If you’re one of the many people in England who will have gone away this year, you will have hopefully enjoyed some sun and sand away from our shores. You may have also indulged in one too many cocktails, but for many, that’s part and parcel of going away.

Thankfully a handy detox solution could be closer than you think, especially if your office has a handy water cooler located nearby. Yes good old fashioned H₂O is considered a great way to detox yourself after a few too many cocktails, or just as a day-to-day purifier.

Forget the strong black coffee to perk yourself up, and instead just head over to the water cooler or the tap where your office provides drinking water, and fill up a glass.

In fact, drinking an icy cold glass of water could not only help keep your system in check, it is said to actually force the body to push on with your metabolism even more quickly than normal – a handy way of providing yourself with an extra metabolic fix.

By throwing a few extras into your water, you could even help encourage further detox – unfortunately though, that doesn’t mean coffee or tea, just plain old water with the occasional supplement. Lemon is said to be a good extra to add to your water, as are herbs. Alternatively, look at adding some milk thistle, as this is believed to really help with your body’s cleansing process.

Fruit and veg rich in high water content could also help your body to detox, and if you have a blender at home you can jam a few of them into the machine to make a soup if it’s particularly cold, or a tasty smoothie if the sun has made a rare appearance!

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

If you are looking at a way to help cut down on costs for your business, or just to help staff reduce their own lunch time expenses, a water cooler is a great answer to your problem.

In the first instance, it can help you cut down on buying lots of bottled water each week and then having to arrange for an effective disposal of them once they have been consumed.

Renting water cooler works out much cheaper in the long run. Furthermore, your water cooler supplier will usually offer a collection service on the big bottles if you opt for the bottled cooler option. Alternatively, a plumbed in water system will cut out the use of bottles completely.

In the second instance, you will also be able to help staff cut down on trips to expensive coffee franchises or splashing extra cash on a can or bottle of pop every day for lunch. Encouraging them to drink nice chilled water is a great alternative to fizzy pop or high-street coffee – best of all, it’s free (for them at least!).

If you are feeling generous and want to provide staff with hot drinks too, opt for an eco-boiler. This gives staff the option to make their own drinks, while at the same time helping you save money from people having to regularly use the staff kettle to boil a few drinks at a time – eco boilers are more energy efficient than kettles after all.

Then to really push the boat out, you can even look at buying some more extravagant coffee choices for your staff to dabble in from time to time. This treat may be seen as a better alternative to going down the road to grab a cup of coffee.

For a healthier option look at stocking up on some herbal teas or providing squash that staff can use if they prefer a big glass of a nice, cool drink.

Bottle coolers and boilers provide a great way for you to give staff a drink both hot and cold, and are a great way to cut down not only your own costs, but your staff’s too.

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

Last week Angel directors  John Murphy, Kevin Matthews, and John Dundon swapped the boardroom for the open road by completing the London to Brighton Cycle Ride on behalf of official charity partner Make-A-Wish Foundation UK®.

The team started the 54 mile challenge at South London’s Clapham Common at 9am traveling through Mitcham and Carshalton taking on the first hill ‘How Lane’ at Chipstead. They then continued down through Gatton, Nutfield Marsh, where they encountered ‘Church Hill’.

Peddling on through Outwood, Smallfield and almost 30 miles into the challenge they came across ‘Turners Hill’. Once completed and behind them they headed down Selsfield Common towards Hayward’s Heath.

After an exhausting 46 miles leaving Ditchling Village all three of the team came up against the mother of all hills and what many call the green monster ‘Ditchling Beacon’ which stands at a great 531ft. Once the last hill was complete it was onto the finish arriving in Brighton at 3pm.

After only training for 16 weeks this is a great accomplishment! On completing the challenge they had the following comments,

“The London to Brighton bike ride and the Wolverhampton marathon, which our Regional Sales Director Mark Cross completed, has generated a tremendous amount of awareness for the Make-a-Wish foundation. This incredible charity provide once in a life time wishes for children and young people suffering from life threatening illnesses. Angel Springs employees and the wider business community plus, friends and family all recognise what an important cause we are supporting. Although the ride was testing, the knowledge that we were supporting such an important charity was always going to drive us on and help us forget the fatigue!”

“At the end of the ride it was a mixture of relief, elation and a sense achievement. We have received so much generous support from so many people, and we are proud to have played a small part in the lives of young children and their families, who wish they had our problems to contend with, sometimes it’s easy to forget just how fortunate we all are…………….”

“May I thank everyone for their kind and generous support” John Dundon, Managing Director at Angel Springs.

John Murphy, Commercial Director at Angel Springs commented,

“The ride was a fantastic day’s fun with a great atmosphere amongst all of the riders, many thanks to everyone who supported us with their generous donations. There were a few killer hills thrown in just to challenge our resolve and remind us of our lack of fitness, knowing that we were raising money for such a fantastic cause was a great motivator.”

“Highlight of the day for me was JD telling Kevin he “no he can’t stop for a Sunday Lunch” just before one of the big hills. Shortly after this JD fell off his bike and head-butted a fence in front of a very busy pub resulting in a very kind lady coming out, picking him up and dusting him down. Was this divine intervention on Kevin’s behalf? I’ll leave you to make up your mind.”

Kevin Matthews FCILT, National Operations Director at Angel Springs commented,

“The ride was both challenging and rewarding, we all finished the ride in great spirits.”

“Although it was a very long day it was also very enjoyable, meeting so many others along the way made the ride so much easier although after six hours in the saddle it was great to see the finish line.”

“We raised a tremendous amount of money and thank you to all our supporters and my family who were at the finish line cheering all us home.”

Autumn has arrived, and the long, hot summer days are gone ‘til next year. It’s a sad, but inevitable state of affairs. But, hey, at least we don’t have to worry about drinking so much water, right?

Wrong.

While we may be more worried about wrapping up warm to prepare for the wintry cold, it’s still important to drink plenty of water.

Maybe it’s because we see keeping hydrated as something of a summertime concern, but many of us simply go back to drinking plenty of tea and coffee rather than ensuring we drink fresh, clear water. However, keeping yourself hydrated is just as important in the autumn and winter months as it is in summer.

That’s because keeping on top of your hydration can help you fight off infections – after all, keeping your body well hydrated helps keep your immune system in top condition. As well as fighting off infections, water is very good at keeping your natural ‘detoxification’ systems in check too.

Of course, if you do feel a little rough, it’s never too early to take the winter approach of lemon and honey. It’s a simple winter warmer, a dash of lemon and honey inside a warm glass of water – but it helps and you will at least start to feel better, even if it takes your body a little longer to be fully fitting fit. The same approach is great for combatting a sore throat too, so keep it in in mind the next time you feel a croaky throat coming on.

The cold weather also often leads to dry skin, and by keeping yourself well hydrated you can combat the effect of the chilly weather, and keep your skin shining through.

So remember, even if it feels like winter has come early, you should still keep a bottle of water in your bag!

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

The British weather is a topsy-turvy affair at the best of times, and this year is certainly no different. Just when it seems as if summer is well and truly gone, the weather will warm up again for a day or two out of the blue or, at least, it will turn very humid.

With the constant switch in temperatures, weather conditions and so on, it’s hard enough to prepare yourself clothes-wise for the day ahead, let alone for anything else. In the rush to get through the day, keeping well hydrated often gets overlooked.

At least during humid weather you feel a natural urge to consume more water, but once it gets chilly this may be put on the back burner in favour of hot cups of tea, coffee or even soup. So how can you encourage yourself, and fellow staff members to drink more?

Well, to mix things up and keep hydration high, you could encourage staff to eat more fruit, either by having a fruit bowl constantly topped up through the week, or having some literature lying around encouraging healthy eating, drinking and the five-a-day recommendations.

Having a water cooler fitted in your office is a great way to encourage people to stay hydrated. Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer in terms of how much a person should drink as it is very interchangeable between individuals – so just advise staff to factor in weight, size and general health, and tweak the old seven-glasses-a-day idea around that.

To get around drinking warm drinks instead of water when it gets chilly though, you’ll have to be a tad more creative. Look at healthy options such as green tea, or even leaving a jar of honey and some lemons available, so staff can create a simple winter warmer mixing water, a spoonful of honey and a dash of lemon.

It is important to drink more water regardless of the weather, but creating that habit is often the hardest part. With a few tweaks here or there, you’ll be able to at least get yourself and your staff going in the right direction.

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

While many of us say we will try and drink more water each week, for many the habit is easily broken and instead of drinking water we’ll revert to drinking another cup of coffee or a drink of pop.

If you follow these tips, however, you should find it easier to keep up a regular water drinking habit.

Of course one of the first questions on many lips is how much water should we drink? Unfortunately there is no concrete answer, so whilst once upon a time people would say you must drink seven glasses of water a day, nowadays it is seen as a lot more flexible and dependent on the individual, their environment, and their level of activity. You really need to consider your weight, height and other such factors to have an idea of how much water you should drink.

Bear in mind that you should not just start knocking back the glasses of H₂O when you feel thirsty, you should, instead, drink small amounts at regular interviews. This is exactly the reason why a water drinking habit is so important, if you leave it until you are thirsty, then the chances are you have already left it too late.

Keep a bottle, glass, or cup of water with you. Once you’ve drunk the water from your vessel of choice, just make sure you top it up again. If you’re busy and liable to forget, set an alarm on your phone or a reminder on your computer – you will definitely know you need to drink up when your own computer is telling you to drink more water!

If you’re a real stickler for efficiency and monitoring your level of water consumption, you can even track it by making a log or water drinking diary.

As outlined at the outset, many of us our guilty of swapping water for another beverage. To get out of that habit, do exactly the opposite. Swap your coffee for elevenses with water

Who knows? By cutting out your coffee, you might cut out a few too many biscuits and help keep your calories down too!

Just a few steps here and there can really help you form the habit you need to keep drinking water regularly.

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

You’ll have no doubt heard someone bemoan the taste of tap water in your workplace, or maybe you’re one of the few to have voiced their disapproval of the cold stuff over the years.

It is a fair enough observation in truth. The taste of water can certainly vary from one area of the UK to another, and you can always tell the difference between a glass of tap water, and a bottle of sourced mineral water.

However, in the workplace constantly having to buy individual water bottles from the shop can be a costly enterprise. Not only that, but you’ll then have to constantly recycle all of the cast off bottles. In itself that is not an issue, but if you have a large workforce you may need to have special collections organised.

Don’t fear however, there is a simple enough solution at hand – a water cooler. A mains-fed water cooler unit will provide you with chilled, filtered water, all transformed from the odd-tasting tap water supplying it.

These units are an effective way of utilising the water system already in place and providing countless cups of crisp, chilled water.

Alternatively, you may instead want to opt for a bottled water cooler. This does the same thing, but is fitted with a large bottle of water in lieu of a mains supply.

Usually your water cooler provider will be quite happy to take the old bottles when they deliver a new one, so you don’t need to worry about recycling or storing old bottles until you can find the time to dispose of them in a green fashion.

Once you have one of these types of water cooler in place you should never again hear the voices of disapproval on the taste of tap water. You may even find staff go to the cooler more often rather than opting for a hot drink! This means a healthier workforce too, as it is always recommended to drink plenty of water.

So all in all it’s a win win situation for you and your staff.

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

Drinking water has many advantages that you may not be completely familiar with. We all know the importance of water in keeping us hydrated, but did you know it can assist in weight loss, for example?

Here we look at six ways in which drinking water can benefit the body.

1.  Water as an aid to losing weight

Before you get too excited, water should definitely not be seen as the answer to all things weight loss. It can, however, play an effective part in a weight loss strategy. Swapping out cans of pop or other drinks for water will help shave off a few calories here and there, and eating filling water-rich foods is healthy and also offers a low-calorie alternative to fat-laden foods.

2. Water keeps your skin shining

Yes, good old- fashioned water can help keep your skin shiny and healthy looking. The reason being, the skin contains a lot of water. If you don’t drink water you can end up getting dehydrated and dehydration causes the skin to look dryer and wrinkled.

3. Water keeps the bowels functioning normally

Water can help prevent constipation by keeping things flowing along your gastrointestinal tract. And moving swiftly on…

4. Water helps the kidneys

On a similar line, water also helps keep the kidneys functioning properly. To best know if you are getting enough water to filter your kidneys, you can… (squeamish people look away now)… examine your urine. If it’s clear and flows freely while giving off no odour, then you’re drinking enough. However, if your urine is darker in colour it means you, perhaps, haven’t drank enough water.

5. Water helps energise the muscles

Drinking plenty of water is important in helping to energise the muscles too. This is especially the case when exercising. If you don’t drink enough water during a workout, your body cells may not maintain their balance of fluids and electrolytes start to shrivel, which can then result in muscle fatigue.

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

The weekend marked the 16th annual Carvers Wolverhampton City Marathon held at West Park. Angel Springs once again showed its support and commitment to Wolverhampton and local charities within the surrounding areas by supplying 10,000 bottles of 500ml spring water as this year’s official sponsor.

The Carvers Wolverhampton City Marathon has always been about bringing together local charities through people setting themselves a challenge, and this year was no different. Participants had the choice of taking part in the full marathon 26.2 miles, a half marathon 13.1 miles, 20k cycle race, the Bank’s 10K and children’s mini marathon.

Angel employees Kevin Matthews FCILT, Mark Cross and Simon Bennett took part in events on the day and had the following comments.

Kevin Matthews FCILT commented on the 20K Cycle Race,

‘I was amazed at the number of people who attended the event, Well done to all the angel team who spent hours giving out the water to runners and cyclists also well done Mark Cross for finishing the Marathon which is an excellent achievement and he also raised a great deal of money for make a wish.

‘Myself and Simon had a great time on the cycle ride being pulled along by all the professionals. Overall this was a great charity event and well done to everyone involved.’

Simon Bennett commented,

‘Thoroughly enjoyable day and great effort from Team Angel raising dosh once again for Make-A-Wish with Mark Cross completing the full Marathon with myself and Kevin completing the 19.4K Cycle races respectively.

‘More of a challenge than I thought it would be due to the fact of getting a puncture 7K into the race, but after a new inner tube I recovered sufficiently to finish the race.

‘Definitely up for another attempt next year and definitely going to smash my cycle race accomplice Kevin at second attempt, fully confident now at what to expect for next year.

‘Top event and well supported by all involved.’

Mark Cross who ran the full marathon had the following comments,

‘Having ran a couple of half marathons and a number of 10K races over the past couple of years I decided to push myself for the full marathon………my target was to run sub 4 hours but after double cramp in my calves with 7K left and hitting the ‘wall’ it slowed me down to achieve a time of 4hours 16minutes, however I’m now in the elite club (1% club) that can say they have ran a marathon! I was relieved and proud when crossing the finish line, the support from family, friends and Angel Springs staff during the race was fantastic. I’m also really close to reaching my goal of raising £1000 for Make-A-Wish Foundation UK. I’m not sure yet if I will run another one…’

Drinking water has many more advantages than people first imagine, one of which is in fighting against the risk of a kidney stone.

If you drink water regularly, you’ll reduce the risk of developing kidney stones. And as anyone who’s ever suffered with one of these painful pebbles will tell you, that’s certainly a good thing.

Although the exact causes of kidney stones vary, they’re always made of similar stuff – build ups of calcium, ammonia, uric acid or cysteine.

Many people will be glad to know that they can count things such as tea, coffee or juice towards their water intake, but it is always best to make sure you have plenty of pure, clear water too.

Apologies to the squeamish, but it’s well worth checking your urine to see whether you’re consuming enough water. Usually your urine will be clearer if you’ve been drinking plenty of fluids, but the darker it is, the more concentrated it is.

As well as drinking water, it’s important to keep on top of your diet. In some instances a kidney stone may be caused by an excess of calcium. It is usually recommended therefore to cut down the amount of oxalates in your diet – as oxalates can bond with calcium and cause the stones to form.

There is a variety of foods that contain a high level of oxalates, including asparagus, berries, chocolate, nuts – such as almonds, peanuts and cashews – and beetroot amongst others. Too much oxalate can prevent calcium being absorbed by your body, so if you eat a whole lot of these foods, you might want to think about cutting down.

Uric acid stones, on the other hand, can be aggravated by meat, poultry and fish. So if you’re a committed carnivore, you should consider eating a more balanced diet, or risk developing uric acid stones.

Drinking plenty of water will always be the first recommendation when it comes to avoiding kidney stones though, so always have a cup to hand while you’re at work.

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