There is a lot going on during the winter months, from the holidays to enjoying some winter activities. Whether your days are packed or if you're taking advantage of the cold weather to catch up on some rest and relaxation time, it can be easy to let some things slip.
Seniors can often overlook their health and nutrition, especially during the winter. It may seem silly—especially when we are surrounded by snow—to forget the little things like making sure we don’t get dehydrated. It’s important to keep hydrated, because while you might not feel as thirsty as you age, you still need the recommended eight glasses of water a day.
Here are a few tips on how you can stay hydrated and healthy throughout the winter months.
Set a Daily Goal
A good way to make sure you are drinking enough water is to set a daily goal for yourself. Experts recommend about two liters a day, but if eight eight-ounce glasses is too much to start with, try a slightly lower hydration goal like five or six eight-ounce glasses.
Record how much water you are drinking in a notebook or a fitness app if you're savvy with a smart phone. Keeping track of the water you drink is a good way to keep yourself in check and ensure that you are meeting your health and hydration goals. Once you are used to drinking the right amount of water a day, staying on track with the habit will be much easier.
Daily goals are great for a number of tasks, and once you become comfortable with making your goals a reality than you will able to get the right amount of water to stay hydrated before you know it.
Eat Foods with High Water Content
While drinking a glass of water is obviously the simplest way to stay hydrated, it’s also important to note that you can get water in many different forms. Almost all liquids besides alcohol will hydrate you, and drinks such as fruit juices, coffee, and tea can help you get the water that you need.
Even certain foods can help you stay hydrated. Fruits and vegetables have a high water content and eating plenty of them a day can help you stay hydrated and meet your health goals even if you don’t enjoy drinking water and other fluids that often.
Here is a list of some foods that have a high water content and can help you keep hydrated:
- Cucumbers
- Celery
- Lettuce
- Radishes
- Tomatoes
- Bell Peppers
- Cabbage
- Grapefruit
- Watermelon
- Strawberries
- Cantaloupe
- Honeydew
- Peaches
- Pears
- Oranges
- Grapes
- Apricots
Keep Water Bottles Filled and In Reach
Another good tip for staying hydrated is making sure that you have water ready and within reach. Something as simple as filling a water bottle and leaving it in your fridge at night so you can grab it first thing in the morning can be the difference between staying healthy and hydrated or forgoing water for the day.
Eight eight-ounce glasses can seem like a lot, so as you plan to start drinking more water it may help you to break it up into different shapes and sizes. Water bottles are a great way to help you both keep track of how much you drink and have water ready for you when you need it.
Water bottles also help you take water with you when you go out. Adding a water bottle to a bag or having one in the car is a great way to make sure you can stay hydrated on the go. You can even keep them in different rooms in your home so that you can have one in your living room and another by your bedside if you get thirsty during the night.
Have a Variety of Drinks Ready to Go
As mentioned above, there are a lot of different foods that can help you stay hydrated and a lot of different drinks that can help you do the same thing. We mentioned fruit juice, coffee, and tea, but there are plenty of other drinks that you can make to keep you hydrated that may fit your tastes better like milkshakes, sports drinks, and even soda.
Drinks with different textures can sometimes help you in your hydration goals if you aren’t a big fan of drinking water and similar fluids. Smoothies are a great way to get the hydration you need, and you can add in both fruits and vegetables that have high water content to further boost hydration benefits.
There are a lot of reasons why staying hydrated is important. Getting enough water in your day can help you avoid major health issues like severe dehydration, low blood pressure, kidney stones, blood clots, and even more serious health issues. We hope that these tips can help you get the hydration that your body needs to stay healthy this winter.
