Stay Hydrated with These Tips & Flavor Up Your Regular Water

Written by Sarah Koszyk

Hydration is necessary and water is essential for life. Up to 60% of the human body is comprised of water. We need water to balance our system, lubricate ourselves, assist with internal chemical reactions, regulate body temperature, and much, much more. Muscles are also comprised of water so the more muscle mass one has, the higher percentage of body water one will have. With all this important knowledge of water, are you drinking enough to maintain that daily balance?

The average person should be consuming 8-10 glasses of water daily.
1 glass = 8 oz. or 1 cup

People that sweat hard should drink more water on top of the recommended daily amount in order to maintain their hydration and replenish their water losses. To check your sweat level, you must perform a sweat test.

Here’s what to do: weigh yourself (naked) prior to your regular 45-60 minute workout. Once you weigh yourself, do not consume any fluids or food. Enjoy your workout. Sweat it out. After the workout (still no fluids in there), weigh yourself again (naked) and see how much weight you’ve lost. For every pound of weight lost during the workout, you’ll need to drink an extra 16-20 oz. of water (that’s about 2 extra cups).

Here’s an example: Pre-workout weight with no clothes = 150 pounds. No fluids consumed during workout. Post-workout weight with no clothes = 149 pounds. The person lost 1 pound of weight from water loss during the workout. Therefore, the person needs to drink an extra 2 cups of water in addition to his regular daily 8-10 cups of water.

For the average person who does regular hourly workouts, water is fine for consumption and hydration. Sports drinks and electrolyte drinks are recommended during workouts that last for at least 90 minutes or more. Sports drinks provide people with the carbohydrates and electrolytes necessary to adequately fuel people during those long, endurance-types of training. As the time gets closer to the Biofreeze Berkeley Half Marathon and your mileage increases, make sure to hydrate with carbohydrate/electrolyte drinks to replenish your lost sodium stores. You can always switch off between water & a sports drink to find that hydration balance during your long runs.

Below are some examples of how to flavor up your daily water intake by adding some pizazz. Add the following concoctions to your water and let the water absorb all the amazing flavors for at least 2-3 hours prior to drinking it. The bigger the pitcher you have, the better so you can have more naturally flavored water readily available at your thirsts desire.

The Classic: Fresh lemons or limes sliced or sliced cucumbers

Citrus Explosion: sliced oranges, blood oranges, or grapefruit (try just 1 fruit or a mix)

Faux-jito: sliced cucumber, chopped mint, and fresh squeezed lime juice

Jalapeno chiller: fresh squeezed lime juice and sliced jalapeno (seeds removed)

Berri-licious: berries (sliced strawberries or crushed blueberries, raspberries, blackberries). Try adding just 1 type of berry or try combining them for even more robust flavors)

Herb-a-vore: Your favorite herb, chopped (Basil, mint, cilantro, thyme). Try just 1 herb solo or make a combo.

Watermelon Blaster: sliced watermelon and fresh squeezed lime juice

Feel free to get creative and combine any of the above ideas together or expand your box and add in some new flavors. Stay hydrated and enjoy your drinks!

Sarah Koszyk is a Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Coach at MV Nutrition, San Francisco’s premier weight loss clinic, where she specializes in adult and pediatric weight management and sports nutrition. Follow Sarah on her blog, Family. Food. Fiesta. where she provides recipes, videos, and health tips for the entire family. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

RECIPE:

Meatless Monday: Hearty Stuffed Bell Peppers with Brown Rice & Mung Beans (Vegan)

These stuffed bell peppers are perfect for Meatless Mondays. I prepare the rice stuffing and stuff the actual peppers on Sunday. Then, Monday evening, when I come home from work, I just pop the stuffed peppers in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. It’s a great make-ahead dish. You get a complete protein from the beans & rice mix. It’s also a great way to use up your seasonal bell peppers while you have them!

Ingredients:
6 bell peppers, 4 green and 2 yellow (or you can use all green)
2 cups water
½ cup brown rice
½ cup dried mung beans (or you can use another bean such as dried lentils. If you choose black beans or garbanzo beans, get them from a can: already ready-to-eat)
1 red onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeno, de-seeded and finely diced
½ cup basil, chopped
½ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
¼ cup Balsamic vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste
(***For a non-vegan version, you can also use ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese OR 6 oz. feta cheese. You can also add in ½ pound cooked ground beef or turkey)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° Bake.

Put the water in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the rice and beans (if using canned beans, just add the rice and reduce water to 1 cup), cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until all the water is absorbed: about 30 minutes.

While the rice/beans are cooking, cut the tops off the peppers. Scoop out the insides and throw away the seeds. Parboil the 6 peppers in 1-inch of water for about 4 minutes. Remove from water and drain upside down.

Spray a large saucepan with an oil spray. Add the red onion, carrot, celery, tomatoes, and jalapeno. Cook for 6-8 minutes. Take off the heat and put in a large bowl. When the rice mixture is done cooking, add the rice/beans to the bowl. Add the basil, parsley, vinegar, salt & pepper, and stir all ingredients together. If using Parmesan, feta cheese, or cooked ground meat, add that, also, to the bowl.

Using a cooking spray, spray a 9 x 13 Pyrex glass and line up the peppers.

Last of all, spoon the mixture into the peppers. (This is the step which you can stop if eating the stuffed peppers the next day).

Bake the peppers for 20 minutes with the tops on. Remove the tops and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Bon appétit!

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 pepper)

CALORIES 187; FAT 1.2g (sat 0.3g, 0.2g mono); PROTEIN 7.6g; CARBOHYDRATE 38.1g; FIBER 7.6g; SODIUM 40.4mg; CALCIUM 75.5mg; SUGAR 10.5g; CHOLESTEROL 0mg (calories are based on vegan version)