by Fern Shaw | Nov 9, 2012 | Health and Hydration, Water Coolers
After reading all the facts about how drinking water benefits not only your staff but you bottom line as well, you have decided that now is the time to get some water coolers into your office. But choosing your supplier and what type of machine you use is no longer about who is the cheapest. Take a bit of time to get to know the different suppliers out there, it will be time well spent.
There are some very vital facts to take into account.
1) Can they deliver? There is no point having a water cooler with no water. Ensuring your water cooler company delivers when they say they will is paramount. Make sure you know when to expect your delivery but more importantly ensure there is a back-up plan. Knowing you can get an emergency delivery should you run out of water is just as important. Ensure your water cooler supplier is local to you otherwise it could be days before you see your much needed water.
2) Know where your water is coming from! You are paying good money for your water and so you should know that what you getting is pure, clean and filtered water with all the toxins and chemicals removed. There is a reason why you are paying for your water and not drinking it from the tap.
3) Have you chosen an ethical company? Who you choose to deal with and support reflects on who you are as a company. Pay attention to how your supplier cares for our planet and the people that inhabit it. Staying healthy in the workplace should not have a negative effect on the world outside your building.
by Fern Shaw | Nov 8, 2012 | Health and Hydration
As strange as it might sound, toddlers need to drink as much water each day as an adult does.
Toddlers between that age of one and three need to drink around 1.3L of water each day. If you actually look at the body weight of the average toddler and the amount of water they need to drink compared to an adult, then they need more than an adult.
The reason why drinking so much water is important to a toddler, is because they are growing so rapidly at that age. Their bodies need water to transport all the nutrients and supplement their muscles and cells need for all the growth taking place. Water makes up the majority of the mass of our bodies and it is important for proper brain development and mental growth. If you teach your child to drink water at an early age, you will be able to get them to drink water more regularly for the rest of their lives, without having to struggle to compete with soft drinks.
It is therefore important that parents, teachers and child minders make sure that these little ones get sufficient water each day. Many day care centres and schools are installing water coolers into their facilities to ensure that their children and staff can stay hydrated at all times.
With winter just around the corner, it is important to remember that your toddler has sufficient water intake during the colder days as well. Young children are at the highest risk of dehydration due to their small size. Even the slightest percentage of fluid loss can lead to dehydration. Encourage children to carry a water bottle with them, even from a young age. Make it a game to see if they can drink all their water each day and reward them when they do. This will teach them the importance of water and the value of it. Tests have proven that children who are correctly hydrated will have better mental and physical performance than children who do not stay properly hydrated.
Teach your child to enjoy drinking water from a young age and you can aid in their health for years to come.
by Fern Shaw | Oct 30, 2012 | Health and Hydration
Anyone who has picked up a health or fitness magazine in the last 10 years will know that drinking water has many health benefits. The human body is about 70% water so keeping well hydrated aids weight loss and keeps you looking younger and full of life. Experts recommend drinking 8-10 glasses of water throughout the day and the consequences of being dehydrated are well recognised. But is there such a thing as too much when it comes to hydration?
In this case, too much of a good thing is most definitely a bad thing. Sodium balance between the fluid outside and inside the body’s cells is vital to keeping the body’s systems functioning. When we drink too much water or fluid that has a low concentration of salts, the fluid outside the cells becomes very dilute and disrupts the balance. Water will move into the cells to equalise the sodium concentrations and the cells begin to swell. This isn’t a concern in most of the body’s tissues but in the skull there is very limited space to accommodate swelling of brain cells. The condition of low sodium concentration in body fluids outside of cells is known as Hyponatremia, and brain swelling is responsible for the majority of symptoms associated with this condition. Most common symptoms are fatigue, confusion, headache, muscle cramps and weakness, nausea and vomiting, and, if left untreated, can lead to eventual coma and death.
Don’t throw away your water bottle quite yet! Although serious, the condition is relatively rare and can be avoided. Certain medical conditions such as congestive heart failure, cirrhosis, and the syndrome of inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) are associated with a higher risk of Hyponatremia. A growing concern is the incidence in recreational endurance athletes. With a constant supply of water along most endurance race routes, slower athletes have time to ingest large amounts of water – often because they fear becoming dehydrated – and are not exercising at an intensity that allows this excess fluid to be lost by sweating. Contrary to popular advice, thirst doesn’t indicate that you are already too dehydrated and the best way to avoid this condition during exercise is simply to drink according to thirst. Drinking sports drinks containing electrolytes will also ensure the sodium levels in your body remain balanced.
How much water should you drink each day? A simple question but with no easy answer. There are many guidelines but in truth your water needs depend on many factors which include but are not limited to your health, fitness levels and even where you live. Water intoxication is a very uncommon condition but unless you are running a long distance race or an infant, it is not something that one should spend too much time worrying about.
by Fern Shaw | Oct 29, 2012 | Health and Hydration
Just because the winter is approaching it does not mean that your basic body functions change. Therefore it is not advisable to change your water drinking habits just because it is getting colder. You may not be sweating as much but you still require water to transport minerals to protect your body from colds and flu during winter. In addition to this, with winter comes wind and extreme low temperatures and you expose yourself to heaters and fires causing skin conditions, headaches and dry coughs. All these conditions can be restored by drinking water and increasing your fluid intake.
Opting for a glass of water during winter, however, is not so easily done for most. Here are a few suggestions to help make it easier to drink water in winter:-
- Try herbal teas. Intensify your tastes buds with the variety of herbal teas that are widely available such as ginger, lemon, cinnamon and peppermint. Avoid drinking regular tea and coffee as they are high in caffeine.
- Heat your water up until nice and warm, but not hot. Squeeze in a drop or two of lemon. Very refreshing and yet warm. Fresh ginger and honey are also a good compliment to add to warm water.
- Learn about the benefits of water. The more your read about how good water is for you, both mentally and physically, the more your desire to drink water will become.
- Drink water only for a while. It is very hard for water to compete with sodas and sugary drinks. By removing these flavors it will allow your taste buds to become accustomed to the taste of water.
If you fall into a regular routine to drink enough glasses of water per day, your body will soon realise that there is enough water available and it would make you thirsty more often, resulting in you drinking more water and equipping your body to work at full capacity.
by Fern Shaw | Oct 26, 2012 | Health and Hydration
What makes water so special that we are told from a very young age to drink eight glasses a day? Is it really that important to keep hydrated and to drink enough water every single day?
The simple answer is yes, we do need to drink enough water each day. The reasons for this is that water makes up the biggest component of our entire body.
Water is the life source that keeps our bodies alive as it is essential to every function that our bodies need to perform. Our brains consist of over 80% water and even the slightest reduction of water in our bodies can cause the brain to start slowing down and to start struggling.
Tests have shown that a 2% decrease in body fluids or water can lead to a reduction of brain functionality. This intern leads to coordination and physical problems like fatigue and muscle cramping. It is for that reason that children need to drink more water each day than adults do. A 2% loss of fluids in children is a very small amount and the way most children run around and play it is very easy for them to get to that point of dehydration in no time at all.
Many schools are installing water coolers to ensure that their students and teachers have easy access to fresh, clean, cool and safe drinking water whenever they need it. A well hydrated child will be smarter, healthier and fitter than a child who is not getting enough water each day.
Teachers are encouraging children to keep water bottles with them at all times to ensure that they stay correctly hydrated and healthy.
Other great benefits of drinking enough water for children and adults alike are that it aids our bodies in flushing out unwanted toxins and chemicals stored in our bodies. This leads to better health, better skin and much more longevity.
by Fern Shaw | Oct 26, 2012 | Health and Hydration, Water Coolers
Most business owners are looking to increase their staff’s productivity, and companies will spend endless funding to ensure their staff’ will perform at their best.
The reality is that by ensuring their staff members are correctly hydrated, they could increase productivity in their business dramatically.
Tests have shown that even mildly dehydrated office workers have a decrease in physical and mental performance of up to 20%. That is a massive amount of additional business and revenue for a business by simply ensuring their staff drink sufficient water each day.
It is very easy for any company to keep their staff members correctly hydrated. With the wide range of water dispensers and water filters on offer, the perfect water solution is only a phone call away. Water dispensers are designed to suite all office types, large or smaller offices and they offer fresh, convenient, clean and performance enhancing water to everyone.
Companies can encourage their staff to have a glass of water each time they walk past a water cooler. This small addition to the office can have serious benefits to staff performance and their general health. Correctly hydrated staff members will have less health issues, leading to less time spent sick at home and increased profits for the business. Drinking sufficient water aids in weight loss as most people confuse the signs of thirst with the signs of hunger.
The financial benefits of correctly hydrated office members are dramatic. Imagine less sick days from staff members, better productivity, better physical health and increased profits for every company.
Tests have shown that drinking sufficient water each day can reduce certain cancers by between 40 -75%. The costs of assisting a staff member through cancer is not just a dramatic experience, it is also extremely expensive. Companies could dramatically reduce health risks like that by simply aiding their staff members to stay correctly hydrated.
