by Fern Shaw | Apr 15, 2019 | water cooler, water cooler
If this image starts your nose itching instead of being able to simply admire the precision mowed grass, it’s quite likely you’re one of an estimated 10 million people in the UK who suffers with hay fever.
With spring already here (officially arriving in the UK on 20 March) it usually brings with it a soaring pollen count.
There are 3 pollen seasons in the UK and each has a different source: tree pollen, released during spring; grass pollen, released during the end of spring and beginning of summer and weed pollen, released late autumn.
Hay fever (or seasonal allergic rhinitis), occurs when your body makes the mistake of treating the tree pollen, or pollen from shrubs, as a harmful organism, and the immune system goes into action by making antibodies to try to prevent it spreading. This can trigger a runny nose, itchy watery eyes and coughing, sneezing and sniffling – common allergy symptoms.
How can drinking water possibly help reduce my hay fever?
Usually the first thing a hay fever sufferer does is reach for the anti-histamines, which makes sense, however, as your body has gone into overdrive producing a ‘liquid’ reaction – runny nose, watery eyes, constant sniffling and sneezing – you can dehydrate through this additional loss of fluid. This coupled with the fact that anti-histamines tend to dry you up which can also lead to your dehydrating at a faster than usual speed. That’s the one aspect to consider.
The other aspect is that according to some studies, a lack of water causes you to produce more histamine, a protein that regulates water in the body and stimulates your thirst response. Histamine also plays a role in the body’s response to pollen. When you breathe in pollen, your body releases histamine, which is a main cause of allergy symptoms. Ergo, If you’re thirsty, you have more histamine being released which may make your symptoms stronger and last longer.
There is also information gleaned from a 2013 study found that dehydrated individuals produced less allergy-blocking antibodies. With less of these antibodies, your body releases more histamine. Both of these contribute to more frequent and more intense allergy outbursts.
There’s more than one win here though – if you maintain good hydration habits, with frequent water refills from your water cooler in your workplace, as well as ensuring you carry drinking water with you when you’re out and about, not only will your general well-being increase but you may also be able to easier reduce your allergic reaction during the pollen seasons every year.
by Fern Shaw | Apr 5, 2019 | Water, water cooler, Water Coolers
Keeping oneself hydration fit is vitally important, irrespective of what season it is.
We all intend to do the right thing when it comes to keeping fit, but the demands of day-to-day life can tend to trip us up despite our best intentions. Here, at AquAid Water Coolers we always want to help where we can to ensure that at the very least, you keep yourself well hydrated throughout your day, no matter your schedule.
If you’ve launched into a great keep fit regime this spring, here’s a bit of info that may help you on your get fit and keep hydrated journey:
Recognising dehydration
- A large percentage of the UK population are chronically dehydrated. Can you remember when last you drank more than a glass of water a day? Keep in mind that the average adult should be drinking a minimum of eight glasses of water per day.
- Dehydration occurs when more fluid leaves your body than is taken in. Symptoms include: fatigue, irritability, headaches and nausea.
- Dehydration also slows your metabolism, which hinders your ability to exercise as well as the ability to lose weight.
Maintaining a balance
Applying the logic to avoid reaching the stage where you’re dehydrated is quite straight-forward – you need to maintain a water balance. There are many factors to consider on how much water you’re losing, especially when you’re being active: age, gender, health, body mass, environmental conditions and physical activity all play a role.
Once you have a better idea of about how much water you lose in an active day vs. how much water you should be drinking it’s time to:
Get moving
Even if you feel sluggish and low in energy, make the effort to do 20-30 minutes exercise daily. If you’re not that keen to participate in organised activities, a brisk walk around the block will be enough to energise you and reduce fatigue.
Sleep well
Make sure you get enough sleep. Depending on your daily schedule and work hours, try to go to bed at the same time, do not eat or drink caffeine before going to bed and move the telly out of the bedroom.
Eat well
There are innumerable eating and weight loss plans and these can often hinder rather than help.
Whatever food plan you decide upon, again logic dictates: in order to function, your body needs fuel, so try to ensure that your food fuel consists of a balanced diet.
If you’re prone to the ‘quick fix’ when eating, which usually consist of processed and sugar rich food and drinks, the good news is if you step up and start drinking enough water to keep yourself hydrated, you will feel fuller and the temptation to sate your appetite as quickly as possible, will lessen.
Make use of your water cooler!
As you begin your happy and healthy get fit plan, having a water cooler wherever you are at work could honestly not make drinking water easier for you. There’s also the added advantage of you being able to get through your work day more easily as studies have proven that taking even a five minute break to stretch out and walk to replenish your water makes a significant difference on your performance and well-being.
updated from a 17 March 2017 blog
by Belinda Ollewagen | Mar 29, 2019 | water cooler
You might be thinking ‘what do World Backup Day and the water cooler have in common?’ – well, the answer to that would be ‘habit’!
You see, the majority of us don’t do either often enough – we don’t backup our data often enough, and we don’t drink water often enough to keep our bodies sufficiently hydrated.
Let’s start with World Backup Day:
#WorldBackupDay was founded in 2011 by Youngstown State University student, Ismail Jadun, after he and fellow ‘redditors’ were discussing how lax most people were about doing it. He decided that the day before April Fool’s Day was the perfect time to address the issue and spread the word.
Fast forward eight years and his words are still compelling. ‘We all know someone who has lost critical data, whether it was their videos, photos, music, book reports, or personal stuff. Hopefully this day will make everyone think about their situation, learn about the various options and get their files backed up. I hope that World Backup Day sparks conversations about the enormous task of saving our digital heritage for future generations.’
So, whatever you do, be sure to make backing up a habit – not just on the 31st but more regularly too.
Let’s move on to the Water Cooler:
We all know how important it is to remain properly hydrated. Water helps to regulate our body temperature; it helps to moisten tissues such as those found in our mouth, eyes, and nose; it helps to lubricate and cushion our joints; it helps to keep our bowel movements regular; it helps our kidneys and liver work smarter; and it’s the carrier of nutrients and oxygen to our cells. And apart from all the physiological benefits of being sufficiently hydrated, there’s the emotional and mental well-being it brings too – it can help stabilise our moods and it’s linked to increased mental acuity and productivity.
We know all this, but do we visit the water cooler often enough during our work day to ensure optimal levels of hydration? For many of us the answer to that would be ‘no’.
So, just like backing up our data should be a regular habit, so too should be drinking water – our digital lives depend on the former, and our actual lives depend on the latter!
Sources:
Barracuda (https://blog.barracuda.com/2018/03/19/how-will-you-celebrate-world-backup-day/)
by Belinda Ollewagen | Mar 15, 2019 | water cooler, water dispenser
It’s time to get your buzz on, because very soon it’s St Patrick’s Day and all around the world, Irish and non-Irish alike will be celebrating. For those of you that don’t know, the day (actually his death day) commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. The custom to wear shamrocks and go all-green (a colour long associated with Ireland), comes from St Patrick’s use of the three-leaved plant, to signify the Holy Trinity.
What might St Patrick’s Day have to do with a water dispenser you ask? Well, if you’re planning on imbibing and you don’t want to feel like a train wreck the next day, then it’s best to take precautions, and one of the most important is to remain well-hydrated – with water that is, not alcohol. So, frequent stops at the office water cooler in the lead up to the holiday is advisable, as is matching each alcoholic beverage with a glass of water on the day itself.
And if beer or a pint of Guinness isn’t your cup of tea (see what we did there) then why not try out a few fabulously green-inspired cocktails
Shamrock Shaker
1½ oz. Tequila
1½ oz. Sour Apple Liqueur
¼ Agave Nectar
2 oz. Lime Juice
Simply combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice, give it a good shake and serve in a martini glass garnished with thin slices of apples.
Frozen Mojito
1½ oz. White Rum
1½ oz. Mojito Mix Syrup
½ oz. Lime Juice
5 Mint Leaves
Splash of Sour Mix
Blitz all ingredients in a blender, add ice, blitz again and serve garnished with a slice of lime.
Wasabi Praise
1½ oz. Sake
1½ oz. Vodka
½ oz. Lime Juice
Pea size of Wasabi
Combine all ingredients, stir and serve.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day – remember to stay well-hydrated (the water cooler is your friend!) and enjoy responsibly.
by Fern Shaw | Feb 27, 2019 | water cooler, Water Coolers
Drinking fizzy soft drinks has long been in the spotlight, not least because of the high calorie count in each can, but also due to the high sugar content. While fine to drink on occasion, high-calorie, high-sugar drinks, like fizzy drinks, can cause an array of negative effects to your body and well-being.
Swapping fizzy drinks for water is one of the quickest and easiest ways to stay hydrated and improve your overall health in both the short- and long-term future. Still not convinced? Have a quick read of these six reasons to drink more H2O:
- Feel Happier
Dehydration can affect your mood and make you feel sad, grumpy and confused. When you maintain good hydration habits – see the recommended daily water consumption here – you will soon feel more energised. Water stimulates the flow of nutrients and hormones that release those feel-good endorphins you need to feel happy.
- Burn More Calories
Drinking more water can help you to burn more calories by regulating your metabolism, which is your body’s ability to convert food into energy. By simply drinking as little as 500ml of water per day, your metabolism could speed up by as much as 30 percent.
- Exercise with Ease
Swap out sugar filled energy drinks for water – drinking water while working out is the ultimate muscle fuel. High-intensity physical activity can cause you to lose water through sweat and your muscles to become tired. For a boost of energy, drink water to reduce cramps and sprains, and push you through that final exercise set or that last 200m of your run.
- Flush Toxins Out
You may have tried the latest juice cleanse to detox your body, but what about drinking a refreshing glass of water? Water helps to eliminate wastes and toxins from your body by encouraging healthy digestion and transporting nutrients to where they are needed.*
- Helps you have Clearer Skin
Studies show that people who drink more water tend to have clearer, younger looking skin. Water works to hydrate your skin and reduce toxin-induced blemishes, resulting in a healthy glow even your best moisturiser can’t achieve on its own.
- Boosts Your Productivity
Your brain and nervous system send out electrical signals to function properly. Having a regular supply of water will help to increase electrical functioning in your brain for clearer thinking, so you will feel more efficient and productive.
Need a fantastic cool drinking water delivery system a.k.a (in simple terms) a water cooler to help you with your switch to a healthier hydration lifestyle? Look no further than to us at AquAid Water Coolers. We’ve been keeping more than 33,000 customers happily hydrated for over 20 years. Contact one of our helpful team today.
*excerpts from an infographic at Unity Point
