Summer is here and it is HOT. Hydration is very important and how you hydrate is even more important. Here are some helpful pointers to remember when it comes to drinking up and staying on track!What to look for when you are hydratingRemember that if you are not a super endurance athlete, water is sufficient for almost all forms of exercise. A huge bottle of Gatorade for a one hour workout? Not necessary. Also, if there is a label on a bottle that has "water" or "hydrate" that does not necessarily mean that it is good for you! Check the additives as well as the sugars.If you are someone who drinks caffeine or takes a pre-workout drink, there are definitely some very good and bad options here. Lots of pre-workout mixes can be loaded with caffeine but also loaded with sugars. As far as energy drinks, some of them can contain as much as 50 plus grams of sugar per bottle! Yikes! Also, if you are drinking any form of caffeine you should be doubling the fluid ounces in water to the compared caffeinated beverage.Avoid: HFCS- high fructose corn syrup. If you find high fructose corn syrup on the label of anything you drink then you can be certain that it is poor quality and does not give your body what it needs. Vitamins, minerals, fiber, and real nutrition will be absent when HFCS is present. Guess what else? HFCS has been found to contain toxic levels of mercury! As if a direct relationship with obesity was not enough to stop people from consuming HFCS, I'd hope potential mercury poisoning would do the trick!How much water do you needYou probably hear it all the time, "drink more water" and "drinking water will help you lose weight." That's great...but just how much should you be drinking? The old rule of thumb is 8 glasses of water a day. That is not too far off. However, recent research shows that on average women should have around 2.5 liters a day and men should have roughly 3.5 liters. That is a general number. The consumption of water needs to be adjusted when dealing with the following: illness, pregnancy, exercise, warmer climate, and medical related issues.Drinking water will keep your body hydrated and will decrease you chances of overeating.The urine test never fails. "If it's clear, you are in the clear. If it's yellow, fix that." Very profound and scientific.The worst drinks in AmericaBut just how bad can it be...? See for yourself:Worst Coffee: Bottled Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccino: Can you believe that this drink has as many grams of sugar as 32 vanilla wafers!Worst Soda: Sunkist. I wasn't aware that people even drank this anymore, but sure enough it is still around and has a whopping 84 grams of sugar per bottle. That's more than 6 ice cream sandwiches!Worst Tea: SoBe Green Tea. 240 calories and 61 grams of sugar! Hall pass please... I'll take the stairs! RUN!Tags: Healthy EatingDietWeight Loss
