Food at the Water Cooler: The Cucumber Crunch

Food at the Water Cooler: The Cucumber Crunch

Eating well and staying hydrated tend to go hand in hand. This series looks at everyday foods with high water content or strong nutritional value – simple choices that support a healthier routine without overcomplicating things. While fresh produce can contribute to overall fluid intake, it works best alongside consistent access to drinking water, whether that’s from a bottled water cooler in the workplace or reliable mains fed water coolers. Good food and good hydration are straightforward habits – and often the easiest ones to maintain.

Cucumber doesn’t try too hard and that’s part of its appeal. Crisp and crunchy and made up of around 95% water, it’s one of the simplest ways to add extra hydration to your day without even thinking about it.

Low in calories and refreshing to eat, cucumber works well sliced into salads, layered into sandwiches or simply eaten on its own with a pinch of pepper. It contains small amounts of vitamin K and antioxidants, but its real strength is how easily it fits into everyday meals.

Because of its high-water content, cucumber can help you feel refreshed and satisfied, particularly if you’re trying to swap out heavier snacks for something lighter. It’s a practical choice for offices too – easy to prep, no fuss and no sticky fingers.

Of course, while cucumber contributes to your overall fluid intake, it doesn’t replace the need to drink water. Keeping a bottle nearby or making regular trips to the water cooler ensures you’re properly hydrated throughout the day. Think of cucumber as a helpful extra – a crisp companion to a good glass of water.

 

The Watercooler Guide to Heart Health

The Watercooler Guide to Heart Health

In busy lives, staying healthy can slip down the priority list. Yet one of the simplest daily habits – drinking enough water – supports the body in remarkable ways.

This blog is the first in a series exploring organ health and how good hydration habits help the body function as it should. As it’s the month of love, we’re beginning with the heart.

The Heart: Your Body’s Engine

Is often described as the body’s powerhouse. It’s a muscle – highly specialised and remarkably complex – that relies on electrical impulses to maintain its steady rhythm.

Every day, it beats around 100,000 times, pumping roughly eight pints of blood through the circulatory system. That blood delivers oxygen and nutrients to tissues and organs, while carrying away carbon dioxide and other waste products. The heart and blood vessels work in constant partnership to keep everything running smoothly.

To do this efficiently, the heart depends on adequate hydration.

How is Drinking Water Important?

The human heart is made up of approximately 73% water. Like all vital organs, it requires sufficient fluid to function properly.

While the heart cannot ‘drink’ water directly, it relies on the body’s overall fluid balance. When fluid intake is too low, blood volume decreases. With less volume, blood becomes more concentrated and harder to circulate. The heart must then work harder to move it around the body.

Over time, this additional strain may contribute to stress on the heart and blood vessels.

By contrast, staying well hydrated helps maintain healthy blood volume and circulation. Well-hydrated blood flows more easily, allowing the heart to do its job with less effort.

Hydration and Heart Health

Research suggests that higher water intake is associated with a lower risk of death from coronary heart disease. Adequate hydration supports efficient circulation and helps the cardiovascular system function as it should.

In simple terms: drinking enough water supports the heart in carrying out the thousands of tasks it performs each day – steadily and without pause.

A Simple Habit = Super Benefits

Looking healthy on the outside begins with caring for what’s inside. The heart works tirelessly; giving it the hydration it needs is a straightforward way to support long-term wellbeing.

This♥month provides the perfect opportunity for us to be kinder to ourselves, our bodies and lives. The next time you’re about to pass the water cooler, don’t. Refill your water bottle or water glass. Make it a daily habit.

Each drink of water you take, you’re supporting a healthier heart – and a healthier you.

LEGO Builds at the Water Cooler Station

LEGO Builds at the Water Cooler Station

International LEGO Day gives us the perfect excuse to celebrate one of the most brilliant inventions ever built from the ground up. The humble LEGO block – small in size but mighty in creativity, with the power to inspire ideas and construct entire worlds from a handful of bricks.

From its origins in Denmark to its now-legendary interlocking design, LEGO has been shaping curious minds for generations. What looks like simple play is, in reality, a masterclass in learning. Problem-solving, spatial awareness, patience and teamwork are all meticulously woven into those brightly coloured bricks that invite us to build, dismantle and rebuild, again and again. No instruction manual required.

Which is just one reason LEGO has found a natural home in classrooms as well as playrooms. Teachers have long recognised its value as an educational tool, helping learners of all ages explore maths, engineering and creativity through hands-on play. It’s learning without the hard sell – engaging, intuitive and memorable precisely because it’s enjoyable.

And then there’s creativity for creativity’s sake. Whether you followed the instructions to the letter or proudly produced something entirely ‘unique’ (often with questionable structural integrity), LEGO has always encouraged us to think beyond the ordinary. Castles, spaceships, cities and creatures that defy known biology – if you can imagine it, LEGO helps us bring it to life on any available surface.

Of course, no celebration would be complete without acknowledging one universal truth: we have all experienced the sharp reminder that comes from stepping on a stray LEGO block. It’s a rite of passage, really – a shared moment of pain that connects builders everywhere, balanced by the joy of creating something remarkable from a pile of pieces.

While we – AquAid – haven’t yet used LEGO to build our water coolers; the water dispensed from our coolers is for drinking, see – staying well hydrated does play its part. Drinking water supports cognitive function, focus and creativity, helping us continue building amazing LEGO creations at any age, whether at work, in school or after hours.

And a final thought: perhaps it’s time to suggest a modest LEGO supply near the office water cooler. After all, what better way to refresh the mind while refilling your water cooler bottle than with a little creative construction?

We Explore the Link between Your Water Cooler & Environmental Education

We Explore the Link between Your Water Cooler & Environmental Education

International Environmental Education Day focuses on how learning shapes the way we care for our planet and in turn, ourselves. At its core, environmental education is about more than understanding climate change or conservation – it’s about empowering people with the knowledge and practical skills to build sustainable futures for themselves and their communities.

The significance of environmental education

Environmental education helps people understand how their everyday actions connect to the wider world. It encourages critical thinking, long-term planning and a sense of shared responsibility for natural resources. Most importantly, it turns awareness into action.

When environmental education is done well, it supports:

  • Sustainable use of land and water
  • Improved food security
  • Healthier ecosystems and communities
  • Greater resilience to climate and environmental change

Education becomes even more powerful when it’s paired with practical solutions that people can use immediately in their daily lives.

Constant water supply and sustainable farming

Access to clean water is one of the strongest foundations for environmental education. Without it, communities are forced to focus on survival rather than sustainability.

For decades, AquAid has supported charities that do far more than provide safe, clean drinking water. These organisations work directly with communities to implement long-term, sustainable water solutions – and crucially, to educate people on how to protect and maximise those resources.

This education often includes teaching communities how to:

  • Farm more sustainably
  • Grow diverse, nutritious crops
  • The ability to feed livestock
  • Sell surplus produce to generate income
  • Reinvest in land, tools and future harvests

The result is not just clean water, but stronger local economies, healthier environments and communities that are equipped to support themselves long into the future.

Small actions, huge outcomes

Which is why choosing an AquAid water cooler is about more than hydration in the workplace. Every installation automatically contributes to continued environmental education across Africa – supporting sustainable water projects and the practical knowledge that helps communities care for their land, grow food and build stronger, more secure futures.

Blue Monday or Brew Monday? Hot Water Boiler ready!

Blue Monday or Brew Monday? Hot Water Boiler ready!

Every January, the third Monday rolls around with a gloomy reputation. Dubbed Blue Monday, it was once claimed to be the most depressing day of the year – a rather sad mix of dark mornings, cold weather and festive cheer well and truly packed away. No wonder so many of us wake up humming “I don’t like Mondays” (thanks, Boomtown Rats).

But what if we flipped the script?

From Blue to Brew

In recent years, Blue Monday has been reimagined as Brew Monday – a much warmer, kinder idea. Instead of dwelling on the blues, it encourages us to pause, make a cup of tea, coffee (or indeed, any hot water drink you like) and check in with the people we care about. A quick phone call, a message, or even a virtual cuppa can make a real difference. Sometimes, it’s the smallest gestures that lift the heaviest moods.

The Comfort of a Cuppa

There’s something deeply reassuring about a hot drink. The ritual of boiling water, choosing a mug and taking that first sip feels grounding – especially on a chilly January day. It’s a reminder to slow down, breathe and be present. And let’s be honest, many of life’s problems feel at least a little more manageable with a hot drink in hand and warming us up on the inside.

Keeping the Good Stuff Flowing

Of course, any good hot drink starts with hot water. If you’re the sort of person who finds comfort in frequent cuppas – at home or at work – having a reliable supply of piping hot water can make those moments even easier. A hot water boiler or hot & cold water cooler quietly does the job in the background, ready whenever you are. No fuss, no waiting, just instant warmth when you need it most.

Chase the Blues Away

So, whether you call it Blue Monday or Brew Monday, perhaps the answer is the same: connect, be kind to yourself and make good use of your hot water boiler. One cup, a quick chat with a workmate – in person or remotely – that’s how we turn a gloomy Monday into something a little brighter.

Hello New Year: The Three H’s We’re Raising a Glass To

Hello New Year: The Three H’s We’re Raising a Glass To

Just like that, the festive lights are packed away, the last mince pie crumbs have mysteriously disappeared and we’re easing ourselves into another brand-new year. December often feels like a blur of celebrations, cosy moments and perhaps one too many helpings of everything – but we wouldn’t have it any other way. From catchups with friends and family to those quiet, in-between days where time seems to slow down, the festive season has a habit of leaving us both content and slightly disoriented.

We hope you had a joyful festive season, full of laughter, rest and maybe even a little mischief. And we have to ask … did anyone actually decorate their water cooler? We like to imagine a few tinsel-wrapped taps, a stray string of fairy lights and perhaps even the occasional Santa hat making a surprise appearance in the office or kitchen. After all, if you’re going to hydrate, you might as well do it in style.

As we step into brand spanking new year, filled with purpose, clarity, vision and healthy hydration habits, there’s a quiet sense of excitement in the air and, hopefully, a renewed commitment to looking after ourselves. January doesn’t have to be about drastic changes or unrealistic resolutions. Sometimes it’s simply about resetting, refocusing and choosing to do the small things a little better.

This year, how about we focus on creating small habits that make a big difference. Taking a moment to pause during a busy day. Remembering to refill your water glass before it’s empty. Choosing progress over perfection and feeling good about the direction we’re heading in, even if it’s one sip at a time. However you prefer to refresh your drinking water – hot, cold or ambient, remember, you’ll find the perfect solution among AquAid’s range of high-quality water dispensers.

There’s something refreshing about a new year – a chance to bring intention into our routines and clarity into our goals, while keeping things light-hearted and achievable. Healthy routines don’t have to be complicated; often, they start with the simplest choices.

Here’s to a year of clear minds, steady momentum and well-hydrated days ahead. We’re looking forward to every moment of it – and we’re glad you’re coming along for the journey.

Cheers to the year ahead!