Stay Hydrated for High Energy!
Keeping your energy level stabilized is a four-point project. It takes a balance of activity, rest, nutrition, and hydration to keep everything humming along smoothly. Of the four, hydration is the one most people probably neglect without even knowing it. Many of us have the habit of walking around with a soda or energy drink in hand, so we can't be dehydrated, right? Unfortunately, that's wrong!
Of course, the first thing you should do to stay hydrated and keep your energy level perking along is to drink plenty of good, pure water. The old rule you learned in school still applies. Drink eight, 8 ounce glasses of fresh pure water every day! If you don't, you will find yourself dragging and suffering from a general malaise. The best way to be sure you get your water is to turn in your soda and energy drinks and get yourself a refillable thirty-two ounce water bottle to carry with you at all times. Drink it all, refill it and drink it all again in the course of a day. Within a week, you should feel a big difference in your general health and well-being.
Of course, in addition to pure water, you can hydrate, energize and de-stress with other healthy drinks like, herbal teas, green tea, and even black tea. Even though green and black tea do contain caffeine, their benefits far outweigh the negative in terms of helping the body recover from stresses by providing antioxidants.
However, it is important to use caffeine with care. While it can give you a jolt of energy (and the things it comes in sure are good) it can also be habit forming. The more you drink coffee, strong teas, and sodas that contain caffeine, the more you are likely to want them. Since caffeine acts as a diuretic, it is the antithesis of hydration. You actually lose more liquid than you take in when you drink caffeinated drinks.
This is why it is very important to avoid energy drinks altogether. Even though, they seem to give you energy, they actually end up robbing you of it. The amount of caffeine and sugar they contain is so damaging to the body that it actually uses up your reserves of energy and causes you to crash and burn in great, dramatic flames when you've finished flying high and run out of fuel.
For a good, natural energy boost that hydrates and nourishes, try fresh, natural juices. Store- bought or those you make yourself give you natural energy, fiber, and hydration. Of course, juicing at home is best for all three of these benefits, but when you are out and need to purchase a drink, always reach for the juice rather than the soda, energy drinks, or even bottled water (which is outrageously damaging to the environment, not to mention your pocketbook in terms of value). When you buy juice, be sure to read the label. Don't buy juice that is full of sugar - especially high fructose corn syrup, and don’t buy juice that contains artificial sweeteners.
Avoid alcohol. It only stands to reason that if you want to be energized, you don't want to be filling yourself up with sedatives. That's what alcohol is. It is a depressant. While it may help you feel relaxed in moderation, it is easy to overdo it and have very negative effects such as loss of energy, good judgment, and libido (not to mention consciousness). As far as hydration goes, alcohol acts as a diuretic, so it is in direct opposition to hydration. It is far better to feel relaxed because you are naturally healthy and happy than because you are under the influence of a drug.
Although it goes against all the marketing you see today, the fact is, to have the most energy and feel your best, the best advice is to simplify, eat whole natural foods, be enjoyably active, get plenty of rest, and above all stay hydrated.
Copyright: SuzanneBennett: May 22, 2009
For more on hydration, energy, and nutrition, you may enjoy:
Water: The Most Natural Beauty Treatment
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1739338/water_the_most_natural_beauty_treatment.html?cat=5
Evian Spelled Backward is Naive
http://hubpages.com/hub/Evian-Spelled-Backward-is-Nave
Grapes! For the Health of It!
http://hubpages.com/hub/Grapes-For-the-Health-of-It
