Drinking water at work is key to increasing your work performance.
There are days when being productive at work seems like mission impossible. A lot of things can influence our work performance. Having slept well, our mood or even breakfast. These factors can even turn a normal day into a super productive day.
Well, hydration also has an influence. Yes, yes, you read that right. Drinking water is important, and not just for beautiful skin. Even if we are sitting and in front of the computer, we cannot forget to drink water. If we are well hydrated, it is easier for us to concentrate.
That's why companies are increasingly aware of the importance of hydration at work. According to the Water and Health Research Institute, occupational health is no longer focused solely on reducing occupational hazards, but now companies are also involved in promoting the health and well-being of their employees, because "good personal health benefits both the company and the workers".
If you are one of those who don't drink water because you forget, here are some tips to make you aware that adequate and quality hydration at work can only bring you good things.
Drinking without thirst is key
Ideally, you should have a bottle or glass in sight in your workspace. But don't let it be made of plastic. This way you will remember to drink more easily, even if you are not thirsty, of course!
Dehydration is bad, really bad
If you don't drink enough water, many things can happen to you, and all of them bad. According to data from the Water and Health Research Institute, "when dehydration exceeds 2% of body weight, performance and work capacity decrease." As a result, you may feel agitated, suffer from headaches or lose concentration. So set yourself a goal and drink a little every hour.
Water can be your thermostat
If it is too cold in winter or too hot in summer, we can use water to regulate our body temperature. For these situations, the ideal is to use a thermos bottle or thermos glass. We can prepare our own drinks at home, such as cool water with fruit juices or warm herbal teas.
Fall in love with the water fountain
Your workstation probably has one of those water dispensers with a large drum that offers water at different temperatures. Cold, hot or weather. Make up new drinks depending on your tastes and the time of year. You can get a stainless steel thermal container, such as bottles or tumblers, and keep your drink at the ideal temperature all day long.
Heating or air conditioning, bad companions
Although necessary and essential, sometimes working with heating or air conditioning is not as healthy as it seems. These devices make the environment drier than normal and, although it may not seem so, cause us to lose more water than usual through our lungs or skin.
Slowly but surely
The ideal is to drink a minimum of 300 ml of water every two hours. In this way, in our 8-hour working day, we will have ingested 1.2 liters. If we get into the habit of drinking a glass of water when we wake up, another before going to sleep and another at meals or during physical exercise, we will effortlessly reach the recommended 2-2.5 liters of water.
Quantity yes, but quality too
If we follow the recommendations of the Water and Health Research Institute, we will come to the conclusion that the consumption of natural mineral water guarantees the quality of our hydration. Its mineral composition remains over time, it is bottled at the source to protect its original purity and it also hydrates us without providing even a single calorie.
So that's where we leave it. Hydrate your intellect and boost your productivity - water is the key!