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 | Aug 4, 2014 | Health and Hydration
Last week was the intro. to the rather clever *pointing above* – this week I present *pointing above to the end of the heading*.
We kick off with something rather serious and molto importante:
- 1) Stay out of the sun between the hours of 10am and 3pm. The hottest part of the day during the summer is the most damaging time. Don’t stay out in the sun for long periods of time around the hottest hours; the longer you’re outside, the longer your skin is exposed to the radiation. Get your exercise and activities done in the earlier, cooler hours, or in the later, cooler hours of the day.
- 2) Note that some latitudes advise staying out of the sun between 11am and 4pm. Know what is advised for you particular location and err on the side of being cautious either side as well as during the hours suggested.
- 3) Avoid spraying perfume on your skin in the sun. The psoralens in perfume (especially in citrus perfumes) can permanently stain your skin when they react with the sun. During the summertime, it is recommended that you spritz your clothes with your fragrance rather than your skin.
- 4) Yogurt is a healthy addition to your diet; just be sure it’s natural and not chock-a-block full of sugar. I’ve recently converted to full fat plain yogurt (thanks Mum!) and if nothing else, it certainly helps my digestion.
- 5) No-fat or low-fat diets will cause your skin to dry, wrinkle and age. You need essential fats in your diet to keep your skin moist and supple. The answer is to exclude unhealthy fats (hydrogenated, trans fats, and heat or light damaged fats) from your diet but to keep using healthy fats daily. Nuts and seeds and fresh fish are excellent sources of good fats.
So there you have it, some good advice to keep you hydrated externally (and internally) throughout summer.
I can’t resist, though, reverting back to type and suggesting that, while you practise as above, it can only be a good thing to drink sufficient water too. Enjoy summer folks!
by Fern Shaw | Aug 4, 2014 | Health and Hydration
As we all know – and as Gravesend especially knows – a recorded 25.7 °C two weeks ago – summer is most definitely here.
Being all things water, one can imagine that I’ll be coming out with reams of ‘drink thy water’ tomes, but just for argy bargy’s sake, today, I’m not.
Yep, you read right, today I’m not going to be talking drink water; today I’m talking about how to keep hydrated externally. Watch this sportsfans!
See that sponge? That’s your skin, that is! (If not looked after …)
Seriously though, are there ways other than drinking sufficient water to keep your skin well moisturised and plumped up smooth or this just an old wives tale?
Blogista Shaw went walkabout (cyber style) and came across some pretty good tips:
- 1. Wear protective clothing over your skin. A lot of clothing in outdoor stores and fashion stores has a UV protection rating. The UV protection rating is a good indicator of how clothing can act as an excellent barrier against the sun’s rays. Cover up as much skin as you can, using lightweight fabrics when it’s really hot and uncomfortable. Choose fabrics that won’t itch, scratch, or overheat you and choose light colours over dark ones, to keep the heat level down. My own personal jury is still out on this light colour clothing vs. dark, but that’s for another time.
- 2.Wear a hat. Your facial skin will benefit enormously from a permanent ring of shade over it in the heat of the sun. This I can attest to. I have the coolest soft cowgirl style hat that I’ve had for years that’s all UV protected as above and it has served me well. Plus, it looks very styling!
- 3. Give your skin a break. By watching the weather over summer, you can work out the days when you won’t need to slather on the chemicals, such as when it’s pouring with rain or it’s a very overcast day. Be sure to pop on your hat and cover clothing as usual because UV rays still penetrate the clouds; you can at least allow your skin a break from the sun cream.
- 4. If you’re going on holiday and you’re driving, then take your make-up off before you leave as it gives your skin time to breathe. Leave your make-up off as often as possible while you’re on holiday. This is a great opportunity to let your skin breathe and be free from the chemicals in cosmetics.
- 5. Rinse skin after swimming. This is especially important when you’ve been swimming in chlorinated environments as the chlorine can dry out your skin and for some people it can even result in an allergic reaction. And whereas the salt in the sea can be very healing for cuts, grazes and unhappy ‘winter feet’, the same can’t be said for chlorinated water.
Now you know. More in the next insert. ‘Peace an’ love, peace an’ love, people’ as Ringo says!
by Fern Shaw | Jun 17, 2014 | Health and Hydration, water cooler, Water Coolers
Last week in Part I, we were all about bad nutrition and productivity and skipping lunch. This week, the debate continues with mentions of the (for some) dreaded broccoli, superfoods and eating well at work.
Two journalists battled it out; one had spent time working in France, where lunch was always taken away from one’s desk. The other said that she would far rather power through her lunch break and have her sandwich at her desk as it would give her more time after work to spend with her family.
It would seem that having lunch away from your desk is the way to go, according to studies at the University of California. Taking the time out of your work environment gives your brain a breather and allows your brain to ‘power up’ and go back to work refreshed and ready for the next haul. Sitting at your desk doesn’t allow for that brain refresh. I’d say it’s similar to power napping, which I do and believe it works. (That’s a whole other topic for another blog).
Superfoods
*In the nineties, it was all about organic food. Then along came the concept of “superfoods,” a term used to describe foods that are supposedly really, really good for you. But it turned out to be more of a re-branding exercise for otherwise fairly mundane supermarket produce, like berries. And if you ask a scientist, the term superfood actually means something completely different. It’s used in academia to refer to calorie-dense food, like chocolate (aha!).
Broccoli
Apparently, the little green forest trees (as I like to call them), have been shown to help the immune system to clean harmful bacteria from the lungs. A compound found in the vegetable is now being trialled as a treatment for people with lung disease.
To ensure that the lungs function correctly, white blood cells called macrophages remove debris and bacteria that can build up in the lungs and cause infection.
**This cleaning system is defective in smokers and people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – a combination of emphysema and bronchitis – who suffer from frequent infections.
Now, researchers have figured out that a chemical pathway in the lungs called NRF2, involved in macrophage activation, is wiped out by smoking. They also found that sulphoraphane, a plant chemical that is made by broccoli, cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables when damaged, such as when chewed, can restore this pathway.
A brief aside here – I’m not lauding cauliflower because people have been raving about ‘delicious, creamy’ cauliflower mash that you make in place of mashed potato. Problem is I don’t have a blender, so I tried to hand mash the cauliflower. Let’s just say that cauliflower will not be darkening my door again, for some time.
Eating well
When surveyed by researchers from Nottingham University, staff at the UK’s National Health Service said they felt they had a responsibility to set an example for healthy eating at work. But the American Journal of Public Health found that for healthy eating habits at work to take any effect, workers’ families also had to get on board. What people eat at work is linked to their overall lifestyles and attitudes to nutrition.
I must say I do like the can-do attitude of the people at the NHS. Overall, I think it is important, as your working day takes up a lot of your hours awake (bar those power naps), to make sure that the powers-that-be in your work environment focus on your well-being too. Is there a water cooler? A water boiler? A hot drinks dispenser? Are there kitchen facilities at your workplace? Some type of eating station?
If not, perhaps you should squeak up and point out to said powers the clear benefits between nutrition and productivity.
*Excerpts from an article in Quartz.
**Excerpts from an article in the New Scientist
by Fern Shaw | Jun 2, 2014 | Health and Hydration
There’s no avoiding it. Work an eight-hour day (or longer) and you’ll have to stop to eat at some point. Be it a questionable sandwich or a lavish lunch, workers need grub. But what should you eat to achieve maximum results? And is skipping lunch to polish off that e-mail really such a bad thing? In this 2 part blog, we have a look at both sides.
Eating in the office canteen is good for you. In Finland, at least.
The Finnish have done a lot of research into workplace eating habits. One study by the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare found that workers who ate in office cafeterias, compared to those who brought in packed lunches, were eating more fruit and vegetables. This has a lot to with the fact that in Finland, food provided in canteens must meet national nutritional guidelines.
To be sure, the wisdom of eating in a canteen does depend on the quality of what’s on the menu. Staff interviewed at Barnsley Borough Council in London described the food in their cafeteria as “stodgy” and more suited to manual labourers.
Skipping lunch is bad for you.
As explained in his book about workplace eating habits, Christopher Wanjek found that workers who skip lunch are more stressed, less productive and only end up snacking in the afternoon anyway.
The endless cycle of bad nutrition and low national productivity.
Poor eating choices affect productivity. In fact, it causes this shame spiral:
There’s a lot that has gone into this debate. Next week, in Part II, we’ll thrash this out further. For now, at least we know one thing that’s crystal – keeping yourself hydrated at work can only be good for you. Until next week … drink up!
Excerpts from an article in Quartz.
