5 Tips for Staying Hydrated This Winter

Hydration is just as important during the winter months as it is in the summer months, if not more important. Once the temperature drops during the winter months it becomes harder to focus on drinking water, well because it’s cold and most people reach for a warm coffee or tea to heat them up. Just because your body is not sweating like it does in the summer does not mean you cannot become dehydrated, especially if you are taking part in winter sports such as skiing or snowboarding. Dehydration can lead to exhaustion, muscle cramps, and a decrease in the bodies immune system and ability to fight the common cold or flu to name a few.

How Dehydration Effects Fat Loss:

With winter bringing shorter days and many more celebrations and parties, not drinking enough water can make it harder to keep the extra pounds off because people tend to eat more and exercise less. A hydrated body is better able to break down fat for energy and appetite and cravings are more controlled because often times people may mistake thirst for hunger. A dehydrated body holds onto the water it already has causing water retention and a bloated feeling, so avoid excess fluid retention by drinking lot’s of water all day every day to avoid piling on excess pounds over the winter months.

5 Tips on How to Prevent Dehydration this Winter:

1. Keep an eye on the color of your urine, this is a true tell sign if your body needs more water. It should be a light to clear color, the darker the color the more dehyrated your body is (unless you are taking certain supplements that could also affect urine color).

2. Drink water before, during, and after exercise even if you did not sweat buckets like you would during a summer workout, it is still important to drink up! When exercising in colder temperatures the air you breathe is more dry and the lungs have to work harder to warm up the air in your body, the harder your body works the more water you need to replace.

3. Carry a water bottle around with you all day so you don’t forget to drink. A trick my clients use is to place elastic band around their water bottle first thing in the morning reflecting how many bottles they should drink that day (5 bottles = 5 bands) and each time you refill the water bottle take a band off. This will help hold yourself accountable for how much water you are drinking throughout the day when you become to busy to think about it. If you crave something other than water, try adding fruit (lemon or lime) to your water to add an extra boost of vitamin C and add more flavor to your water.

4. Watch caffeine and alcohol intake as they have a diuretic affect on the body. During the winter months a warm cup of coffee or tea sounds much more comforting than a cold or room temperature glass of water right? At a dinner party a glass of wine sounds much better than a glass of water right? It’s OK to give into these wishes at times, but just be sure to go sip for sip with a luke warm glass of water or chase these beverage with water. Try decaffinated coffee or tea as an alternate option to warm you up also!

5. Eat more water based foods such as fruits and vegetables as they are a natural source of water as well as vitamins and minerals, which are great for the immune system also during winter months. Soups are also a great source of water, but just keep an eye on sodium levels as some soups tend to be quite high in sodium.

CLICK HERE to learn how drinking more water can help reduce unnecessary snacking and lead to increased weight loss!

Ok now let’s all take a sip of our water bottles together and get our hydration up!!!

Michelle Roots BA Kin, CSCS, PES, PN1
www.CORE-Condition.com
Twitter/Instagram: @CORECondition

CLICK HERE to find out why getting more sleep can help you burn more fat!