Healthy Ways To Stay Hydrated For Lifeguards

Staying hydrated during long summer lifeguard shifts is essential to your health!

By Cody George, LIFEGUARD TIMES

Healthy Ways To Stay Hydrated For Lifeguards

During long shifts as a lifeguard, prolonged exposure to the sun, coupled with dry and hot air, may provide grounds for potential dehydration. Recent studies have concluded that drinking water frequently may not be the most efficient route on the road to keeping hydrated.

As a lifeguard, keeping hydrated is as imperative as having a good night’s rest or eating a healthy breakfast early in the morning. Most of our body’s hydration comes from eating food, as it provides upwards 20% of the daily fluids we require. Putting this knowledge into action is as simple as adding certain foods to your diet, such as bananas and cucumbers.

Both of these examples are made up of a high water content, cucumbers having the highest content of any fruit or vegetable at 96%. Another helpful benefit of this tasty vegetable is it’s tendency to help flush out toxins from your body, which can leave you feeling refreshed and energized.

Healthy Ways To Stay Hydrated For Lifeguards

The potassium-rich banana also has a rather high water content of around 74% and is a good source of vitamin B and vitamin B6 – essential vitamins to strengthen immune systems and stay hydrated. Eating both of these foods is a healthy (and delicious) way to prevent dehydration during long summer days.

More healthy alternatives to energy drinks are surfacing as of late. Coconut water, though not as rich in electrolytes, is proven to be a comparable drink to sugar-laden sports drinks that are targeted for athletes who require their sodium levels be replenished immediately. Most brands of coconut water actually contain more potassium than a banana!

These are just a few examples of healthy and unique ways to stay hydrated during long summer days as a lifeguard. Monitoring your fluid intake and adding high water content foods to your diet is a sure way to help prevent dehydration!

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