For seniors, it’s important to stay hydrated. Hydration is key to keeping your body and organs moving and functioning properly. It’s also vital to ensure that medications are working. Drinking water seems simple enough; however, staying hydrated can be somewhat of a challenge at times. Weather, health, and even your schedule can pose to be a threat to your overall hydration efforts. So, here are some easy hydration tips for seniors to help keep you hydrated.
Flavor Your Water
After a while, water can start to seem bland and boring. Try sprucing up your water with some fruit. Fruit like lemons, limes, strawberries, and oranges can help to give plain old water flavor and taste. Plus, you can snack on the fruit in between glasses. It’s a two-for-one. In addition to fruit, try adding some herbs like mint, rosemary, or basil to your H2O. They not only infuse water with flavor but also enhance it with important nutrients.
Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
Drinking water and other fluid isn’t the only way to hydrate. Fruits and vegetables are full of water to help hydrate your body. Water-rich foods, such as watermelon, cucumbers, and celery, not only hydrate they also offer numerous other health benefits when part of a healthy and balanced diet.
Limit Caffeine and Alcohol
Not all liquids are created equal. For example, caffeine and alcohol pull water from your body, thus leading to dehydration. In addition, they are diuretics, which cause you to urinate more frequently, stripping your body of hydration. You can quickly become dehydrated if you don’t properly balance these liquids with water intake.
Keep Water with You
They say out of sight, out of mind, and that is often the case with water. We get busy with our day-to-day activities that we don’t take the time to hydrate properly. One of the best hydration tips for seniors is to keep water with you. If you get into the habit of always having water with or near you, you can easily sip on it throughout the day. Keep your glass or water bottle where you can see it. This will serve as a constant reminder to drink up.