by Fern Shaw | May 20, 2013 | Health and Hydration
From ice to veggie peelings through to getting the hound involved, here are 10 more super water saving ways:
- When you give your pet fresh water, don’t throw the old water down the drain. Use it to water your trees or shrubs.
- Catch water in an empty tuna tin to measure sprinkler output. Two and a half centimetres of water in approx. 0.09 square metre of grass equals about 3 litres of water.
- Aerate your lawn at least once a year so water can reach the roots rather than run off the surface.
- When you have ice left in your cup from a take-away, dump the ice onto a plant and the cup in the rubbish.
- For hanging baskets, planters and pots, place ice cubes under the moss or dirt to give your plants a cool drink of water and help eliminate water overflow.
- Have your plumber re-route your grey water to trees and gardens rather than letting it run into the sewer line. Check with your city codes, and if it isn’t allowed in your area, start a movement to get that changed.
- Keep a bucket in the shower to catch water as it warms up or runs. Use this water to flush toilets or water plants.
- When you are washing your hands, don’t let the water run while you lather.
- While staying in a hotel or even at home, consider reusing your towels.
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by Fern Shaw | May 17, 2013 | Health and Hydration
I don’t know if you are aware of this, but in the U.K. a rather large percentage of people that are hospitalised are admitted with illnesses that stem or are complicated by dehydration. It is rather sad to think that in such a marvellous country, with all of the facilities available to us, there are still many, many people who are ignorant about something as simple as drinking water.
Children are particularly at risk of becoming dehydrated because a child’s body is less effective at perspiring and produces more heat during physical exertion. Children also tend to be more physically active than adults, resulting in a greater loss of bodily water.
As we get wrapped up in an activity or task it is easy to forget to consume enough water, especially as a child. Children can often find consuming water difficult as it lacks flavour. Here are a few tips for helping to keep your child hydrated, so they can maximise their potential each day.
- Be a good role model; the more your child observes you drinking, the more likely they are to copy your behaviour.
- Introduce a drinking routine. If your child regularly forgets to drink water, having a routine in place to ensure a glass of water is consumed at least first and last thing in the day, at meal times and pre/post exercise may help.
- Offer a variety of drinks but limit caffeinated beverages as very large quantities can have a diuretic effect, causing an increase in urination.
- If your child prefers fruit juices, try gradually diluting them with water.
- Many fruits are high in water volume so offering a fruit salad for desert or as a snack can help increase water intake. Soups and stews can also have similar benefits.
- Protein requires additional liquid to metabolise so reducing meat intake can help with hydration levels.
Older people have very similar water requirements to those of younger adults. A conservative estimate for older adults is that daily intake of fluids should not be less than 1.6 litres. Unfortunately, many older people do not drink adequate amounts of water. A recent survey of water provision in UK care homes for the elderly found that most residents only consumed 2-4 glasses of water per day.
- Developing a habit of drinking only in response to the body’s thirst signals raises an older person’s risk of becoming dehydrated.
- Seniors who have relocated to areas where the weather is warmer or dryer than the climate they are accustomed to are even likelier to become dehydrated unless they make it a practice to drink even when they are not thirsty.
- As fear of incontinence may factor into a reluctance to drink sufficient water, elderly people should nevertheless be encouraged to drink sufficient water so as keep their organs functioning.
Some methods to combat these are:
- Encourage the drinking of water. As a general rule, try to avoid hydrating beverages that have added sugar.
- Snack on the right foods. Fresh veggies and fruits are good snacks, and not just for dieters. Fresh produce has a very high water content, so it’s a great way to hydrate without having to drink a ton of water. For example, an apple is up to 85% of water by volume.
- Drink constantly, not occasionally. You should be constantly drinking fluids, rather than guzzling multiple litres of water all at once.
- Avoid diuretic behaviours. This means not constantly drinking a liquid that is known to dehydrate. Culprits include coffee and alcohol.
Educating oneself, one’s family (older and younger) is absolutely essential in teaching good hydration habits. As we all know the maxim ‘It’s never too late to learn something new’.
by Fern Shaw | May 3, 2013 | Charity, Health and Hydration
An Inconvenient Truth – Conspiracy or Reality?
In this world there is a surprisingly small amount of the population – just 19% according to a survey done by InternetWorldStats – that have access to the internet and to all the information it brings.
I really thought it would have been something closer in the region of 40% – colour me surprised!
Here I was thinking that when it comes to global environmental issues like ‘was An Inconvenient Truth made up purely for political grandstanding or is that really what we’re doing to the planet’, oodles of people had access to this and other such topical environmental issues. Not the case it would seem.
So, perhaps it’s best to forget about internet accessibility and reach and just resort to the physical world that we live in and good old common sense (boy, am I sounding like my elder elders round about now!). Hopefully, common sense is common sense globally and this is not affected by human wants and needs according to Maselow’s Law of Hierachy.
Common sense to me is to look around me at the world that I live in and map the changes with my beady eyes and act accordingly.
A prime example is the car trips the family took on our annual holiday to the seaside, when I was but a sprog. I rarely noticed anything on the initial trip, but it always struck me on the return. As said sprog, I vaguely remember that we would almost be back in the city, 17 miles out perhaps, before I would notice a little smog. Having been fortunate enough to have grown up in the countryside, anything other than a clear blue sky and fluffy white clouds was instantly noticeable.
Fast forward to adulthood, some 20 years on and I recreate that car trip down to the seaside. On the way back, a good 150 miles or so out of the city – still very much in the countryside, to be surrre – and I see a thick, heavy pall of smog, ugly as all get out with an awful yellow grey colour to it – lurking above the horizon. It shocked me – there is just no other word for it.
I know full well that there are a whole host of contributing factors, all very logical, but it did make me think that we have been rather blessed with a magnificent home, so best to do what I could to maintain and not abuse my home too much.
As a company, AquAid too, has a philosophy and ethic that strives to address the very challenging issue of climate change and to implement steps that will indisputably reduce our carbon emissions.
If, as suppliers and consumers, we all do the very best we can in this regard, then we may have some chance of halting the large-scale destruction of our planet in years to come. In this technology-based world, it is virtually impossible to become “truly” carbon neutral. However, we promise that at AquAid we are concentrating all our efforts and resources in minimising any damaging effects our business has on the environment, whilst continuing to balance this with our on-going commitment through Christian Aid and The Africa Trust of providing fresh clean drinking water for our world’s poorest and most deprived people.
By being kind to your planet, which is your home, you are actually being kind to yourself – pretty much a win-win situation if we look at it like that.
by Fern Shaw | May 3, 2013 | Health and Hydration, Water Boilers
What is the difference between sunburn, sunstroke and heat exhaustion?
In a previous blog, I rather optimistically spoke about Spring being on the horizon, the grass rising … so now I may as well stretch that optimism further (boiiiinnnggg-ing) by casting my foresight towards the prospect of Summer and the Summer ‘oliday.
Summer breaks can be the make or … break between one maintaining one’s sanity in the workplace instead of plotting the demise of an annoying colleague around the water cooler, but before you pack in either your Borat costume or your dental floss bikini as the only necessity that you’ll need on the beach at Olu Deniz, have a squizz through this blog and understand that sun, sea and holiday could very easily end up being sun, burning to a crisp and coming home in an air ambulance.
Sunburn is caused by overexposure to UV rays, characterized by sore, red skin that can become itchy and even blister, if it’s severe enough. It can also be accompanied by fatigue and mild dizziness. Remember – even if you call your burn a tan, the fact of the matter is, tanning your skin only happens as a result of your skin being damaged.
Heat exhaustion is the result of exposure to very hot weather and signs can include fatigue, dizziness, headache, rapid pulse and breathing and muscle cramps. It can also lead to sunstroke – which can be fatal.
Sunstroke or heatstroke is caused by long-term exposure to very high temperatures, or dehydration. It can also come about if the body’s internal mechanism for regulating temperature is inadequate.
When does heat exhaustion become sunstroke?
Symptoms of sunstroke include:
- Not sweating (a sign your body is no longer capable of regulating your internal temperature).
- Skin that feels hot and flushed
- Fever
- Confusion
- Loss of consciousness
Why does this happen? Exposure to extreme temperatures can shut down your body’s capacity to keep you cool through sweating. This could lead to major organ failure, shock and unconsciousness.
Dehydration can exacerbate sunstroke.
We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again: water is your friend. Drink at least eight glasses a day and even more in hot weather and when you’re exercising.
Now, obviously, as you head off to soak up the sun, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be able to pack in work’s water cooler – a) the work drones left behind may have a slight issue with this, b) the boss may lay theft charges against you and c) it’s rather unlikely that the airline will accept the water cooler as additional baggage no matter how you dress it up as a ‘can’t-leave-home-without-it’ item. So, in order to keep your cool (both temperature and vibe wise) this Summer, say it one more time with me:
Water is your friend. Drink at least eight glasses a day and even more in hot weather and when you’re exercising.
Happy ‘olidays.
by Fern Shaw | Apr 19, 2013 | Health and Hydration
I’ve been reading through my notes for the blogs for this week and it all became a little overwhelming. So I let my brain head out West and the rest of me went to top up on the Java.
Then my brain knocked politely, ‘Coo-ee, I’m back’ it warbled.
‘What?’ the coffee-enjoying-rest of me replied. ‘You come up with anything useful out West?’
A lengthy discussion ensued ….
Anyhow, as it turns out, the brain told me it got to thinking about all the other lesser (according to it) but just as vital (according to all of them) organs that we humanoids are blessed with and guess what? ALL OF THEM need sufficient water to keep the g-g-greased lightning performance.
Kidney and Liver Function
One of the liver’s primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into energy. The kidneys are responsible for filtering toxins, wastes, ingested water and salts out of the bloodstream. If you are dehydrated, the kidneys cannot function properly and the liver must work overtime to compensate. As a result, it metabolizes less fat, your metabolism slows down to conserve water, which leads to weight gain and can contribute to belly fat.
Hence the blob factor mentioned in the heading.
The Heart
Dehydration can cause insufficient oxygenation of the tissue of the cardiovascular system. The heart rate increases in response to the tissue oxygen deficit. Tachycardia, or a heart rate greater than 100 beats per minute, occurs. Severe dehydration can trigger irregular heart rhythms, especially in people with an underlying heart condition.
Command Central i.e. The Brain
Brain cells require the right amount of water and minerals in each of the cells. If there is too much water, the cell’s membrane can break; if there is not enough, the cell will shrivel up. When there is brain dehydration, less water is available for brain cells to use.
Importance of Water
Almost two-thirds of the human body is made up of water and water acts as a natural appetite suppressant. It also helps to regulate your metabolism. When you become dehydrated, your metabolism slows down, affecting how your body burns fat. Your body mistakes thirst for hunger, which leads to increased calorie consumption. This can lead to stubborn fat gathering around your stomach, which is difficult to lose. There’s that blob factor again.
Bearing all of this in mind, also remember that water weight is not the same as ‘blob’ weight, so whereas you may think that because your body is retaining water it means you’re gaining weight, this is not the case. Your body is desperately trying to tell you, by retaining water, that it doesn’t have enough to function properly.
So, celebrate and revel in the fact that in the U.K., clean, fresh drinking water transported from source to your office, school or site is readily available from AquAid through our range of water coolers. Drink up!
by Fern Shaw | Apr 17, 2013 | Health and Hydration
Tea Time. Choose any of the innumerable varieties of teas and herbal drinks, not only to stay hydrated, but also to reap piles of benefit for your body. Black tea contains catechins, flavonoids that can improve cardiovascular health and may help prevent cancer. Green tea lowers your risk of heart disease, reduces your risk of lung cancer, and can help your body burn fat more easily – the polyphenols in the tea appear to work with caffeine to increase calorie burn.
Proper tea stemming (a-ha) from the plant Camellia sinensis includes only four varieties: Green, Black, White and Oolong. Anything else, like herbal ‘tea’ is an infusion of a different plant and isn’t technically tea.
This however, doesn’t mean that there aren’t many health benefits to herbal teas. Sage tea can help with excessive perspiration. Chamomile can help control blood pressure and ease digestion and gas. Ginger tea can soothe your stomach and ease arthritis pain.
AquAid supply a rather nice PG Tips, which is a Black Tea, with their hot drinks dispensers.
Coffee break. Let’s not kid ourselves, coffee (like tea) probably makes the world go round and has done so since its introduction to the West in the 1600’s. We’ve already discussed the good vs. bad when it come comes to coffee consumption – rule of thumb being ‘everything in moderation’, so here I’m going to talk about some of the many benefits of coffee.
Because coffee is a diuretic, many people avoid it before they work out. You might want to rethink that approach. Coffee has been shown to help your body burn fat while you exercise, aiding in weight loss. It also enhances performance by minimizing the effects of fatigue.
As with tea, coffee is full of powerful antioxidants called flavonoids, which help to prevent LDL cholesterol (bad for the heart) from oxidizing and causing heart disease.
If one avoids loading up with the sugars and creams when having one’s cup of Java, drinking coffee is also not bad when one is dieting, as black, unflavoured, unsugared coffee contains about 2 calories.
Look for the Kenco range of coffees that can come with your hot and cold drinks dispensers and keep in mind that for every Kenco coffee purchased, a donation is made to The Africa Trust, bringing clean drinking water to rural communities in Africa.
Topping up the Water Tank. As with all our bottled water, both our hot and cold water dispensers are kept replenished from water drawn from the source.
Glug, glug. Enjoy.
