Healthy Living Archives

Deceptive Winter Hydration

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winter dehydration

With colder temperatures and less tangible loss of fluids, it’s easy to lose track of your hydration. Being mindful of your fluid intake and hydration levels is a lot harder to do when you’re not seeing beads of sweat of feeling the effects of scorching heat. However, this only increases the threat of dehydration.

Dehydration is a year-round threat. It occurs any time you use or lose more fluids than you take in, causing your body to lack what it needs to continue its normal functioning. This can occur regardless of temperature. Appropriate water intake is critical to your body’s functioning, and it will begin to shut down without appropriate fluid levels.

Some common misconceptions for winter months may be that if you’re not sweating you’re not losing as much fluids, or a lack of thirst indicates adequate hydration. However, the winter simply presents new challenges for hydration. The air is drier and requires higher lung functioning. The harder our bodies work, the more fluids are needed. Our bodies are also naturally processing fluids throughout the day, so replenishment is necessary regardless of external circumstances.

Signs of Dehydration

  • • Extreme thirst
  • • Less frequent urination
  • • Dark-colored urine
  • • Fatigue
  • • Dizziness
  • • Confusion

Be mindful of these symptoms for yourself and those around you. The deceptive nature of colder weather may compromise the safety others.

Combatting Winter Dehydration

The first step is mindfulness. Now you know that hydration is a critical component of health and safety regardless of the season.

Make a plan for intaking the same amount of fluids, even when you’re not prompted by thirst. Set a goal for ounces consumed per day and use that to determine effective hydration.

Be mindful that not all liquids are created equal. Common beverages of choice in the cold, such as coffee or tea with caffeine, actually have the opposite effect. The same is true for soda. Water is the best hydrator, but in colder months herbal teas that are caffeine free can be beneficial as well.

Consider the safety of yourself and others as you consider making a concerted effort toward hydration. It is easy to prevent, but also easy to experience. Make a system and implement accountability in hydration on your team.

Exercise: Why Safety Staff Must Prioritize Working Out

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exercise

Working shift work or long hours can be tiring for both the body and the brain.

We’ve all heard the recent saying, “Sitting is the new smoking…” But exercising even just a little bit everyday can not only boost your physical abilities but your mental abilities as well.

Regular exercise has been shown to:

  • Reduce stress
  • Keep anxiety and feelings of depression at bay
  • Improve self-esteem
  • Improve our sleep

With all these benefits you would think we would desire to get up and move… But after a long day, or night at work, running or doing aerobics or even just walking around the block is the last thing you feel like doing.

Here are just a few incentives that may help to motivate you.

  1. Give yourself a little reward. Maybe a healthy smoothie or perhaps you can watch that movie you have been thinking about. Over time your brain will associate the working out with the reward and you can simply stop the extra treat and feel good from the endorphin rush surging through your body.
  2. Put your work-out clothes or equipment in plain view. Even this simple reminder may cause you to “just do it.”
  3. Give yourself mini-challenges. If you are walking around the block, bet yourself you can do one more round… or if you are at the gym and doing 20 minutes on the treadmill, challenge yourself to do just 5 more minutes.
  4. Exercise with a friend or spouse. Having a partner definitely makes it harder to skip your exercise time. And you may feel a little healthy competition to “go the extra mile.”

But the biggest reward is your health. Knowing that whatever form of exercise you choose is going to make your body and mind work better is one of the best payoffs.

Research shows that when we exercise, blood pressure and blood flow increase everywhere in the body, including the brain. More blood means more energy and oxygen, which makes our brain perform better.

This better performance will pay off on the job as well as off. When our minds are sharper and our bodies more flexible we can think and move and work better then we could with a sedentary lifestyle.

If you need any more evidence to get moving here are some added benefits:

  • Exercise strengthens your heart.
  • It increases energy levels.
  • It lowers your blood pressure.
  • It improves muscle tone.
  • It strengthens and builds bones.
  • It helps reduce body fat.
  • You look better!!

And lastly, if you can’t get motivated for yourself, do it for your loved ones. They want and need you to be healthy and productive for a long, long time.

So get up, get on that bike, pick up that racket, grab those golf clubs but do something. Your body and brain will thank you.