Reasons to Drink More Water + Cool Gear Review
7 Reasons to Drink More Water:
- Lose weight. Water can suppress your appetite and boost your metabolism. You can also use it to replace high-calorie sodas and other drinks in your diet.
- Look younger. Dehydrated skin cells can cause your skin to look wrinkled or saggy. Regular and plentiful water consumption will help your skin generate new cells properly, which should improve the color and texture of your skin, and should give your skin a more youthful glow.
- Flush toxins. Water aids our blood circulation, kidney function, and digestive system. No need for the anatomical stuff here – let’s just keep it simple and say that we need water to pee, poop, and sweat.
- Avoid muscle fatigue. Sweating causes your muscles to lose water. And when your muscles don’t have enough water, they get tired, and your performance suffers.
- Reduce joint pain. Water acts as a lubricant around your muscles and joints, and it keeps your cartilage soft and hydrated. Dehydration can cause aching joints and muscle cramps.
- Be nicer. Speaking of dehydration, it can cause all sorts of unpleasant things – headaches, stress, irritability, confusion, difficulty concentrating, and fatigue. For the sake of your loved ones – drink water!
- Run faster. The science behind this is a little over my head, but here’s what I gather. When you sweat, your blood volume decreases. And the more your blood volume decreases, the harder your heart has to work to deliver oxygen to your muscles. This will make your heart beat faster, which may make it difficult for your body to meet the aerobic demands of a fast run. Make sense?
sources: webmd.com, breakingmuscle.com, greatist.com, womenshealthmag.com
Not a big water drinker? There are some simple things you can do to change that:
- Get fancy. If you like a little excitement in your beverages, water is the perfect zero-calorie place to start. I Googled “fruit infused water” and found about a gazillion recipes. Think Strawberry Mint. Cucumber Melon. Ginger Peach. Hello, Pinterest.
- Wake up with water. Keep a glass of water by your bed and take a few sips first thing in the morning.
- Have it your way. Experiment a little. Do you like it ice cold? Or room temperature? Do you like your ice cubed or crushed? My favorite way to drink water is ice cold with a straw – but I’m not picky.
- Burn calories. The colder the water, the more energy your body will have to use to regulate its temperature. And when your body uses energy, it burns calories.
- Get it to-go. Carry a bottle everywhere with you as a reminder to keep drinking.
- Love your bottle. Get a water bottle you love. If you enjoy drinking from it, you’ll be more likely to carry it with you and sip from it throughout the day.
sources: care2.com, active.com
Cool Gear Review
If you’re in the market for a new favorite water bottle, you should check out Cool Gear. They have a HUGE selection – tons of styles, colors, and sizes to choose from, so it shouldn’t be hard to find something that you love. In addition to water bottles, Cool Gear carries water filtration bottles, chillers, mason jars, infusers, travel coffee mugs, and various kids products.
Stay #hydrated this summer with @CoolGearInc! http://t.co/Kix5WM1xSl #sweatpink #girlsgonesporty #fitfluential #fitfam
— Sharon (@mommyrunsit) June 17, 2014
I had the opportunity to review two Cool Gear products – and with so many to choose from, it was hard to pick just two. After some deliberation (and a little bit of eeny meeny miny moe), I decided on a coolgearcan™ and an EZ-Freeze Pure® water filtration bottle.
coolgearcan
I’ve owned lots of water bottles, but I’ve never had one quite like the coolgearcan. It’s designed to look like a soda can, with a flat top and a sliding “tab” closure. The lid twists off, which makes the bottle easy to fill. It also features double-wall insulation to keep your water colder longer, and it’s BPA-free.
The colgearcan comes in 2 sizes – 12 ounce and 16 ounce. It also comes in lots of colors and patterns – everything from flowers to camo to event-themed. I tried out the 16 ounce Tropical Leopard bottle – the Cool Gear rep picked out the pattern for me, and he hit it out of the park. It’s pink and flowery and so me. (Am I that easy to read?)
It took me a few days to get used to my coolgearcan, but I’ve really grown to love it. It’s very compact and lightweight, so it’s easy to stick in my purse or gym bag. I had one incident where it leaked in my purse, but that was because I didn’t close the tab completely. Since then, I’m always careful to double check that it’s closed all the way – and as long as it’s sealed properly, I don’t worry at all about it spilling in my bag, even if it doesn’t stay upright. I don’t know about you, but that’s a big deal for me. It seems like the inside of my purse is always wet. (And sticky, but that’s a whole other issue.)
My coolgearcan is my new favorite everyday water bottle. I take it with me just about everywhere. (I’m even drinking water from it right now.) The only exception is that it’s not really ideal for sports. The 16 ounce version doesn’t come with a straw, so you have to tip your head back to drink from it, just like you would with a soda can. And if you’re uncoordinated like me, that means that you have to stop what you’re doing to take a sip. Not a big deal if you’re driving or sitting at a desk, but probably not what you want to do if you’re out for a run. I’ve used mine on the treadmill, but I wouldn’t recommend taking it on an outdoor run.
EZ-Freeze Pure Water Filtration Bottle
I also got to try out a 32 ounce EZ-Freeze Pure bottle. Now, the EZ-Freeze bottle definitely looks more like a traditional water bottle than the coolgearcan. But it’s kind of a two-fer – it’s a water filtration system and a freezer bottle in one. It takes a couple of steps to get started, but it’s really quite simple to use. All you have to do is prep the filter (easy-to-follow instructions are included) and pop the freezer stick in your freezer. Once the stick is frozen, you just screw the parts together and fill the bottle with water. And poof! Your water is filtered and icy cold.
All of the water in my house is filtered, so I generally don’t require a portable water-filtration system. But back before we owned our own home, my husband and I drank exclusively from filtered water bottles or pitchers. The water in my community tastes terrible, so it is definitely to my benefit to carry a water filtration system with me for those times when I have to drink from a water fountain.
Since the water in my home is filtered, I didn’t have an opportunity to objectively judge the taste of the water in my EZ-Freeze bottle. But I did have several opportunities to use it as a freezer bottle, and it definitely kept my water cold for much longer than a traditional water bottle. The pop-up straw is easy to drink from, and the handle on the lid makes this another great grab-and-go option. One word of caution – the freezer stick and filter displace quite a lot of water when inserted into the bottle, so if you fill the bottle to the top (or even 3/4 full), you’ll end up with a big puddle on your kitchen floor. I’d recommend only filling the bottle up about halfway before inserting the filter/freezer stick/lid. So when planning your daily water consumption, remember that your 32 ounce bottle will probably hold closer to 20 ounces of water.
For more information about Cool Gear, check them out at Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. And don’t forget to drink more water!!!