Oh my word! Summer is just around the corner! Do you have your count down to the last day of school yet? Hint: It’s May 22nd for Jackson County Schools. Less than 3 weeks! Summer brings us hot weather, more outside time, and less scheduled snack times. A perfect storm for dehydration, but we have a couple quick fixes for that.
Even if the mountains are feeling a little dehydrated with our drought, we can make sure our youth and families are staying hydrated as summer fun and vacations kick off. The best way to start is to know how much water you need. Generally, what’s recommended is half of your body weight in ounces. Of course, then you can divide that number by 8 to get how many cups. I know, talking about summer break and still making you do math! So, if you’re 60 pounds, that’s 30 ounces of water, or almost 4 cups. 150 pounds? That’ll be 75 ounces, or just about 9.5 cups of water. This number changes based on weight, but also activity level. Doing yard work all morning? Played an intense game of basketball? You’ll probably need more water!
All of this is fine and dandy, but it does bring up a very common and important point. What if I don’t like how water tastes? Why, that’s a quick fix! Have water that doesn’t taste like water! Those powder drink mix ins, the squeezy kind, or even just add fruit into your water. The best recommendation is any powders or liquid add-ins that are sugar free, or contain only naturally occurring sugar (like that found in fruit), but the important task is to make sure you’re drinking enough.
Another consideration for anyone who might be having difficulty drinking water (plain or with add ins) is to have some water packed snacks. Fruit like watermelon, tomatoes, strawberries or vegetables like cucumbers, zucchini, celery are all packed with water. Eat them plain, with a dip, or add those fruits into a smoothie and get a flavor packed hydration booster.
So, remember, as the weather heats up and our rain eludes us, it's important to stay hydrated. Keep these tips in mind:
- Be sure to drink water throughout the day: Even if you’re not thirsty, you should still be drinking. Especially if you’ve finished a game with lots of movement.
- Flavor your water! It’s not a cheat if it works! Fruit, mix packets, any sugar free flavoring you have.
- Try to have snacks that are naturally water packed: Watermelon, strawberries, celery, cucumbers, and smoothies are great snack ideas that have loads of water inside of them.
