Healthful tips everyone can use
Working up a sweat in a yoga session leaves us longing for a soothing drink. In the past, we’ve simply reached for our water bottle and while drinking lots of water is still part of our routine when hydrating for yoga (long live H2O!), we recently discovered an awesome hydration tip, and we thought you’d want to know about it too.
What if we told you that you could make your sips a little more delicious and nutritious?
Water Infusions
Sweeten and add flavor to your water naturally and add a few nutrients while you’re at it with these natural infusion recipes. They’re easy to make and delicious to drink. We think this is such a great tip for hydrating before or after a yoga class!
Making delicious water infusions is not an exact science and there is plenty of room for you to experiment to find what you like best. Simply add your favorite combination of flavors to a jug of drinking water and leave for a least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. Here are a few of our favorite combinations:
- Watermelon chunks and rinds with fresh mint leaves
- Strawberry slices and crushed basil leaves
- Blueberries and orange slices
- Lemon slices, orange rinds and fresh-picked cilantro
- Cucumber slices (with the rinds), lime wedges and strawberries
- Orange, cucumber and lemon slices, with sprigs of fresh mint
Infusions give you a refreshing kick of tantalizing flavors and many nutritional benefits to boot:
- Cucumbers have anti-inflammatory properties
- Citrus breaks down toxins and fat
- Mint helps with digestion
- Blueberries are loaded with antioxidants
- Strawberries boost immunity
The Stuff of Life
Why are we so hyped about fluids? They are truly the stuff of life. Our bodies are more than one-half water! Every cell, tissue and organ in the body needs water to work well. So, drink plenty of water and water infusions, eat hydrating foods like fruit and leafy green salads, and enjoy fresh smoothies as a treat to hydrate for yoga and for your health.
Here are some of the benefits of hydrating well:
- Increased energy level – for your yoga practice and daily life.
- Staying cool - especially in the summer and if you sweat a lot (don’t forget about electrolytes!).
- Good muscle and joint function
- Cardiovascular health
- Healthy Skin – sweating is also good for your skin.
- Weight management
- Natural detox – drinking enough water keeps the process of digestion and elimination working smoothly.
Image courtesy of gt_pann at FreeDigitalPhotos.net