by Fern Shaw | Feb 20, 2018 | Water, water cooler
With the all-encompassing advent of our world online, I have been wondering for some time now if puns just aren’t the things of beauty they once were. Post millennium there are more social media pun dedicated pages than you could shake a stick at. I’ve also noticed (an observation, not a criticism) that quite a few are really reaching.
One can’t help but think that if puns are becoming obsolete (by the mere fact that there are just too many of them being churned out to be of any relevance) are the other witty extensions of language soon to be on a slippery slope of obsolescence?
While you ponder these thoughts, we’d like you to consider the raison d’être behind the rather pun filled headline of this blog.
As I’m sure you’ve gathered, what we’re asking (a perennial favourite) is are you adequately (AquAidly) hydrated? If not, why not? Is it because you’re unsure of what qualifies as adequate hydration? Well, there we can help.
Being as we are a water and water cooler provider of some 20 years, it’s our business to know all about proper hydration. We’re constantly checking to ensure that we’re up-to-date about all things drinking water related.
One of the ways that we pass on this information to you, dear online reader, is by providing a quick reference guide at our website. That’s here.
Aside from that, we have over 22 AquAid branches throughout the UK, staffed by highly experienced water knowledgeable teams who are more than equipped to provide you with the right water provision solution tailor-made to suit your hydration requirements.
We can’t, of course, make you hydrate properly as that’s certainly up to you. We’re also not using the terms – lead-horse-water-drink in here, perish the thought – but we are hoping that you recognise for your own health and well-being how important it is to make sure that you are aware that in order to perform at your peak, whether at work or play, you need to be adequately (AquAidly) hydrated.
We’d love to be able to assist. Contact us today.
by Fern Shaw | Sep 15, 2015 | Health and Hydration, Water
Great excitement abounds as we draw closer to the 2015 Rugby World Cup being held in the U.K. this year, starting on 18 September and the final being played at Twickenham on 31 October. One would hope so, as rugby was invented in England in 1823. Legend has it that during a game of football at Rugby School in Warwickshire, a 16 year old student, William Webb Ellis, caught the ball and ran with it towards the opponent’s goal line, rather than following the rules of the times of catching and kicking the ball only.
From our side, as we’re all about things water, we’ve approached keeping hydrated from two angles – keeping yourself hydrated when playing the sport and how to keep yourself hydrated as a fan of the sport!
Perhaps you’re more couch potato than skinny fries when it comes to your sports participation. That’s why when you go from supine to five jumping jacks in a short time, you feel faint, you’re sweating bullets, your heart races, your face turns an interesting shade of puce and you may just feel like purging your most recent meal. This description should give you some idea of why your hydration needs are very different from your favourite rugby team.
Sports Hydration
As you can imagine, the physical and mental energy expended in a rugby match is monumental. In order to keep an athlete’s body (and mind) in peak condition, hydration and rehydration are of paramount importance. An example of just how important hydration is? A player can lose up to 3 to 4 kilograms during one match.
Although this year the temperatures won’t be soaring like they did at the 2013 Rugby League World Cup in Papua New Guinea, where the thermometer reached a cracking 33°C, players always go through strenuous pre-match tests to ensure that they are properly hydrated.
They are weighed before and after training, they have urine tests every day and they fill in wellness charts. If temperatures tend to soar during matches, additional breaks can be implemented during each half. The good news is that these players, their coaches and managers are all highly experienced. So, that’s them covered – now we worry about you, the supporter.
Supporter Hydration
Being a rugby supporter can also be very strenuous – take it from me – at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, there was a lot of supporting, jumping up and down, cheering and moaning going on, and we won’t make too much mention of the quaffing of the many shots in support of one’s national team – usually a concoction of luminescent coloured alcohol. Thirsty work all round, but quenching one’s thirst in the altogether incorrect manner with nary a bottle of water to be seen. Not the right way to stay strong for your team!
So in order to actually enjoy the entire event (instead of giving it your all during one match and spending the remainder of the World Cup hiding underneath your duvet), be kind to yourself:
If you’re fortunate enough to be attending the matches at any of the stadiums:
– Check to see if you can take your own water in with you.
– If you’re walking long distances to get to stadiums, as always, make sure you’ve plenty of bottled water to drink.
– If you’re staying home and know that your supporting is going to be a steady diet of drinking and fry-ups, try to make sure that before you get into supporter mode you drink lots of water. This will mean that you should have more energy in reserve when it comes to the all-important cheering, jumping up and down and singing mentioned beforehand.
Right, you’re sorted, my work here is done. If you need me, I’ll be the one in the Scotland rugby jersey, singing, ’Doe-a-deer’ and ‘Scoooootttlannnd / Scoooooooootttllannnnnd’.
On a more serious note, if you think you or your company will be thirsty during the World Cup, we are so the right people to speak to. Call us on 0800 772 3003 or e-mail us at shelly@aquaidwatercoolers.co.uk
by Fern Shaw | Dec 13, 2012 | Health and Hydration
Encourage your children to eat water-rich foods
At home and in the lunchbox, encourage your child to eat water-rich foods like grapes, watermelon, cucumbers, carrots, and tomatoes.
Float slices of fruit (such as lemons or limes) in a jug of water
Or be creative with strawberries, clementine segments and any other colourful fruit.
Let your children drink what they want – within reason
Water is always going to be the healthiest drink for both children and adults, but if plain water makes them turn their noses up, give your children a little more freedom. Milk, natural juice, and flavoured water all work. However, to help them avoid a caffeine or sugar addiction early in life; never let them try fizzy drinks (or worse, take one to school). Hydrated children are happy children.
Give your child a straw.
It may sound strange, but we actually drink more when we’re drinking through a straw. With a straw, kids will be encouraged to drink more fluids, and they may enjoy the fun factor of having a straw in their favourite colour.
Use ice cube trays that make fun shapes and use those ice cubes in your child’s water
Nothing quite like the fascination of watching an ice cube shape melt while drinking your water and should the ice cube drop or fall, no mess apart from a little puddle!
Take your child to pick out a new, special cup
Young children are big on ‘ownership’, especially when there are siblings, so once they have their own individual drinking cup, this will encourage them to use their cup for drinking from.
by Fern Shaw | May 27, 2012
Are you dehydrated?
A massive 96% of UK office workers are reported to be dehydrated. A mere 2% drop in hydration can lead to a 20% drop in concentration.
Staying hydrated is crucial for maintaining your physical and mental well being. A simple way of determining your hydration status is by looking at the colour of your urine and comparing it with the colour chart on the left.
When you are drinking enough water your body is in balance and your urine will be a pale straw yellow colour (hydrated).
When you have not drank enough water your kidneys try to save as much water as they can and cause your urine to be darker in colour (Dehydrated).
Below are just some of the effects of dehydration:
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Confusion
- Painful urination
Thankfully, regaining hydration is simple. One or two cups of water will quickly give the body the water it needs and help you maintain a healthy and active life.
Why not download our PDF and enable yourself to put a chart up in your toilets to help your staff stay hydrated – Download the pdf here.
by Fern Shaw | Nov 20, 2019 | water boiler, water cooler
You may have read a recent blog around how becoming dehydrated when it’s colder is more common than we think.
In order to prevent winter dehydration, our first suggestion was to install a hot and cold water cooler or water boiler from AquAid.
Here we follow up with a few helpful tips to make sure you are hydration happy during the colder months:
Kickstart your day with warm lemon water. The benefits are enormous, boosting both your hydration and health levels. If lemon makes you sour, jeuj up your warm water with ginger and a dollop of honey.
Increase your hot drink intake. You don’t need to be bound to drinking only water (although it is a great base) when it’s chilly. There are loads of warm or hot drinks that will not only keep you warm but that also count towards your being hydrated. Think veggie soup etc.
Take the chill off. When it’s cold, our bodies do what they can to preserve our core heat. This includes withdrawing blood from our extremities. With less blood circulating, our kidneys expel more water, which again, can lead to dehydration. To avoid excessive urination, keep active instead of becoming sedentary. The less active you are, the easier it is to become cold.
Watch your breath! When the temperature lowers, you lose more fluid as you breathe. Those puffs of breath are water vapour you’re exhaling. Water being expelled with each exhalation. If you breath is constantly fogging up your glasses or your surrounds, it’s highly likely you need to quench your thirst, post haste, before you become dehydrated. So use your breath as a reminder that you need to keep up your water intake.
However you choose to keep warm these colder months, remember to keep up with drinking water: hydration is equally as important irrespective of the temperatures outside.
