Why I always carry a bottle of water with me

Out for SUP’ing with my water on hand

If you take the Tube in London, you would have recently heard the announcement to always carry a bottle of water with you.  The summer weather, crowded carriages and longer days of sunlight can make for a recipe for disaster. People can faint or feel nauseous due to the overcrowding, heat, and lack of fresh air. And if the passenger is hungover (maybe just on a Friday morning?), more precious fluids have been lost.

Without water, we would die.  Our bodies are made up of approximately 50-70% water, depending on age, gender and body mass. We can go weeks without food but not even a few days without water.  Personally, I always carry a reusable water bottle with me to reduce my impact on the environment and I get get tap water for free just about anywhere I go (check out the TapWater app).

Did you know that pangs of hunger are sometimes a sign from your body that it is thirsty?  Rather than reach for a snack, try drinking a glass of water instead.   Another benefit of carrying a bottle is it makes it easier for me to track how much water I consume.  I aim for two bottles a day which is about 1.5L.   How much water do you drink a day, not counting tea of coffee?  Drinking water has many benefits, including glowing skin, better sports performance, and enabling regular bowel movements.  And of course, water doesn’t have any calories.  I don’t know about you, but I would rather eat more yummy food than waste my calories on a drink.

Some of  my Hydroflask collection and new lids

Right now, I am using the Hydroflask in mint as my go to bottle. Hydroflasks bottles are double-walled stainless steel in their construction, which means beverages can keep their temperature for a long time, either hot or cold.   The wide mouth means I can’t rush my sips though or else the water spills down my shirt.  Lucky for me, Hydroflask now has additional styles of lid for their bottles that enable you to drink on the go.  I love the insulated sports cap or flip lid for every day use and the straw lid (which comes with a straw for inside the bottle) is great for kids.  Soon, Hydroflask will have new colors, wine bottles, and silicone covers for the bottom of the bottles to protect from damage if you drop it (which I do all the time!) and prevent them from slipping.

Carrying a reusable water bottle also decreases your impact on the environment by reducing the amount of energy and resources to produce the plastic bottle.  And of course, less space in the landfill.

Which do you prefer- a reusable water bottle or a plastic one?

Ellis Brigham and Hydroflask kindly gave me these bottles and lids to review. All opinions are honest and my own.