Why It’s Important To Stay Hydrated While You Work

Estimated reading time:

We all know the importance of staying hydrated, you've heard it many times. However, when we’re in an air-conditioned office, focusing on a million different tasks, staying hydrated isn't the first thing that comes to your mind. The main problem with dehydration is you don’t always feel the effects so obviously, most of the time you feel tiredness, headaches, weight gain, high blood pressure, or eye fatigue. In other words, if you feel a headache coming on or feel slightly weak, don’t reach for a snack. The best thing to do is grab that glass of water first. Besides, most people confuse thirst and hunger. Almost 40% think they are hungry while they most of the time thirsty and eat instead.

If a busy workday is keeping you from drinking more water, don’t worry. Staying hydrated at work is easy with these tips:

How you can make sure you stay hydrated?

Drinking enough water is all about establishing a habit until it becomes second nature.

1) Buy nice water bottles and always carry a water bottle. Carrying your water bottle is a constant reminder for drinking water. If you’re rushing from meeting to meeting or zoom call to zoom call, then having a bottle with you will counteract the excuse of being too busy to hydrate. Besides, write on your water bottle (see below) or give it a nice touch with fruits or other flavors.

2) Reduce your coffee, tea, and soda intake. It’s very easy to create a habit of getting that morning coffee and continuing the habit throughout the day. Try to replace it with water instead to challenge yourself to drink more water.

3) Drink one glass of water before every meal. If you eat 3 meals per day, this adds an extra 3 cups (720 ml) to your daily water intake. In addition, as mentioned earlier, our bodies can sometimes confuse feelings of thirst with hunger. Drinking a glass of water before eating can help you distinguish whether you are really hungry and what causes you to eat less.

4) Eat more fruits high in water. Fruits and vegetables that are particularly high in water and vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that promote your overall health. Here are some fruits which might help you: lettuce: 96% water, celery: 95% water, zucchini: 95% water, cabbage: 92% water, watermelon: 91% water, cantaloupe: 90% water, and honeydew melon: 90% water

Ready, set, drink!

Always remember the benefits that drinking enough water brings to your working life. These include increasing energy, concentration and relieving fatigue, promoting weight loss with a healthy diet, flushing out unwanted toxins in the body, improving skin, boosting your immune system, reducing headaches, prevent muscle cramps and sprains, and, most importantly, put you in a great mood. Ready, set, drink!!

How can Fit for Work help?

To learn more about setting up or managing an ergonomics program that supports staff working from home or in the office or support with staying legally compliant, you can reach out to Fit for Work. For more information on our Ergonomics Self-Assessment and Education Tool, contact us.