Healthy Hydration (A Giveaway!)

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One of the main things they tell you when you’re pregnant is drink water. Lots and lots of water. While we should all be drinking as much water as we can stand, I find it hard sometimes. I am one of those people who doesn’t feel thirsty very often. I’m sure I am more thirsty than I realize, but I never find myself thinking, “Oh my gosh, I need something to drink NOW!”

Another reason I find drinking water hard is that I just don’t think about it that much. I guess that goes hand in hand with the above statement of never getting thirst. Let me explain. I am a manager at a retail chain, therefore I am constantly moving. I stock items, help customers, do returns, etc. Basically I don’t have the luxury of having a bottle of water right in front of my for 8 hours of my day as with many office jobs. When I am able to sit down for a few minutes, I try as hard as I can to drink my water like a good girl. It’s much easier when it’s right there in front of you!

A third reason I find water consumption difficult is, well, the flavor. Sometimes I have no problem with the cool, crisp “flavor” of water and other times the thought of a flavorless liquid sends my stomach turning. I can’t explain it. Today for instance, I didn’t want water very much at all, but the image of a tall glass of ice cold Coke Zero never left my thoughts!

When I get to this place, I reach for one of the best inventions of the 21st century: Crystal Light On the Go packets! A while back I was contacted by a member of Kraft Foods asking if I wanted to receive a few samples of Crystal Light Pure to try. I accepted as I already liked the Crystal Light packets I had tried in the past and had wanted to try the Pure ones as well! I received three different flavors and liked them all! They were all light and refreshing while still providing the hydration my body needed. Perfect!

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Here are some of the hydration tips RD Molly Kimball, the Crystal Light Pure spokesperson, has to offer:

1. Keep a Tally
We can’t actually tell how well we’re hydrated by how thirsty we feel. For many of us, by the time we start to feel thirsty, we’re already dehydrated, but just how much water is enough when it comes to staying hydrated? Keep a running tally of how much fluid you’re getting and aim for half of your body weight in ounces of fluid per day, plus an extra 16 ounces for every pound of sweat lost during exercise or work in the heat.

2. Flavor Up to Drink Up
Want to drink water to stay hydrated, but hate the boring taste? Add the flavor you want and none of what you don’t by sipping on naturally sweetened Crystal Light Pure. It’s got no artificial sweeteners, flavors, or preservatives and is sweetened with sugar and Truvia, a natural sweetener derived from the stevia plant. It’ll give your water light, refreshing flavor with just 15 calories and 4 grams of sugar per serving. And the Grape and Strawberry Kiwi flavors have the added bonus of electrolytes!

3. Don’t Forget about Food
Staying well-hydrated is essential for maintaining optimal energy levels, preventing muscle cramping and headaches, and more serious issues like heatstroke. But that doesn’t mean you have to force down gallons of water or bottles of sugary sports drinks. Any type of alcohol-free beverage can count toward your fluid intake – and even some foods! Some of the top electrolyte-rich, hydrating foods include all types of fresh fruit, soups like gazpacho and Greek yogurt.

4. Watch the Caffeine
For years, the widely-held belief was that caffeinated beverages were dehydrating. An abundance of research has proven otherwise, however. The amount of caffeine typically found in standard servings of tea, coffee, and soft drinks appears to have no diuretic effect, meaning that these beverages don’t cause us to lose more fluid than they provide. But remember that you don’t want the majority of your fluids to come from caffeinated drinks since most health organizations recommend we limit our caffeine intake. Instead, try to vary what you’re drinking.

I wanted to share this great product with you guys as well! I’m going to give away a few boxes of Crystal Light Pure to one lucky reader! You have three opportunities to enter to win:

1. Leave a comment below telling me your best tip for staying hydrated.
2. Tweet the following: “Stay hydrated! Enter @OneGirlsTaste ‘s Crystal Light giveaway! #CrystalLight #samp”
3. Follow One Girl’s Taste on Life on Facebook

(Please leave a separate comment below if you decide to do options 2 or 3)

You will have until midnight on Saturday, December 3rd to enter! Good luck!

*In full disclosure, I did receive samples from Kraft Foods, but all the opinions I have given in this blog post are my own. Also, Kraft Foods is not sponsoring this giveaway. It is purely my decision to do so.*