Fancy a cocktail?

Now we’ve got your attention, what we actually want to talk to you about is the importance of water and keeping hydrated, but don’t worry, we’ll come back to the cocktails in a few minutes…

Water and the body

Water makes up approximately 60% of our body. Every organ, every cell in your body contains water so if you don’t drink enough of it, your body does not function as it should. Staying properly hydrated is essential for many of the body’s key processes including circulation of blood, digestion of food, distribution of nutrients and regulation of the metabolism. 

The importance of water to spinal health

Water is also extremely important when it comes to spinal health. This is because the spine requires ample water to maintain and repair healthy tissue, keep joints lubricated and effectively absorb shock / help reduce stress on your body.

The discs that sit between your vertebrae are effectively your spinal shock absorbers, acting as buffers to stop the bones rubbing together. The center of the disc is mostly water, and water plays a key part in each disc’s shock absorbing role. This is because it is squeezed out of the disc as the spine compresses, which is pretty constant as you go about your day, whether you’re moving or standing or sitting still, thanks to gravity.

Once it’s been squeezed out, the body needs to replenish the water in the discs. If it’s unable to do this and the discs do not have enough water, you may experience back pain and / or lack of mobility. Another key reason to keep hydrated.

How to keep hydrated

Now we know not everyone enjoys drinking the recommended 6-8 glasses of water per day which brings us back to the cocktails…

Ok, so we’re not actually suggesting alcoholic cocktails can help with spinal health, but infusing water with a ‘cocktail of ingredients’ is an easy and nutritious way to make water taste delicious, and in turn help you stay more hydrated throughout the day.

For our top 3 ‘hydration cocktail’ suggestions, see below:

• Watermelon, cucumber and mint – add 1/4 sliced watermelon, 1/2 a sliced cucumber and 10 mint leaves to iced water and refrigerate
• Cucumber, raspberry & basil – add 1/2 a sliced cucumber, 10 raspberries & 10 basil leaves to iced water and refrigerate
• Apple, cucumber & celery – Add 1/2 a sliced cucmber, 1/2 a sliced apple and a sliced celery stick to iced water and refrigerate

And if you’re looking for some natural pain relief, add a little turmeric or ginger root, known for their anti inflammatory properties, to your infused water too.

Water rich foods

Did you know that you can get up to 20% of the water you need from the food you eat too. As such, help keep hydrated by eating a diet full of water rich fruit and vegetables such as cucumber, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, radishes, melon, oranges, apples and blueberries. For ideas on how to incorporate these foods into your diet, click here.