Staying hydrated is crucial in optimising our bodily functions, from transporting nutrients around our bodies to increasing our energy levels. Yet despite this, people in the UK seem to struggle to regularly drink enough water.
A recent TikTok trend, #WaterTok, sees users share their latest hacks to make hydration more appealing by adding sugar, sweets or flavouring to their water, and often made into large quantities.
For many of us, the importance of drinking water to stay hydrated is often associated with the need to quench thirst under the heat of the summer sun. In reality however, our necessity to stay hydrated extends to all times of the year, with the NHS recommending 6-8 glasses of water a day. Data from air up, the hydration experts, has revealed almost HALF of people in the UK (45%) only drink one glass of water a day.
With this in mind, Lena Jüngst – Co-founder and Chief Evangelist of air up – unveils top tips on how to make sure you are correctly hydrated:
Drink before you’re thirsty
“To stay hydrated it’s important to make sure your water levels are constantly being topped up throughout the day. While outdoors, these levels are depleted at a much faster rate and we might not even realise we’re thirsty until we’re at the point of dehydration, so it’s important to make sure to drink at regular intervals throughout the day.”
Be aware of how much water you’re consuming
“Although taking sips of water here and there is great, it’s better to be aware of exactly how much we’re consuming to be sure we’re actually getting as much water as we need. It’s all too easy to feel as though we’re drinking litres of water whilst takings small sips but in reality, sometimes this only equates to a glass or so a day. Carrying a water bottle and setting a goal of how many of these you are drinking throughout the day ensures that this does not happen.”
Keep water with you at all times
“It’s important to remember to always bring a water bottle out with you. Carrying a bottle of water (e.g. our air up bottle) provides us with instant hydration as and when we need it.”
Enjoy what you’re drinking!
“A third of the nation have told us that they find water boring so they don’t drink it often. If you don’t like water, drinking as many fluids as possible such as squash, tea, or better yet plain water that tricks our senses into tasting flavour, keeps our water levels up and keeps us safe in the sun.”
Key stats:
- 45% (23,152,000) of people drink around one glass of water a day
- 25% (12,600,000) of people don’t know that a healthy water intake helps stave off weight gain
- 30% (15,701,000) of people find water boring so they don’t often drink it
- 29% (14,814,000) of people have tried, without success, to drink more water