Are You Drinking Enough Water?

At least 60 percent of your body is made up of water. It’s important to drink as much as water as you can to help replenish your body every day. Sadly, water is only the second-most popular beverage in the United States–after soft drinks. That’s a scary realization, since overindulging on sugary soda drinks is an enormous health hazard.

When you’re not drinking enough water, your body will give you warning signs that something isn’t right. Here are a few other warning signs:

You Can Feel it in Your Bones

Just as a car needs oil to run properly, your body needs water to do well. If you don’t have enough water in your body, your joints will begin to break down and you could injure yourself while doing normal activities. According to an article by Lifehack.org, the cartilage that protects our joints is made up of 80% water. This means if you’re not getting enough water, you can risk injury while running or jumping or even when performing daily activities or making sudden movements.

You Don’t Recover Well From Illness

Your grandmother always told you to drink more fluids to help you recover from an illness; she was right. Your body requires a minimum amount of water each day to function at a normal level and get the toxins out of your system. These amounts vary depending on your body type, activity levels, and several other factors, but illnesses will dehydrate you faster than normal - especially if you are vomiting, have diarrhea, or have a fever. When you get sick, increase your water intake even more. Even things like soup, fruit juices, and gelatin help with your fluid intake.

You Feel Sleepy

Fatigue is one of the first signs you’ll encounter from being dehydrated. If a lack of fluids turns into full-blown dehydration, it can cause an imbalance in your sodium, potassium and electrolytes, therefore, making you sleepy and lethargic.

You Get Hungry Out Of Nowhere

When you don’t drink enough water, your body receives mixed signals on hunger. According to an article on Spright.com, “Your hypothalamus, the portion of your brain responsible for controlling feelings of hunger and thirst, responds similarly whether you’re thirsty or you haven’t had enough to eat.” Dehydration causes you to believe you need to eat when you actually need more liquid in your system.

You Don’t Age Well

Water acts as a natural (and much cheaper) facelift as it flushes out the toxins in your body. Hydrating yourself on the inside will result in a dewy and fresh-looking skin on the outside. If you’re dehydrated, things will start to look dry, cracked and unhealthy.


Water is very important to your overall health. Becoming dehydrated too often can do plenty of damage to your body, and as you’ve probably heard, if you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables that are high in water content is also a good way to stay hydrated. Staying full for the entire day is just as important as staying hydrated.

For more information on hydration, visit the Minnesota Chapter of the American Water Works Association.

Best of the Season: Winter Activities in Minnesota

Winter activities: they’re not for the faint of heart. Let’s be honest for a minute - we live in Minnesota - yes, the initial shock of winter takes some getting used to, but we aren’t going to spend almost half of the year indoors! Check out some of the best outdoor activities Minnesota has to offer this winter:

Served on the Rocks at an Ice Bar

What better way to enjoy a nice cold beer than by sitting on a big hunk of ice? Minnesota features ice bars across the state. The SocialICE in Rochester has icy signature drinks, twelve-foot artistic designed ice bars, an ice sculpture garden, and more. Make sure you take a trip to Rochester February 18th, 19th, and 20th for food, music, and a fabulous ice bar.

Ice Sculptures

Minnesotans pride themselves on their talent on the ice, off the ice, and with the ice. One of the state’s most time-honored traditions involves creative ice sculptures displays across the state. Eden Prairie has a beautiful and dazzling display of Ice Castles, which opened January 23rd and run through the end of February. The Ice Castles display is an excellent place to take a date or to set out on a family excursion.

Challenge Yourself

With extreme temperatures, there are bound to be extreme winter activities and challenges. Take Minnesota’s all-season sport of fishing out onto the ice this year. There are ice fishing contests and competitions across the state. Look for a location near you with the MNDNR. For the adrenaline junkies, the Minnesota Polar Bear Plunge is an excellent way of raising money for Special Olympics Minnesota athletes. There are plenty of locations and dates across the state that you can participate in for an extreme rush and good cause.

The Classics

With so many events to enjoy, make sure not to forget the classic winter activities. Go skiing and snowboarding at Powder Ridge, Lutsen Mountains, or Blackjack and Indianhead Mountain. Engage with the serenity of winter forests by snowshoeing with friends on a nighttime trail. Embrace your inner kid by grabbing a sled or snow tube and racing down a snow-covered hill. Try and see how many lakes you can go ice skating around. Minneapolis alone has two indoor rinks and 47 outdoor rinks to offer.

For more winter activity ideas, visit the DNR Winter Activities Guide. Embrace all that Minnesota has to offer and aim to fill this winter with exciting experiences and heart-warming memories.

Avoiding Dehydration In Summer Months

The summer months are a time to get outside and get active; sports, festivals, afternoons at the beach- you name it. During these outings, we need to remember to stay hydrated.  Water is the most important, and often times the most forgotten nutrient during the hot summer months. Make sure to stay hydrated in the summer heat this year with some of these helpful tips.

Drink, Drink, Drink

If you are planning to be outside for long periods of time, it is important to drink water before, during and after any activity. Also, if you’re planning to be outside and doing physical activity for more than an hour in the heat, make sure to grab a sports drink that contains electrolytes to consume during or after your workout. This will replenish your body and keep you hydrated and cool.

Avoid Alcohol

If you know in advance that you are going to be out in the heat, make sure to avoid alcohol the night before your outing. Being in the heat for long periods of time while consuming alcohol actually causes you to lose more of your body's fluid.  However, if you do plan to consume alcohol outdoors, try to give yourself plenty of time in the shade so you can avoid being overly dehydrated and overheated. For every alcoholic beverage you consume, have a non-alcoholic one to follow.

Eat the right foods

Fruits and veggies contain tons of water that can keep you hydrated. Things such as berries, watermelon, grapes and carrots are great to eat throughout the day to keep you hydrated.  These food items are also great for grilling, picnics or any outdoor get-togethers.

Avoid energy drinks

Some people think that energy drinks are a great way to stay hydrated because of the energy and fruit juice they contain, however this is completely wrong.  When you are in the summer heat, do your best to avoid these sugary drinks, as they can actually be counterproductive to hydration. Instead try a fruit infused water to keep you refreshed, while also making your taste buds happy!

Staying hydrated during the summer is something many people forget to do.With all the   Although it is one of the most important things to do to keep our bodies hydrated and healthy.  Make sure to avoid dehydration and heat-related illness by following these helpful tips and keeping yourself hydrated whenever necessary.   

Caffeine Awareness: Why you should be drinking more water

Every March, the United States celebrates Caffeine Awareness Month - 31 days devoted to learning about the addictive nature of caffeine. And though the month of March is over, the repercussions of excessive caffeine use is still a topic of conversation for coffee addicts and soda fanatics alike.

Water, of course, goes hand-in-hand with caffeine consumption. According to the Centers for Disease and Control, 43% of adults admitted to drinking no more than three cups of water a day - at least five cups of water less than what is considered the average necessary for healthy living. In comparison, The FDA recently reported that more than 97 percent of teenagers and adults drink caffeinated beverages.

While some caffeinated beverages, such as coffee, tea, and soft drinks, contain water, their effects on the body are not as healthy as one might hope. The International Journal of Obesity has reported that drinking sugary beverages laced with caffeine have greatly contributed to the obesity epidemic of the western world. Coffee and tea have the potential to stain teeth, while energy drinks and sodas erode tooth enamel, which causes tooth decay. Heart health is also a factor, as well: The American Psychosomatic Society has found that caffeine has a tendency of raising most people’s blood pressure.

So is all caffeine bad? No, says the Washington Post. Research has shown that higher caffeine intake is associated with a significantly lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, as well as a 20% decrease in the likelihood of developing depression. But none of these benefits outweigh the positives of proper water consumption.

Don’t believe us? We’ve put together a list of six reasons to drink more water, with the help of WebMD and Greatist.

1: Water helps maintain the balance of body fluids.

The human body consists of nearly 60% water. When you ingest water, your brain recognizes it, and will either alert you to excrete it or hold onto it for later.

2: Water can help you with weight loss.

Generally speaking, replacing your habitual lunch soda with water can help conquer your weight-loss goals. Water is a non-caloric beverage, meaning it has no excess calories, and as it regulates your body, it can help control your weight. Plus, studies have shown that people who drink water before a meal lose weight faster than those who don’t.

3: Water energizes your muscles.

Muscle fatigue is an issue that can plague many people, especially athletes who become dehydrated while exercising. Cells that are not fluidly balanced have trouble working as hard as they need to, making it strenuous and sometimes even painful to finish a workout.

4: Water keeps your skin looking youthful.

Dehydration has a tendency of making skin look dry and wrinkled, causing you to look older or less fit than you may actually be. If you are properly hydrated, your skin looks much more evenly toned.

5: Water helps your kidneys.

A body with a well-balanced fluid intake has little to no difficulty transporting waste products in and out of cells correctly. But if your kidneys, which cleanse and rid the body of toxins, aren’t properly hydrated, these toxins can well up in your bloodstream.

6: Water keeps you alert.

Water, a refreshing and mood-boosting option, keeps you focused. Dehydration, including dehydration from coffee consumption, has a tendency of impairing attention span, memory, and motor skills.

So there you have it! Kick the caffeinated habit a little bit and indulge in more water. For more fun water facts, follow us on Twitter, and tweet at us with why you love drinking water.