Exercise is essential, but for many people there may be reasons why you feel you can’t participate in many activities. That’s where exercising in water can help.

For example, for those suffering from arthritis, water exercise can be a great way to get healthy  whilst reducing the impact and general wear and tear on joints that typically occur with out-of-water exercise.

Similarly, exercising in water can be very beneficial for those suffering with back troubles. This is because it removes a lot of the pressure on parts of the body, as it helps reduce a person’s weight while in the water.

Whilst many exercises will be off limits for pregnant women, water aerobics and other water based activities could be a great way for them to exercise during those often-difficult nine months.

But if you’re pregnant, remember to err on the side of caution and consult your doctor before taking up any exercise or other lifestyle changes.

Of course, you will know what your body is capable of and what it is currently the limit to your physical activity during pregnancy. A more moderate level of exercise is definitely recommended as a way to exercise, and also provide support for your leg and back. Water aerobics is also claimed to help women prepare for labour as well as gestation.

Having said all that, water exercise can be a great way for even the most healthy of people to take part in too. Water aerobics is very versatile, and can be just as intense as many forms of non-water exercise.

A few words of advice though: Just because you are exercising in water, don’t forget to actually drink enough of it – although not the stuff you’re exercising in of course!  Hydration is vital for any exercise whether on land or in the water.

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If you are into your sports then you really should consider the advantages of drinking water, if you haven’t done so already.

Whilst sports drinks may have flashy adverts and celebrity endorsements, refreshing natural water doesn’t tend to hog the limelight in regards to its advantages to active types.

This should be quite obvious when you think about it – humans are, after all, predominantly made up of water.

Your brain is 90% water; your muscles 70% water and your blood almost completely water. Then there are many other parts of the body that almost all consist mostly of water – so, without drinking enough of it, you will not be able to think as clearly, and your heart will have to work harder to do its job.

If you don’t keep yourself hydrated during exercise, you will also potentially risk dizziness and fatigue, amongst other things.

How does water keep you hydrated during exercise then? Well, not only does it help act as a natural lubricant for joints and your muscles, but it also helps carry oxygen and glucose around the body.

It also provides your muscles with the oxygen needed to keep them going strong however, and helps regulate your body temperature.

How much water should you drink then? Well this will depend on the individual, and the activity you are participating in. According to the Department of Health, we should drink around eight 150ml glasses of water each day, or six 200ml glasses.

It’s important to drink more during exercise too. Of course, the amount of extra water you drink will be different depending on your size, activity level and other factors, so it is well worth speaking to a nutritionist or trainer to see what works best for you.

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For many workers across the country the working day doesn’t begin until the first cuppa of the day has been drunk.  The morning cup of coffee or tea is part of the daily routine for millions.

However, as soothing as these hot drinks are, they both contain caffeine. And whilst a great treat on the odd occasion, teas and coffees laden with milk and sugar can have a negative impact on both teeth and weight – something which, I’m sure you’ll agree, is best avoided.

That doesn’t mean you have to avoid hot drinks altogether, though.

There are plenty of healthier alternatives you could turn to, and they don’t require masses of sugar and milk either.

All you have to do is fill up a cup with hot water from the office water dispensers, add a tea bag and stir.

Ginger tea, for example, is said to ward off illness during the early stages.

Thyme is believed to have a similar effect. It features volatile oils which can help to relieve congestion in the chest, which naturally makes it a go-to for people during the winter months.

If you’re looking to protect yourself against the effects of aging, why not try substituting your usual coffee for a cup of green tea?

Green tea boasts antioxidants. These compounds help fight free radicals in the body, which can damage cells, including skin cells.

And that’s just a small selection of the options you could choose from. Most supermarkets sell a whole range of alternative teas, so they aren’t difficult to find.

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The football season has kicked off once again, which means thousands of amateur and professional footballers will be taking to the park pitches every Sunday morning for the next eight months.

As with all forms of physical exercise, it’s absolutely vital for footballers to ensure they maintain a proper level of hydration whilst playing.

A lack of water intake can not only seriously impact performance levels, but can also have an ill effect on health.

If you’re all set to take to the pitch in the coming months, you should always ensure you have a full bottle of water to hand.

Before any game or training session, take a sports-cap bottle and fill it with fresh cool water. If you’re training at a leisure centre you might be able to fill it at the facility’s water coolers.

You could use a freeze box to keep the water at a low temperature during the game – especially useful if we’re lucky enough to experience an Indian summer this autumn.

However, if you do plan to use a freeze box, make sure you can easily get to it from the side of the pitch.

You’ll probably need to refresh at various points during the game – and the referee, your opponents, and, quite possibly, your teammates aren’t going to be best pleased with you if you interrupt the game to rush off to rehydrate.

(Although you should always drink if you feel the effects of dehydration coming on, no matter what other players think!)

There’s a real balance to be struck.  You need to drink enough water to keep your hydrations level up, but not so much you’ll be rushing to the bathroom at the most inopportune of moments.

The general rule is to drink normally before the game starts, drink when you feel necessary during the action, and a balanced amount during the halftime interval. This approach will provide you with everything you need to perform well and have a fantastic game.

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Water has many benefits beyond simply keeping you hydrated. In this blog, we discuss four little known benefits of drinking plenty of H₂O.

For example, water can help you lose weight. Often when you have that feeling of being hungry, it is actually your body telling you to take on more fluids. Drinking water can keep your appetite in check, so a glass of water instead of a chocolate bar will certainly help you keep the calories down!

If you drink enough water, your body will not need to retain as much fluid, and this has a number of benefits. Firstly, it can help in burning stored fat.

How? Well if you don’t drink enough water your liver will be busy helping the kidneys get your body detoxed. With plenty of water however, the liver can get down to what it should be doing and breaking down stored body fat.

Talking of fluid retention, drinking plenty of water can also help keep you looking young. By not drinking enough water, you force your body to retain more fluids, which can cause puffy skin.

Furthermore, those who don’t drink enough fluids may find themselves suffering from dry skin. Then, to counter this, they may invest in a variety of skin creams and moisturising products.

However, by just keeping up with the regular consumption of water they can avoid the need to spend so much on expensive moisturisers, as water will help keep the skin naturally moisturised.

If you’ve not been won over by the benefits of water yet, perhaps the fact that water is said to make you smarter will get you rushing to the water cooler. It is believed water helps get oxygen to the brain more effectively.

Not only that, it may also help support your nerve function too. This is because it helps keep electrolyte levels high.

Finally, water could also help make muscles stronger. Water plays a role in transporting oxygen to all cells in the body, and muscles are no exception!

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This year we’ve witnessed the best and worst of British weather, sometimes within a day of each other!

There have been scorching hot days of 30 degrees or more, followed by lots of rain, then back to gloriously sunny weather again.

This extreme range of temperatures is a good reminder of the importance of keeping yourself hydrated all year round.

Good hydration is a fundamental part of health and wellbeing. It is typically suggested you consume around seven or eight glasses of water a day, but that will depend on what you do each day, whether it be office work or exercise.

During the summer, water intake is obviously important, but that doesn’t mean you should slack off from drinking water when it gets a bit cooler.

After all, dehydration can come into play at any time in the year.

“But,” you might ask, “surely dehydration’s only a problem when the weather’s at its hottest?”

Well actually, it is a lot more common than you’d expect and can cause a lot of issues ranging from tension headaches and fatigue to dry skin and poor digestion.

As such, you really should look into providing your workforce with an adequate supply of water. A water cooler can provide your staff with all liquid refreshment they need to keep well hydrated throughout the day.

Water coolers have a social effect as well, providing staff with an area to get away from their desks and chat about the latest goings on, whether that’s TV and sport-related gossip, or work-related issues.

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While you want to be a good boss and let your staff drink what they wish during the day, it will also be advantageous to try and get them to consume more water.

The question is, how? Many people will be addicted to their elevenses or cans of pop, so might not be easily convinced to sacrifice their beverage of choice in favour of good old H₂O.

Well, it all starts by having the logistics in place. If you only have a kitchen sink and tap for people to get their water from, they are far less likely to gulp down a cup of the crystal-clear good stuff.

You’ll need a water cooler in place to try and draw them away from the sugary dark side, to the healthier world of fresh water.

Once you’ve got a cooler in place, make sure you have it well stocked with cups. Have someone monitor when the cups get low, that way people will never have the excuse of, ‘oh well I was going to have water, but there were no cups left’.

To tempt them to partake in more water consumption, why not invest in some low sugar natural cordials or teas. These will keep the benefits of water, but also provide a bit of variety for anyone who wants a bit more taste to their daily beverage.

But why exactly should you get your staff drinking more water?

Well, it is hugely beneficial in terms of keeping them hydrated, and water is surprisingly linked to helping cut down on depression and insomnia due to it providing the brain with some of the vital things it requires to fend off such ailments.

Factors like that can effect workplace performance, so you could actually be benefitting the member of staff and the productivity of your workforce, simply by fitting a water cooler into your office and encouraging staff to drink more.

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It’s easy to forget the importance of keeping yourself hydrated when you’ve got what seems like a million work tasks to complete and not enough time to do them in.

However, regardless of how much you’ve got to do and the length of the deadlines involved, you need to build in time during your working day for water breaks.

A stroll down to the office water coolers will allow you to stretch your legs, give your eyes a break from the computer screen, and, most importantly, rehydrate yourself.

But how can you tell if you’re suffering from the effects of dehydration?

It all depends on the amounts of water you’ve consumed during the day. You’ll start to experience a lull in productivity when tiredness sets in, you might begin to suffer from varying migraines or headaches, and you may feel the effects of muscle cramps.

These are only the relatively minor symptoms, though.

If you consistently let yourself become dehydrated you could experience more severe problems with your kidneys, your blood pressure may start to rise, and you may spot the signs of constipation.

Thankfully long-term and short-term problems can be avoided if you simply grab a few cups of fresh water during the day.

If you feel tired, hungry or thirsty – pop down to the water cooler, pour yourself a cool glass of water and rehydrate. That’s how simple it is.

When hydrated you’ll find your focus improved. This will allow you to feel refreshed, and tackle that mountain of tasks a whole lot better!

Latest news from Angel Springs, leading UK supplier of office water dispensers, bottled and mains-fed water coolers and eco boilers.