Hydration. It’s important, there is no denying that. Our body depends on water to survive – every single cell, tissue and organ in your body needs water to function.

Then of course there are the BENEFITS that come with being well hydrated – healthier skin, healthier joints (yes, being well hydrated CAN reduce pain by keeping the cartilage soft and hydrated), mental alertness and on top of all that there is the reduction of fatigue, which let’s face it, we ALL need.

But staying hydrated isn’t as easy as it sounds – life is just too busy for that sometimes, us mums need to be 100 things all at once. We need to be a doctor, chef, negotiator, cleaner, taxi driver, bank, technology expert, toy mechanic, organizational expert, social planner and much, much more PLUS we need to do it with a smile on our face and for absolutely no pay (OK, maybe we can accept hugs and kisses as payment).

Who has time to drink the required amount of fluids each day? I can’t even remember the last time I made MYSELF lunch, rather than just eating the kids leftovers. …

HOW could I make sure I was properly hydrated?

Who do you call? Not ghostbusters, I needed an expert in things other than ghosts! I had a chat to the team at Zip and here are their top 5 ways to help you stay well hydrated:

1. Change it up – do you reluctantly chug down water? Why not make it interesting! Add cucumber, strawberries, blueberries, lemons, mint or whatever takes your fancy – a little pop of flavour makes your taste buds dance, and all that dancing means you’ll want MORE!

2. Accessorise – grab yourself a gorgeous water bottle or two. There are SO many cute ones out there, make it colourful so it’s eye catching. The more it catches your eye, the more you’ll remember to take a sip!

3. Keep it on tap – I mean this literally! Who doesn’t want crystal-clear drinking water from their tap? Take a look at the Zip HydroTap – it’s a necessity for any busy household who want to keep on top of their hydration. As the name suggests, its hydration at it’s finest, on tap – boiling, chilled and sparkling, any which way you want it, immediately.

4. Visualise it – keep a water bottle in full view EVERYWHERE. Your handbag (see point 2 for doing this in style!), on your desk, in the kitchen, beside your bed, in the car and anywhere you find yourself regularly in the house or at work.

5. Get organized – set reminders in your phone hourly, cut up fruit and herbs to put in your water and leave them in the fridge, fill up water bottles every night so they’re ready to go first thing. You will find you’ll automatically start drinking more if you have everything set up.

All of these little changes will help keep you and your family hydrated!

Article written by Jacinta Campbell for Mouths of Mums.

http://www.mouthsofmums.com.au/5-ways-to-ensure-you-stay-well-hydrated/