Here are some helpful tips that I’ve found very useful to stay hydrated throughout the day:

• Always carry a personal water bottle around with you. You can refill it at the DC or the Retreat and you won’t have to buy a bottle of water every time you want a cold drink
• Buy a water filtration system of some kind for your room.
• Make sure to drink water consistently throughout the day. Don’t go three hours without drinking anything and then chug 32 ounces of water in 5 minutes.
• Don’t go to sleep without feeling sufficiently hydrated. You’re likely to wake up in the middle of the night with an incredibly dry mouth and feel badly dehydrated. To prevent this, always drink a glass of water before you go to bed and then refill it so you have something in the morning to drink when you wake up.
• If you’re exercising, you want to make sure you are drinking water in 15 to 20 minute intervals. In a recent New York Times article, Leslie Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, was quoted saying, “How we drink can make a difference in how optimally we hydrate our body. A lot of people sip liquids, but gulping is better. Gulps of fluid leave the stomach more rapidly. It’s important to do this. It’s counterintuitive, since it seems like gulping would cause a cramp; in fact, people are more likely to have stomach cramps sipping because fluid stays in their gut too long.” I’ve found this to actually be true when I work out. I take about 3-4 oz. gulps of water every 15 minutes and my stomach does not get bloated nor does my mouth feel dry.

Its especially important to stay hydrated in the fall, as we’ll be experiencing days of scorching heat, but also early fall cold and dryness. Good luck with hydrating yourselves and remember that there is no substitute for good old-fashioned H₂O.