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Editorial: Over 50 and drinking?

So, we’ve heard the message and we tend to get jaded – don’t want to hear it again. But as circumstances change, maybe it’s time to take another look at how much you are drinking. Do you chug the prescribed two litres per day? Of water that is.
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What are YOU drinking this summer?

So, we’ve heard the message and we tend to get jaded – don’t want to hear it again.

But as circumstances change, maybe it’s time to take another look at how much you are drinking.

Do you chug the prescribed two litres per day? Of water that is.

How are you handling the heat?

Getting a headache?

How’s your heart?

Are you stuck to your recliner?

Had your blood sugar checked lately?

In all the research I have done, drinking water is a very inexpensive remedy that is often overlooked, and while it does not cure a heart condition or anything else, adequate hydration is very important for many health conditions.

Health experts say that exhaustion or a headache can mean you are dehydrated.

You may need to drink more.

If it is difficult to get up from your chair, then that needs to be part of the hydration plan.

Have a big glass of water or a water bottle beside your chair.

Down a glass of water before your meal. Digestion will go better.

First thing in the morning, water yourself.

Sports drinks are popular and may be okay, partly because they taste good so you drink them down. They have electrolytes that can become depleted through excessive sweating.

Coconut water is touted as having electrolytes; bananas and other foods supply the raw material for our electrolyte balance.

Make your own electrolyte-rich drink. Mix water and real fruit juice in a 1-1 ratio; add a dash of salt (I prefer ground Himalayan or sea salt) and perhaps some ice.

Lemonade with ice and a twist of salt goes down well at my house.

So, we are born at 78 per cent water. As we age that percentage goes down. What does that tell you?

Don’t go quietly – keep drinking – water, that is.

Drinking helps you regulate your temperature.

Circumstances are ever changing. Some say the sun is stronger in recent years. Certainly we have had a hot summer. Chances are, you are older this year than you were last year. If so, don’t rely on your body’s feedback system telling you when to drink. Do an end-run and drink ahead of your thirst.

Other hydrating tactics: choose fresh fruit rather than cheesecake for dessert.

Watermelon, a low-cal snack, is over 90 per cent water and “soaked with nutrients. Each juicy bite has significant levels of vitamins A, B6 and C, lots of lycopene, antioxidants and amino acids. There's even a modest amount of potassium,” according to www.livescience.com.

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