by Fern Shaw | Oct 29, 2020 | water cooler
Every year, here at AquAid we (virtually) tiptoe as we edge towards mention of Halloween. Still not sure why, that’s just what we do.
Considering the events of this year so far, we reckon a timid or gung ho approach surely doesn’t matter – perhaps all we can say is that we think there’s been enough tricks, thank you kindly, so, for this Halloween, please, we’d just like the treats.
If it were your choice this Halloween to go all in with treating only, perhaps it would be a good idea to balance all the treats consumed with several healthy draughts of water.
Should you opt for a bit of both i.e. a few tricks doled out for good measure in amongst all the treats – fair play – again, remember to keep up with drinking water.
Although this year it’s unlikely there will be any actual door-to-door trick-or-treating or ‘guising, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy Halloween at home:
- Observe the first full moon since 31 October 2001. It’s actually a Hunter’s Moon and should occur at 2.49pm, but that’s okay. It’s a Saturday – you can get this Halloween party started early!
- Create a Halloween playlist and dance your ‘guise loose. Extra treats if you learn the ‘Thriller’ moves.
- If you’re brave, do the opposite of Netflix and chill. Queue the scary movies and ‘enjoy’. If scary movies aren’t for you, host a virtual Halloween party.
- Although we’re sure that you, like us, love the ghost beasties in the headline image, we’re not going to suggest costuming your pets. Think mayhem, confusion, possible broken household items. Yep, rather not.
However you choose to observe this rather special 31st of October, from us at AquAid we wish you all a Happy Halloween with more treats than tricks.
by Fern Shaw | Jul 22, 2020 | water cooler
Hydrate to break the cycle of stress. There’s no doubt that our stress levels have ramped up significantly this year. Where we are all doing all that we can to be kind, look out for and keep each other safe, dehydration can easily exacerbate stress. The quickest, simplest solution to counteract stress is to maintain good hydration.
As with your mug, ‘own’ your water glass. Wherever you’re currently working, invest in your own water glass. Whether it’s thick and chunky or tall and elegant, choose something distinctive. In-between drinking each glassful, leave it on your worktop. Begin a routine where each time you get up to stretch your legs or take a break, pick up your water glass and head to the water cooler to replenish your water.
Good hydration is the cheapest skin care available. Dehydration is quickly apparent in the condition of our skin. Irrespective of your level of health, your skin shows up dehydration levels through sagging, crinkly skin, flakiness and dryness. Moisturising your skin is always a good idea, but the best way to keep your skin plumped up and healthy is to drink water.
Make drinking water part of your daily routine, not part of your daily chores. In order to make this feasible, all that’s required is a mind shift reboot. Instead of resenting ‘having’ to drink water (an attitude I am sure applies to many of us), change your thinking. Whether it’s a glass (or two) of water before you begin breakfast, before you brush your teeth or before you make that first cuppa, make sure that drinking water becomes part of your everyday routine. It won’t be long before you notice the improvement in your general well-being.
by Fern Shaw | May 14, 2020 | water cooler
During these turbulent times, there has been a significant increase in the resurgence of board games – and one in particular seems to be the ubiquitous jigsaw puzzle.
According to Wiki, early jigsaws, known as dissections, were produced by mounting maps on sheets of hardwood and cutting along national boundaries, creating a puzzle useful for the teaching of geography.
You might well feel a sense of national pride whilst puzzling: it was indeed a Brit invented the jigsaw puzzle. A London engraver and cartographer John Spilsbury, is believed to have produced the first one around 1760.
As I sit near our water cooler (keeping it company) in-between replenishing my drinking water, I’ve noticed that jigsaw puzzles seem to be the preferred isolation game of choice. It isn’t hard to understand why – It’s a hobby that can be played be one person or many people together. Not only that, but puzzles help with reasoning, analysing, sequencing, deduction, logical thought processes, problem solving skills, hand-eye coordination, and spatial arrangements.
There seems to be distinct personality types when it comes to jigsaws. There are those that begin and fade fast; those who muddle through and then there are those paragons of determination and resolve who actually complete a jigsaw, despite the pure evil of the jokers, who, frustrated at not being able to go the distance, take it upon themselves to hide a few pieces from the puzzle solver.
To avoid this potential horror show, perhaps now is the time to marry this centuries old amusement with technology – in the form of microscopic locater chip in each piece that links to a lit numbered chart imprinted on the inside base of the puzzle box. If a piece goes missing, its light extinguishes until it’s recovered.
Did I just invent something? If so, get creating clever people – all I ask is credit for the idea. Happy puzzling!
by Fern Shaw | Mar 25, 2020 | Water, water cooler
As we are all no doubt aware, washing our hands repeatedly and thoroughly is of paramount importance in ensuring one’s safety and health. If you are still unaware of this vital act of self-care and care of others, there is a definitive video on the NHS website.
There are also a number of video clips across social media, some accompanied by songs or suggestions for songs to sing while you spend at least 20 seconds washing your hands properly. This can only help create interest especially if you need to illustrate to children how to wash their hands regularly. For the adults, we quite like these suggestions by tweeter Jen Monnier.
Of course, with all this hand washing, we still need to ensure that we protect our skin too, so we’ve compiled a list of suggestions on how to protect your hands before and after washing:
- Try to avoid rubbing your hands dry. Rather pat them dry. The best option is air dry; however, this may take some time especially in cold weather.
- According to the CDC, washing your hands in cold water is as effective as in hot water, so to further lessen harming your skin as well as reducing skin irritation, wash your hands in cold water.
- If possible, rather use a hand cream instead of a body lotion.
- Remember to sanitise the container of whichever cream or lotion you’re using before opening it to apply cream or lotion. To simplify this procedure, try to make sure that you have a lotion that only you use.
- It’s also worthwhile to keep in mind that moisturising our skin begins internally (read more about that here) so while you take care to moisturise your hands post washing it’s just as important to make sure that you maintain good drinking water habits. Drinking water remains one of the best methods of keeping yourself healthy and better able to stave off possible infection.
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.
