How can you possibly make water your secret weapon this year? Water can do so much more beyond just quenching your thirst. It can normalise your body temperature. Moreover, it protects the tissues in the body from lacking moisture. You recognise exactly how it can feel when your mouth becomes dry? Perhaps you are not consuming sufficient water? Usually, nutrition experts advise that you take in about 8 glasses of drinking water each day. You might need lots more water should you work out or perspire a lot.

In what ways can water be your secret weapon this year?

Water raises the level of energy

In case you are feeling low and exhausted, get a hold of a bottle of drinking water. Dehydration causes you to experience emptiness. Water supports the transporting of oxygen to the blood stream along with required nutrients to your tissues. When you are drinking sufficient amount of water, the heart system will not need to function too hard to circulate blood right through entire body.

Drinking water boosts alertness

For anyone who is likely to need to really focus for a long time, should have drinking water available to make it easier to remain revitalize, fully hydrated, and focused. Dehydration can easily affect your concentration, memory, and even physical activity abilities. Always keep your body system properly hydrated. This enables it to maintain the best possible levels of moisture content in sensitive areas, such as in the blood vessels, bone tissues, in addition to the brain. Additionally, drinking water could help offer protection to the spinal cord, as it plays the role of a lubricating solution as well as give support to your joint parts.

Water controls body temperature

Drinking water aids in preventing high blood pressure level from going down to critical levels. Since about 70% of the human body is made up of water. Water stimulates regular bowel evacuation. Water will aid you to be more in good shape, since water drives up fat burning capacity, so helping you to experience satisfaction. Swapping calorie-filled liquid refreshments with water and gulping down a cup of water before eating enable you to appear fuller. Consuming cold water also works to boost your energy, as your system will have to work more to warm the water up, therefore burning a number of excess calorie.

Water helps endurance sports athletes to overcome low energy

Water is an important part of any type of sport session. it is very important to prevent dehydration during really long physical exercises.

Reduced everyday stress with water

About 85% of the human brain tissue mass is water. When you are very lacking in water, either your body system or your brain, or both are likely to be strained. Whenever you fell thirsty, you probably might be slightly dehydrated. To manage stress levels, have a cup of drinking water at your work table or you could have a sport bottle and thus drink from it from time to time.

Water keep you in good health

Taking in a good amount of water each day is strongly recommended for your overall health. Hale and hearty people meet their water needs by sipping water whenever they are thirsty or drink with meals. Nearly all of your water requirements are achieved by means of the water you take in. Keeping yourself sufficiently hydrated is among the most beneficial choices you could make to greatly improve your well-being.

It really can boost your mental outlook

Water intake tends to make us really feel so invigorated that it certainly strengthens our mental outlook. You do not have to be highly in dire need of it to reap some benefits. Likewise slight dehydration can be justified to adversely affect moods.

Boost muscle tone

Taking in water reduces muscle constriction and even lubricates joint parts in your body. By being fully hydrated, you might be able to work out for a longer time and still remain strong without being tired.

Create routine with water

In addition to fibre, water is vital for a good digestive system. Drinking water can break down waste matter and then successfully pass them easily using your digestive tract. For anyone who is dehydrated, your system takes up all the fluid, making your bowel movements dry and even much harder to pass.

Drinking water is a secret weapon for your skin

Whether or not you would like shinier hair, young-looking skin, a much healthier body or pretty much all three. Natural, plain water is the world’s greatest beauty secret. It nourishes your skin. Reduces fine lines and ageing signs. Water is nature’s exclusive beauty treatment. Water intake will hydrate your skin cells and plump these up, which makes your face appear youthful. Also it helps to remove harmful particles, and promotes blood flow, making your skin spotless, beautiful and healthy.

It supports our joints and cartilage

Water supports the cartilage around your joint parts to remain lubricated and therefore flexible. Moreover, it guards your spinal cord and body tissues, maintaining healthy body from the internal to the external.

Drinking water helps prevent kidney stones

Kidneys remove waste materials from the body, help to regulate the blood pressure level. Kidneys balance essential fluids in the body, these are important to making our body systems function properly. The rate of severe kidney stones is increasing as a result of people, among them are children, who are not drinking sufficient amount of water.

Drinking water dilutes the minerals and salts in the urine that produce the solid crystal deposits referred to as kidney stones. Kidney stones are unlikely to appear in watered down urine. For this reason, you can minimise the likelihood of having kidney stones with more water. Water helps to keep your kidneys functioning properly.

Any time you are mildly dehydrated, your fat burning capacity may possibly decrease. To become dehydrated reduces blood flow level, which can also reduce its supply to the muscles. It goes without saying, this could certainly cause you to become exhausted, both in physical terms as well as mentally. Hardly any positive energy flow is released when you are worn out, in particular if your main goal is for you to stay energetic at the time you are losing a few pounds.

Water improves your calorie burning capacity, makes it possible for you to appear considerably more focused, in addition to it encouraging your digestive organs and even bowels to function in harmony. It could actually supply your skin type with a healthy and also natural glow or even help to make your hair look healthy. Consider taking in water as an important part of any beauty routine. Keep yourself hydrated for a much healthier appearance. Stay hydrated with water for a much better lifestyle.

Nevertheless, how does one drink a sufficient quantity of water? About 2 litres daily may seem like a whole lot. You can imagine a big plastic type water bottle, or just a collection of cups that are filled up with drinking water. Actually it is no that much. Extend sipping water over the rest of the day. Just in case you may not prefer it cold, make a cupful of warm water with honey together with lemon juice. It helps make an excellent tonic for the liver too. Include a drink of water with every food selection.

Frequent intake of water will probably cleanse out unwanted harmful toxins from the system and supporting internal organs work more effectively, firming the muscle tissues as well as moisturising the skin directly.

That being said, will consuming water certainly make it easier to lose weight?

The quick response is a yes, drinking the recommended measure of water everyday will allow you to reduce weight.

In case you are on the move, bring a bottle of drinking water and so drink out of it while you move around. Go for water rather than fizzy drinks whenever you find yourself at the bar or pub. Increase on your fruits, green vegetables and also legumes intake, these can provide you with more additional water. These do not appear too unhealthy, does it?

Sipping a glass of water before you have a meal is great for curbing your craving for food. Also taking in water with your food creates the impression of satisfaction a lot faster. However water will not settle a long time in the digestive tract. But should you keep yourself hydrated on a regular basis, it will be easy to maintain the feeling of satisfaction for a longer time duration.

Drinking water probably will not supply you with stamina just like food or some other beverages, however it can help in a number of different ways. Making sure your system is well hydrated is known to work against mild to severe headaches, and at the same time increasing focus as well as boosting memory. You will have a lot more likelihoods of getting the energy together with determination to work out regularly or possibly stick to your diet plan in contrast to feeling burnt out, unfocused or perhaps with a headache or migraine.

It is possible to consume several cups of water that you like on a daily basis without being concerned with the amount of calories you consumed. Water content provides you with zero fat with no calories as well as being the best natural drink you could have. Alongside taking in water you will be basically lessening the intake of some other foods and drinks, a number of them having a large amount of excess calories as well as sugars. As expected there are healthy fat burning drinks to take in, yet somehow not one of these is really important to the human system as water.

Dehydration brings about tiredness, much less energy levels as well as hunger-like overwhelming sensation. A number of times, many people confuse thirst for hungry pangs and then have a meal rather than drink. Drinking water is a natural hunger controller, and as a result, consuming a glass of water once you appear hungry might very well get rid hunger feeling, in addition to making you stay well hydrated while you lose weight.

Consumption of water comes with a number of health and fitness benefits, however no one ought to drink water exclusively for weight loss goals. Nevertheless, as water improves the metabolic process, you should give special thought to drinking it as part of your fitness routine plan. Take in a lot more water for a health boosting figure. Drink more water for an optimum well-being.

Drinking water improves food absorption and strengthens the standard working conditions of several human systems along with the liver. Insufficient frequent consumption of water may possibly delay the digestive process, lower fat burning capacity and therefore give the impression you may be uncomfortably full, coupled with tiredness. You will find that drinking water will give a boost to your body’s capacity to get rid of fat, which results in weight loss.

Show them much appreciation

Once your team welcome your vision and act by being confident in taking risks, do not fail to communicate your appreciation. Inspired, committed workers are well worth their responsibilities. Therefore make sure you do whatever practicable, to keep them fulfilled including regular rewards so long as possible.

Encourage staff to be creative

Your work environment may evolve from the industrialised period of producing stuff to today’s mental era of supplying service. It will influence to a great extent exactly what you require and demand from your workforce. Until recently, you may have considered manpower as necessary to operate machines and produce goods. However, since production shifted off machines, you may have switched from horse power to brainpower. Staff ideas and information they know can power outputs these days.

Innovative visions and goals

Whether you are a business founder, Chief executive officer, manager, or perhaps senior officer, your task is always to depict an exciting vision of just where your business is going. These are the key reasons why your business exist, together with how exactly it conducts business. To make staff quite fired up, it is essential to present a brilliant detailed description of exactly what the business will look like, once the project goals are realised.

Support staff personal interests to align with their job specifications
A single skill fits all careers no more exist. Idea is a personal thing and not every workers think the same way. You need to begin to re-organise the way staff analyse things. Their reasoning that is desirable in their professions to stimulate their interest, passion, enthusiasm, and overall performance. Once you do this, staff will become more committed and enthusiastic to their work and perform the job at remarkable level. Boredom together with discontentment at work will disappear altogether.

Motivate and get involved
These days, management will need to motivate and involve their staff to fire up their interests and emotions. The rule to command and control is no more. It is advisable to interact with staff to fully understand and acknowledge them, to be able to encourage them to operate at their most effective level. Organisation need to relearn the right way to include their workforce, and as a result, expect significant turnover.

Career progression
Small to medium sized establishments typically will not have the options to compensate committed and well performing employees with promotions. Nevertheless they can still encourage staff members by supporting their professional career improvement. Present each member of staff a particular task that can assess them and so improve their competencies. Alternatively, team a staff up with another staff member, so they could learn from each other.

Recognise and compensate
Mark achievements. Bonuses do not need to be in real money, it can be flexible working times, promotion, a short break. Use your imagination. When the staff achieves certain goals, recognise and compensate.

Work life balance
in many cases, small businesses are in a position to create flexible working plans for their staff as compared to a number of large corporations. For a selection of employees, including people who will have to pick kids up from school, or even more mature staff members who may not choose to work full time. Convenient working hours could be a massive reward.

Communicating with staff
Firing up team work enthusiasm is really about connection. Intellectually connecting to your staff by understanding their specific duties, could motivate them to look experienced and competent. Communicate the importance of effective working relationship with teammates and senior staff. Find out if they enjoy the job they are doing. This enhances even more satisfaction as well as fulfilment in their job.

Staff focused workplace culture
Staff get fired up working in a company that is certainly openly centred on their achievements and value. Establish a staff focused workplace culture. A workplace culture that is certainly employee targeted involves: learning to share exceptional visions and missions, goals together with objectives. This corporate culture readily appreciates, gives value to and even improves staff members skills, employs and retains the very best workers.  Adopting efficient, talent based employing procedure, reimbursing workers fairly and providing attainable rewards feature strategies. Offering ongoing aptitude and professional improvement; as well as setting up a culture of willing involvement or participation.

In spite of this, returning to your regular employment does not need to be demoralising, therefore there is no need for you to go back to work with a sense of anxiety. As a result of your mind and focus still remaining on holiday, even though your actual physical attendance is definitely and certainly needed at the workplace. Typically, these types of sentiments are short-term, weeks of adaptation as you familiarise yourself with your everyday regular work routine. There are a selection of things you can try out to combat the back to work blues, as you relax back into work.

These are some simple tips to eliminate back to work blues:

Blues are short-lived

Keep in mind that after probably one week, you will find yourself over the blues, and even in a position to engage yourself in your working life yet again. Be very easy on your self for the very first week you return. You can have a therapeutic massage, go to sleep for a longer time or simply engage in anything that gives you excitement.

Arrange anything pleasurable after work

It is advisable to ease yourself back to work gradually, therefore organise something pleasant for the late evening after the first day back at work. Perhaps a fantastic dinner or maybe a visit to the movies. Put aside anything to look forward to.

Select a specific relaxation time

It will help to always keep the body and mind in good condition. The amount of time or the technique you use in doing this may have to vary, based on which relaxation medium you decide on. However, it is vital that you still find the time for this during your few weeks of going back to work.

Plan and package your next holiday vacation

Holiday period generally create sensations that our day-to-day occupations tend not to. The most convenient approach to eliminating those impressions of back to work blues, would be to get right into arranging the next holiday. Even though you may very well be looking at a short weekend break getaway, you should have another thing to plan for.

Try eating healthy

Make an effort to greatly improve your daily diet, in addition to steering clear of stimulants when you possibly can. Too much caffeinated drinks could cause you to experience restlessness or agitation.

Consume more water

Drinking water tends to make us appear more energised, that it may really help to improve your mental attitude.

Maintain active brain

Do not belong to the few people who choose to sit back and simply wait around for the post-holiday blues and even loss of focus to pass by. To continue to keep the brain active at work, you should: keep yourself properly hydrated or your productivity might greatly reduce. Spend time practising breathing exercises to oxygenate the brain and increase alertness. Include at a minimum less than 30 minutes of sunbathing daily to raise the serotonin levels. Eat healthier foods, include different berries and many types of nuts, and have frequent breaks to achieve efficiency.

A set routine for those working from home

In case you decide to work from home, resettling back to the daily routine could be more challenging. The fact you have no one else to assign to you any set routine, may make you struggle with post holiday blues. You may start by scrubbing the floor or doing something else, instead of concentrating on your work. To eliminate the back to work blues, you should start by tidy up your regular work-space, create a routine. Leave the house for lunch break if necessary.

Exercise routine

Visiting the gym or pilates classes or doing a a few mile run. Alternatively going for 30 minutes walk could make you feel much better. Your physical health and fitness circulates directly into your mental wellness, enabling you to be more effective and focus a lot more. Individuals will have the ability to better manage pressure when their systems are in good physical shape. Including sessions of routine workouts into your exercise program helps to develop muscle control, allow you to experience more satisfaction, look healthier and can boost self confidence.

Socialise

A good number of scientific studies have connected mental health to social life. Many people are not happy and are stressed out to go out after they return from a vacation. It is possible to eliminate the back to work blues by planning social nights out, subscribe to a club, or possibly be a volunteer for a a non-profit organisation.

Concentrate on a completely new project

You may basically need an exciting activity one day each week to keep your brain working actively again as well as keep the body in good health. Consider fast paced dancing, gardening or maybe anything outdoors. It could be work connected or even you can work with any professional bodies or perhaps shadow another worker from a different department? To be active by concentrating on new projects is crucial to feeling full of life, therefore eliminating the back to work blues.

Coffee contains caffeine and any caffeinated drink is a stimulant that keeps you high, and then suddenly leaves the body and you crash. It is much better to avoid caffeinated drinks completely. You will find some helpful ideas to minimise the transition phase from feeling worn-out to being fully alert. The best coffee substitute will ensure that you stay fit and alert with ease.

Choosing the best coffee substitute that ensures you stay fit and alert:

Enjoy enough fresh air

A sunny, hot or stuffy environment is a sure way to cause you to feel exhausted. Circulating clean air will help you stay fit and alert. Make sure you open your windows. In case it is very cold, slip on extra layers of clothing instead of switching the heating system on. Cold air flow is better to breathe in, this can make you stay alert.

Physical fitness

Include any exercise related routine right early in the morning. During the warm months, you could do a short early hours run and consequently you will find it very helpful in feeling fit and alert afterwards. when the outside weather condition hovers around a minus, you could start to attempt just a few push-ups in the room. The physical exercise can get your heart pumping, snapping you off a dazed state.

Engage in active tasks

Start out your day with task that energetically makes use of your mind. Very creative tasks, such as writing, sketching, coding or designing can produce better results as compared to passive task such as reading. By concentrating the mind, you could stay alert and eliminate any undesirable drowsiness.

A very good laugh

Watch a humorous video clip or start reading your chosen comic strip. A very good chuckle could refresh your mind, enabling you to stay fit and alert a bit longer.

Do not miss morning meal

Get out of bed early enough to find food to eat. Not eating meals in the morning can put your metabolic rate out of balance. This can result in you eating unhealthy food during the day, therefore piling on fat and suffering loss of energy. Leaving out breakfast means your blood sugar level will probably be low the next morning.

Get sugar-free peppermint chewing gum

It would not rot your teeth, also it is likely to generate just adequate physical exertion to help you stay alert. Strong peppermint flavours appear to be more effective for many folks. There is a thing about that freshly mint flavour.

Move around

You can observe the twenty minutes rule. Which means you set aside every 20 minutes to move around. After you get through that first few days, the desire to sit down for very long is often no longer needed.

Get uninterrupted sleep

This one ought to be clear. The easiest way to stay alert is usually to be properly rested. When you get sufficient uninterrupted sleep, it will probably be easier to stay alert and fit any time you really need.

Creative distractions

Give yourself a few minutes to visit social media websites, go through some interesting blog posts or do things that can help you to loosen up. You may find yourself re-energised and ready to meet the next couple of hours’ work. De-stressing that way for a few minutes could have a remarkable result, enabling you to focus more on your job, when you go back to them afterwards.

Take a rest from screen time

Focusing on screens such as your personal computer or any screen based gadget can cause visual as well as mental exhaustion. Take a rest from the screens and make a plan with pen and paper. Make an effort to stretch your vision by looking at objects near and far away, alternating fairly quickly if possible.

Night sleep

The apparent solution to preventing sleepiness would be to get extra sleep at night. Some people go around all week without enough sleep and hoping to create time for sleep at the weekend, this is not healthy. Rather, you can compress some of your work routine into the early part of the day, to make it possible for you to get the 6 to 8 hours of sleep you need every night.

Low carbohydrate snacks

Low carbohydrate fruits including oranges, apples, grape fruits and raspberries are amazing energy boosters and can help you to stay fit and alert. Try to avoid breads and other dairy products and even meats.

Being self-employed, master of your own kingdom and Chief Executive Officer of your own company holds many benefits; you set your schedule and hours; you reward yourself when you want and can and you dictate when you holidays. You are not beholden to anything or anyone other than…

… your profit margin, continually trying to expand, improve and evolve your empire, as well as balancing those essential long days with family and social commitments. The rewards of running your own business should outweigh the negatives but, on occasions, this balance gets lost.

One thing that many entrepreneurs are not prepared for is the abject loneliness that running a business can bring. The majority of huge, successful companies start with one person, sat in a shed/garage/outbuilding/kitchen table slaving away over their brilliant idea. It can take some time before the business is in a position to employ anyone, let along move away from the shed or kitchen table.

Is networking the key? 

In big companies or even smaller ones who employ staff, there are water cooler friends and colleagues. Those people that we strike up working relationships with, as well as friendships can be the people who act as a sounding board. You may have an issue with a computer program or you have come across a difficult customer or client, and wonder if anyone knows the best way of ‘dealing’ with them… and all the other scenarios you can think off, water cooler friends are essential in many cases for boosting confidence and ability. They are a great way of letting off steam, and getting the run down on who is doing what and where…

You get the picture. Once you go self-employed, the fact is that for a run of a few days or more, you may not actually see or contact anyone. With many businesses carving their way on the Internet, it is no surprise that on occasion, despite all the major advantages, loneliness can impede many a dream.

Networking is the answer and although you may not ‘feel like it’, it is essential; from finding new clients to finding a friendly ear, this is a great way to alleviate boredom.

Social media networking

Social media is a many-faceted thing; hate it or loath it, all those social media apps out there are popular. People use them. They use them to promote and market their business but there is also another bow to social media fiddle that you can tap into… networking.

Using just one example of Twitter, there are many groups and ‘hours’ on Twitter than serve the purpose of networking, that maybe could alleviate some of this loneliness linked with running a business.

Firstly, the loneliness is not a physical ache as we may know it, but more a void where your boisterous office colleagues once occupied. Networking on Twitter can open up a whole new landscape of people and contacts that can make the process of running your business a little easier; think of it as a virtual water cooler.

• Hours – there are various groups in Twitter and you will need to spend some time finding them but, we find that the various groups using #hours as their call signs are all ways of finding some virtual business friends. For example, many operate in geographical locations so if you are based in the North of England, there are #hours here that will help you tap into local businesses and people.
• Business based group – there are also various groups set up by businesses just like yours that tap into a speciality. For example, if you are a web designer, then seeking out various groups that look at web design, latest innovations, software, programming etc. could be one way of making contact with other professionals.
• Specialist groups – there are also groups that are set up specifically to meet a need that people before you may have identified. One very proactive group is a networking group that specifically supports women in business. This Twitter group in the North West has such a following that they now meet on a regular basis for a breakfast and morning of networking. Although they charge a fee for this, for many entrepreneurs this has been an invaluable, yet relatively inexpensive way of finding people who acts as friends and mentors. There are examples of such groups across the UK; search Twitter to find out more!

Many of these social media groups are quick to foster a sense of community so, the next time you feel a little lonely, adrift or are wrestling with a problem, ask the online, social media community for help… you’ll be surprised who will come forward (and how many!)

The office Christmas party can be a minefield of one faux pas after another, creating an embarrassing few days after the event… or, they can be  hours of boredom, where you have to make small talk with people you hardly know from a department your rarely venture to… or, they can be great fun, where you mix and mingle.

Whichever opinion you hold about the office Christmas party, there are certain do’s and don’ts that can help you avoid a complete diplomatic disaster. Here we have collected some of the more sane suggestions to help get you through the office Christmas do…

1. Beware declarations of undying love – making them and receiving them

Office romances hold a whole different ball game; they either work or they don’t, but it can mean that as colleagues, we can get caught in the cross-fire.

However, in terms of the office Christmas do, if you have long lusted after a chap in accounts, or have feeling for the boss’s PA, a drunken declaration of your undying love, lust or both is not the done thing. It is no way to start a relationships and frankly, breathing alcoholic-fuelled breath over someone is no way to impress them… neither is dancing on the table.

2. Beware the demon drink… 

Getting rip-roaring drunk so you can no longer say your own name or focus is not the way to create the impression you want among colleagues and bosses. Getting tiddly and allowing your natural sense of humour to shine is fabulous but anything beyond this is bad taste. You can’t remember what you said and to whom, but your colleagues, either sober or slightly tiddly will…

3. Gifts…

Secret Santa is great but only if everyone enters into it with the right spirit. Choose your gift carefully for the recipient and avoid anything that can cause offence, which can be anything from edible underwear to a diet book for one.  Not everyone shares the same sense of humour and so being boring with your Christmas gift is just fine on this occasion…

4. Your stories

The one thing about alcohol is that it makes us loose-lipped, something that those World War II posters warned us about all those years ago. Making sure you don’t divulge the biggest skeleton you have in your closest will be something you will thank us for, when you wake up next morning and don’t need to coil up in embarrassment or emigrate, depending on the scale of the embarrassment factor.

5. ‘Dirty Dancing’ moves

We don’t think we need to explain this in detail; you flying off the desk, hoping Gary from accounts has developed a dancing capability of professional since the last office Christmas party will not end well.

6. Switch the photocopier off

There is no need to photocopy anything. And we mean anything.

7. Are you the boss?

If you are, act as such! You may want to let your hair down and this is all well and good, but there are better ways of doing it that da dancing with Barbara from accounts or getting so drunk your PA needs to put you in a taxi… and telling everyone you love them (or something similar) is not a wide move either.

But, don’t be a party pooper either. Balance is the name of the game here.

8. Party ‘dress’

Another common source of potentially huge embarrassment is what you wear to the Christmas office do. We came across a website that advises against women wearing ‘slinky dresses and plunging necklines’ and that the unbuttoning of two top buttons for male colleagues to ‘show off their muscles’ was also unacceptable. Your dress code should be like your behaviour; smart, casual but appropriate.

9. Talking business

This is a really toughy and not talking shop can be incredibly difficult, especially when you know very little about colleagues from a social or personal point of view. Finding something to talk about other than enquiring after the health of their dog/cat/hamster/mother or prized begonias can be a whole new challenge. And, even worse, if you are the boss you are expected to know your employees and interact accordingly. So, do some swotting up on who is who and mingle with some great, pre-planned small talk.

1. Leaving too soon…

EVERYONE has to go through the Christmas party; some people dread it and other relish it but, if you are not a party or social animal, do not bow out completely. It is important to ‘show your face’ and make an effort. Even if it the most boring party ever, you need to be there…

And so, following the roundup of 10 do’s and don’ts at office Christmas parties will ensure you are not the embarrassing colleague that they are all talking about around the water cooler on Monday morning…

Productivity – how much we do in a day… let’s consider what we do in a given 24 hours: it can be an endless round of rushing, school runs, work, rushing, picking up from school, rushing and, sometimes an unwelcome hic-cup to the specified routine can leaves us all feeling a little frazzled.

And yet, as humans, we are innately tuned to keep driving ourselves forward, to keep reaching for bigger and better things. This in itself, is not a bad thing. But, within tis quagmire of responsibility and drive, the need to increase our productivity and achievements within a day, week, month or year can leave us feeling a little bereft, run down and adrift.

Simple solutions mean so much

And yet, all around us is the elixir of life. It is a simple structure, possibly one of the simplest known to man: a transparent liquid, it is odourless and in its most natural form, tasteless. Consisting of two hydrogen atoms attached to a lone oxygen atom, liquid water is an extraordinary substance. As one scientific headline states, water is not a bit player in life, but the main headline.

Human cells need water to function and yet, many of us overlook how and when we include water in our day and so, as we seek to maintain momentum and improve productivity, it seems that the answer is staring us in the face – we need to drink more water.

Hatch a plan!

So, before you reach for the painkillers to numb the headache that has been troubling you all day, or book a GP appointment to talk about your low mood and dizzy spells, why not take a look at how water can help you in living life to the full…

• Fatigue buster and energy booster – forget energy drinks with caffeine for the ‘boost’ you say you need, simply keeping your body hydration levels topped up can be a huge step forward to maintain energy levels through the day, and fighting off fatigue. Productivity in work and life required focus and concentration, something that is difficult to do with a headache, yawning, tiredness and general feeling below par.
• Weight maintenance and loss – reducing fat intake, and keeping an eye on the calories is something we all need to do, but when you are feeling ‘hungry’, what do you do? Reach for a healthy snack or reach for a glass of water? Studies have shown that for many people, they confuse the feeling of thirst with hunger so before reaching for the fruit bowl, drink a glass of water.
• Gets rid of nasty stuff – toxins are all around us; we consume them physically, as well as inadvertently breathing them in and so, our hard-working organs need some help. Water is that liquid that can grab all these toxins and help the body to flush them out of the system. This, of course, makes us feel much better and – hey presto! – your productivity levels rise as a result.
• The skin– there is a saying that the skin, the biggest organ of the body, has a habit of showing us (and the world!) our inner state in terms of health; if your skin is poor and complexion dull, you will find that drinking more clean, fresh water is beneficial, the results of which will surpass results from any anti-aging treatment!
• Regularity – your ‘system’ is constantly working; the breakfast you ate, it is processing as you work. The working lunch and the delights of your evening meal, along with all the other bits and bobs through the day are being consumed and processed by your system. Our inner workings are a constant whirl, as are we, so why not reward it by making its function easier, by drinking more water? You will feel better and, this affects your productivity…

(Can you see the picture emerging?)

• Immune system – and as well as processing everything you throw at it, your body is also protecting you from the germs and infections that are around it every day, all of the time. Water won’t stop you being ill but, keeping your system hydrated with water, making sure you look after yourself, will mean less days off work, less down time and less lost productivity.
• Headaches! – do you have a friend, relative or colleague that constantly complains of headaches? Do they have a supply of various painkillers? Do you see them drink water? The likelihood is that the vast majority of dull, throbbing headaches we have are a sign of the onset of dehydration. Drink water, regularly, throughout the day and these headaches may no longer exist!
• Cramps and sprains – water if the body’s lubricant and it doesn’t have enough, it will use it to keep the core of itself working, meaning that muscles and ligaments will be last on the list; they will have just enough to keep them moving but, they are not as elastic. Playing hard sports means that ligaments and muscles can be starved quickly of hydrating fluid; the answer is simple… more water!
• Mood – no one would suggest that water is the cure for all mental health issues but, if you feel your mood suddenly ‘sag’ for no apparent reason, it could be your brain is struggling because it is not as hydrated as it should be.

It is just good stuff – from the office water cooler, from the tap or bottled at source, water is an all-round good liquid that is essential for every human body… and yet, so many of us ignore it!

Water, as we know, is a liquid we ALL need and, according to various pieces of research and studies, the vast majority of us do not drink enough. Some people seem to be in the habit of consuming more fluid in a day than others, and yet some people seem to survive quite adequately on a cup of tea here, and another small drink later in the day etc.

But, on the surface we all may ‘look’ the same, it can soon become apparent by carrying out our own water-drinking ‘experiment’ that increasing the amount we drink, and when, can have a real and very positive impact on the way we feel and function in the day.

Why do some people not drink enough?

There are time, however, when it seems impossible not to be able to drink more than we do. Work – busy, fractious, tense, non-stop – can mean that getting time to drink is difficult; remembering to drink within this time frame when there is so much else to do and, admit it, we all know that we drink IN, needs to come OUT… and for some people, running back and forth to the loo every 5 minutes can be more than an inconvenience!

But, drinking water at the right time, can be a huge help in ensuring you get the maximum impact from re-hydrating. And it seems from studies and experiments that one of the best times to drink water is first thing in the morning…

Sleep and hydration

Our bodies are complex ‘machines’; finely balanced, they need all the right ingredients and bits of ‘fuel’ in order to function at their best. They can ‘survive’ in some cases, where some things are lacking but we all know that a good night’s sleep, good food and exercise all make us feel and function much better.

Fluid is one of these key ingredients in ensuring that our bodies are able to function. We need sleep too, even though we once thought that this was to rest the brain, it now seems that sleep is to rest us physically as the bran is just as active as we sleep, as is it when our eyes are open! It seems strange to think we concentrate and focus our minds as we sleep, but we do.

But something else happens as we sleep. Slowly, over the course of an eight period of shut-eye, we dehydrate. Not because we sweat profusely or any such thing, but because our bodies need fluid in order to function. Just like driving a car down the road, or letting it idle on the driveway consumes fuel, albeit at a slower rate, our bodies consume water.

However, we don’t drink as we sleep. And so, it seems that on waking we should replenish this fluid store within us immediately. Those that do this say that it helps their energy levels no end; it stops them sliding, making the rest of the day far easier in terms of maintaining these energy levels.

How much?

Various studies seem to point out that 16oz of water drank at the point you wake up is the optimum amount. There are also various scientific studies that suggest, depending on weight and height etc. that some people could and should consume more, but opting to drink 16oz is a great way to start your day…

1. Your metabolism is the speed at which your body works internally, as it processes food and liquid etc., throughout the day. Drinking a large glass of water first thing in the morning, it is suggested, gives your metabolism a significant boost!
2. When you awake from an 8-hour sleep, you are technically dehydrated, although it is true that we rarely wake up thirsty!

• Kidneys are the organise that process and discard all the toxins within the body; they work incredibly hard, especially when we drink alcohol and so water is beneficial in helping the kidneys flush out toxins etc. Doing this first thing in the morning is known to be beneficial to kidney function.

1. The brain, the most important organ in the body, is 75% water; if you are not hydrated to a decent level, your brain may not function to the best of its ability. If you suffer from sudden drops in mood or concentration, drink water!
2. And, for many us, maintaining a healthy weight is a daily battle but, many people who drink water at the right time, from a large glass first thing in the morning and maintaining hydration levels through the day, will tell you that drinking plenty of water makes them eat less! Thirst is commonly mistaken for hunger…

The human body is 72% water…

… and yet, we seem to starve it of the very thing that it needs most – water to maintain its smoothing running and functioning throughout the day.

So why not kick start your day with a large glass of water? You will be amazed at how great you start to feel and how quickly this new habit will stick!

“Is it time to ditch the kettle?” is not a question you may have asked yourself or, your staff team – in fact, to suggest to the team that the kettle has to go, could be the stuff of turmoil and great tension.

However, let us be a little mercenary for a moment… an employee decides they want a cup of tea. They make their way to the kitchen, cup in hand and flick the kettle switch. They may carry on an do a few small ‘jobs’ in the time it takes the kettle to boil or, they may take this few minutes – shall we say 5 minutes? – to think through ideas and thoughts on their current project (or plan their next holiday… it really doesn’t matter what they are thinking, to be honest!).

So, 5 minutes per employee; shall we say 3 cups of hot beverage within a working day? That is 15 minutes per employee, over 5 days a week, which equates to 75 minutes or 1 hour, 15 minutes waiting for the kettle to boil, per employee.

BUT, before you cry foul and suggest that cups of tea, coffee or hot chocolate are with banned, cut down to 2 a day, or your chain your staff to their seat/chairs/counters etc., there is another option… a mains fed hot water boiler!

As important as…

… the networked computer system being up and running, the provision of a kettle is important to staff morale and well-being, as working in an environment that is clean, light, airy and warm.

However, focusing just on the negative impacts of the kettle boiling ritual on your business is actually missing the bigger picture.

Consuming energy

Information and marketing from various energy saving agencies and consumer organisations point out that boiling the kettle actually costs you more in terms of money than possibly any other electrical appliance within the home.

And that is at home; imagine the cost of the kettle being flicked on and off throughout the day at your work premises? Energy is expensive and, it will show no signs of decreasing in cost within the next few years either; the opposite is likely to be true, with the cost per kilowatt increasing year-on-year.

Energy saving is about using energy wiser and, in many cases, companies are beginning to take this more seriously, by looking at how they consumer energy as well as looking at alternative sources of power. Just because a company is generating its own power with solar panels, doesn’t mean it can ‘waste’ this valuable power on the kettle!

Saving energy

And so, setting aside the ‘5 minutes wasted at the kettle’ argument (no one believes it anyway!), the over-riding benefit of a hot water boiler is this – is consumes far less energy and produces boiling water with each twist of the tap, instantly; no hanging around, no sucking monster amounts of expensive energy to boil a kettle for a lonesome cup of tea.

Productivity

However, there are times when the kettle can form a welcome calming influence in times of stress, anxiety and general crisis.

But, the hot water boiler can perform this function just as well. Some would even go on to suggest that a water boiler can help in the productivity of a workforce… think of this scenario:

Staff have struggled in through cold, ice and snow on the ground to get in to work where, waiting for them is a hot drink, instantly poured and served from the boiler. Fresh water, freshly boiled and instant.

So, the ease and convenience of a water boiler goes without saying and yet, there are so many office spaces out there, factories and production units that rely on a domestic kettle to boil litre upon litre of boiling water, one after another.

In a fast-paced environment, this can be a problem. Some people might sacrifice a hot drink during the day as it takes just too long to whip the kettle in to shape; just imagine the ease of walking up to boil, flicking that tap and filling your cup with boiling water. You could be back at your desk within seconds, never missing the opening the Japanese stock exchange or the important phone call, or the email or…

You get the picture. Water boilers are useful, convenient and coveted within the workplace. They are relatively inexpensive to purchase and are certainly far cheaper to operate that the ‘ordinary’ kettle. Better still, they can be bought to ‘match the size’ of your organisation, from the small workforces to making drinks on an ‘industrial’, catering scale!

Take another look… and we know that once you have one, you will wonder why you never bought one sooner!