, like my husband, who have diabetes.
Tip: Keep bottles of water like DASANI® 8 pk 12 oz. in the back of your car for emergency, or last minute grab-and-go, hydration. Find them at your local Safeway.
3. Find some shade (or create some).
Staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water is logical, and so is taking time to find some shade when you’re going to be outside for long periods of time. Shade affords cooler temps, which means hopefully less sweating, which can help your body retain moisture. Most of the sports fields in our area are flanked with trees, so it’s pretty easy to find a spot in the shade. Other times, like at the beach, when I’m out in the garden. or when my husband’s mowing our couple acres, shade can be harder to come by. In addition to fluids, an umbrella, tent, or even just a comfy wide-brimmed hat can be your best friend.
Tip: Keep an extra hat and a beach umbrella in your trunk so that you’re armed with shade-inducing tools on the fly!
4. Drink more water than you believe you’ll need, especially when you’re flying.
They say if you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. And, it can be hard to remember to drink when your body’s not asking for it. It’s sort of like a chicken/egg scenario until, at least, you get used to drinking water throughout the day as part of your normal routine. I find it’s hardest to remember now not when I’m working or putzing around the house, but more-so when I’m traveling and in a rush, especially by plane. Here’s where setting an alarm can be helpful (again). An hourly reminder to have a drink means you don’t have to remember, if you’re not already carrying something that let’s you sip small amounts on an ongoing basis.
Tip: Try upping your fluid intake the day before you’re planning to travel, or before you know you’ll be exerting yourself outside on a hot day, so you’re not playing catch-up the day of.
Enter To Win A Trip For 2 To A Wellness Retreat In Palm Springs, CA
Buy participating products at Albertsons or Safeway and get a text to win code for a chance to win a trip for 2 to a wellness retreat in Palm Springs, CA! Locate the “Summer Hydration” end-cap display or 10-case stacker display near skincare, sun care or personal care departments to find the text to win sweepstakes.
If you’re just interested in finding DASANI or vitaminwater, I found them in the water and soda isles at our local Safeway.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
Traveling is for sure an important time to keep hydrated. I just flew this weekend cross country and definitely needed to keep up with my fluid intake. I also like the idea of keeping DASANI in the car. {client}
It’s amazing how much more spent I feel when I haven’t hydrated well before/during travel!