by Fern Shaw | Apr 21, 2017 | Water
Spring is apparently upon us, so hopefully with temperatures on the rise, the keeping fit and getting in shape for summer is becoming priority One. This means (hopefully), that one’s water intake will increase too. To make your water intake more fab and fun, herewith a range of suggestions that should keep you feeling marvellous, looking more fit and keeping hydrated:
- Add cucumber. If you prefer a flavour that is less sweet, add just a few slices to your glass and the subtle flavour gives your water a fresh, spa-like taste. If you have more time, fill a pitcher with a handful of cucumber slices and let it sit in your fridge.
- Make yourself feel cocktail-ish. If drinking water can seem too bland, try it with a twist of lime or a splash of sugar-free fruit juice – cranberry or pomegranate juice are great options. Try different combinations, how about grapefruit and blackcurrant? Yowzer.
- Mint cubes. Make mint ice cubes by throwing a small sprig of spearmint, peppermint, or lemon mint into the ice cube tray, add water and freeze. You can also do this with your favourite herb, like rosemary or basil. **
- Go Herbal. Add powdered or freshly sliced ginger, bruised mint leaves, or lemongrass to amp up your H2O. Or go floral. Lavender and rose hips are loaded with vitamin C and may help ease arthritis pain.
- Make It ‘Sassy’. Stay hydrated with a stomach-soothing recipe for Sassy Water. It combines fresh ginger, cucumber, lemon, and spearmint for a tummy-pleasing cocktail.
- Water as a Meal. If downing water all day is what bores you, try treating it as a meal—or, better yet, three meals. Try drinking water to a comfortable fullness 3 times a day. On colder days, it might be less; on warmer days, more. But comfortable fullness should be enough to stay hydrated. This will lower the amount of calories you eat for roughly an hour afterward.
- Switch It Up. Simply change the way you drink water – out of a glass instead of a bottle, for example. Or drink it at a different temperature. If you change the temperature, you can change the experience and that can be enough to alter your water intake. Remember, cold water takes longer to drink. If you want to down it faster – to get your water intake over with – drink it at room temperature instead of icy cold.
Remember, whether commuting; exercising; not exercising; working; relaxing or socialising – in fact, pretty much every –ing except sleeping, keep hydrated this spring – it can only be good for you.
*updated from the original blog posted on 9 Apr 2013
**excerpts from an article at Rodale Wellness
by Fern Shaw | Apr 12, 2017 | water cooler
You’ll note that I wrote ‘interesting’ and while you may be openly scoffing at the use of this adjective, I pinkie swear that these facts are not only interesting but are also perhaps lesser known facts about your drinking water.
- The weight a person loses directly after intense physical activity is weight from water, not fat.
- Water dissolves more substances than any other liquid. Wherever it travels, water carries chemicals, minerals and nutrients with it.
- One of the lesser known benefits of drinking water is that it helps keep your joints strong, healthy and lubricated. Your joints need moisture in order to remain strong and flexible, so that your movements are smooth and pain free.
- Drinking too much water too quickly can lead to water intoxication. Water intoxication occurs when water dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes an imbalance of water in the brain.
- Water intoxication is most likely to occur during periods of intense athletic performance.
- At birth, water accounts for approximately 80 percent of an infant’s body weight.
- Drinking water makes your muscles stronger. That’s because water carries oxygen to the cells of your body, including those of your muscles. Drinking plenty of water enables your muscles to work harder and longer before they feel tired, and this can help you build muscle.
- Water is sticky. The molecules love to stick to things, especially each other. It’s what gives it such a large surface tension. It keeps you alive: it means water can pull blood up narrow vessels in the body, often against the force of gravity.
There are quite a few facts in here that I was vaguely aware of, however, I certainly didn’t know that water is sticky! I think No. 8 now stands out for me forevermore – I love the fact that water is able to pull blood around our bodies – fascinating!
Want to get on the right track to fitness and health? Know you’re not drinking enough water every day? Speak to us at AquAid – we’d be pleased to help with all your water cooler dispenser requirements – keeping you water fit and hydrated rain or shine.
by Fern Shaw | Mar 17, 2017 | Water Coolers
At Blue Whale Media, we’ve always believed in giving back to the community. We are always looking for ways to contribute to the community. So, when we wanted to install water coolers at our new premises, we purchased AquAid water coolers.
Keeping our staff members hydrated will keep them at their best all through the day. But how they operate is one of the prime reasons why we chose to invest in AquAid watercoolers.
So what’s special about them? Everything!
Building Elephant Pumps
With every purchase of their water coolers, AquAid automatically contributes a portion to the Africa Trust. These funds help in installing Elephant Pumps in the remotest parts of Africa to make fresh drinking water available.
When we were told that our purchase will lead to a pump being installed in Africa on our behalf, we were all charged up. To think that our purchase will help in making fresh, clean drinking water available to those who really need it. We felt it was a great way to give back to the community.
About Blue Whale Media
Blue Whale Media is a digital agency based in Warrington. We offer a bouquet of services including web design, app development and an array of online marketing services.
Today, online presence is important. Whether you want to generate leads and sales, connect with your customers or help them resolve a complaint or find an answer to a question they have, a well-designed website can do wonders for your business.
Our goal is to help businesses make a lasting impression on their visitors and customers alike. After all, your website can not only bring business, but can help in building relationships.
We aim to educate our customers so they can make an informed decision. Feel free to take a look at our blog, where we share our knowledge that may just help you with your online presence.
by Fern Shaw | Mar 17, 2017 | mains fed water cooler, Water Coolers
We all intend to do the right thing when it comes to keeping fit, but often the demands of day-to-day life gets in the way. 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 with spring rearing its blooming head, 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. When was the last time that you actually drank more than one glass of water in 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.
Deposits and withdrawals
To avoid reaching the stage where you’re dehydrated, think of it in terms of deposits and withdrawals. It all comes down to how much water leaves your body. The logic is straight-forward, you have to maintain a water balance: How much water you excrete depends on many factors: age, gender, health, body mass, environmental conditions and physical activity all play a role. Right, now you have that sorted, put these ideas into action:
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 bottle fed or mains fed 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 much 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.
by Fern Shaw | Mar 9, 2017 | mains fed water cooler, Water Coolers
*Various campaigns and studies to do with schools and drinking water conducted over the last decade or so have produced a mixed bag of results.
What is clear though: a hydrated child is a much happier child. This fact, combined with you as the parents leading by example and the schools ensuring that drinking water is readily available, makes for a more holistic approach to hydration.
It boosts learning
- The key to boosting the capacity to learn is to keep well hydrated throughout the day.
- When we are thirsty, mental performance including memory, attention and concentration can decrease by around 10%. Pupils concentrate better because they are not distracted by the effects of dehydration such as thirst, tiredness and irritability.
- Children will achieve more when both their health and learning needs are met. Ensuring free access to water and promoting a regular water intake throughout the school day is a vital role for schools in promoting health and providing a healthy learning environment.
It’s healthy!
- Drinking adequate amounts of water regularly throughout the day can protect health and contribute to well-being.
- Drinking sufficient water can help prevent a range of short and long-term health problems that stem from dehydration such as lethargy; dizziness; constipation; headaches and bladder, kidney and bowel problems.
- Water has none of the health problems associated with drinks containing sugar, additives, sweeteners, acids or caffeine.
Parents?
- By keeping yourself hydrated, you teach your children good drinking habits.
- By checking that your children’s school has ablutions that you would use and that there are sufficient drinking points (not only in the toilets), you’re working your way towards ensuring that your children are able to easily hydrate while at school.
And for the school?
- Various studies have shown that schools that lead by example and encourage their children to keep hydrated show a marked improvement in overall attention given as well as learning capabilities.
- A child who is not irritable because of dehydration means that teachers are able to better teach their pupils.
At AquAid, being involved in the provision of water for more than 20 years, we know that keeping hydrated is of vital importance. To this end, we continue to ensure that we provide the right water dispensers to meet the hydration requirements when installing our water coolers into schools, gyms and learning centres across the country.
When AquAid install a water cooler in a school or learning facility, individual water bottles are also supplied to encourage the children to fill their water bottles throughout the day.
Our water coolers can either be Mains Fed for large schools where the water consumption is high, or Bottle Fed for schools where there are no water mains close to a particular area.
*Updated from a blog posted 11 March 2013
