Category: Opinions

by Megan Laser

 

And alas, the holidays are over and baristas around the world are able to take a breath and mumble the words “we did it.” January is rumored to the month where business really slows down and baristas, like myself, are able to finally settle down after the crazy workloads that the holidays brought. But even with business slowing down, Starbucks will always have new drinks, ready and available for you to enjoy.

 

BWM (Black and White Mocha)

The BWM, also known as the Zebra Mocha, is a common drink where you have a mixture of regular mocha sauce and white chocolate mocha sauce. The drink can be made as either an espresso drink or hot chocolate, filled to the top with steamed milk and topped off with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. The drink can also come as either an iced drink or a blended frappuccino but nevertheless provides us with that same chocolatey taste that we didn’t realize we were craving all winter.

In my personal experience, the mocha at Starbucks has proven to be too chocolatey and too sweet for my liking. Even with drinks like the Peppermint Mocha, I always felt that the chocolatey taste from mocha was overwhelming. So if I were to customize the drink to my personal experience, I’d take it down a notch with the number of mocha pumps, and increase the amount of white chocolate sauce in the drink. And as always, whipped cream is a no for me.

Rate: 6/10

 

CSL (Cinnamon Shortbread Latte)

The CSL is a new drink that was released sometime earlier in the month of Jan. It’s made with a shortbread syrup and espresso, filled with steamed milk and topped off with nutmeg and cinnamon powder. This can come as both an iced or blended drink, and even as a hot chocolate.

Yet to try

 

Now that I’ve gone over the brand new drinks, let’s talk about a few fan favorites.

 

Honey Citrus Mint Tea

Also known as the cold buster or sick tea, this brewed green tea comes with one tea bag of Jade Citrus Mint tea and another teabag of Peach Tranquility tea. Inside, some customers add either more or less, but the drink comes with two packets of honey, hot water filled ¾ of the way up, and the last quarter is filled with steamed lemonade. This is a very popular drink come winter, due to the fact winter is commonly associated with the term flu season.

Personally, this is probably my favorite tea ever. Drinking sick tea for me always somehow made my throat tickle, even if I wasn’t sick. It made me feel like I was genuinely feeling better, even if the ingredients inside didn’t really do much for me with that. The citrusy flavoring from the lemonade really stands out compared to if this drink were to have just been made with hot water. This is probably one of my favorite drinks, but I strongly recommend it.

Rate: 100/10

Holiday drinks

By Megan Laser

Study, study, study is all that is on the minds of high school students this time of year. Late work is being done just before it’s too late, and the stress that comes with finals is just another reminder to seniors that we’re getting even older. Students already have a latte on their mind with finals just around the corner and you’ll begin to find them grinding through their studies in Starbucks stores providing the free wifi to do so. With the sound of the blender creating another frappuccino, the espresso machine pulling shots and baristas shaking the shakers like bartenders, it gets harder and harder to focus. The smell of the freshly brewed coffee and the familiar smells of peppermint and chocolate surround the store and compel you to get up and buy a cup of coffee. So why continue to procrastinate studying when you can procaffeinate with these holiday favorites?

 

PM (Peppermint Mocha)

What says Christmas than the classic combination of peppermint and chocolate together, from peppermint bark to Starbucks’ popular PM. The PM includes pumps from both Peppermint syrup and Mocha sauce, mixed with espresso shots and steamed milk and topped with whipped cream and dark chocolate curls. The drink can come as an iced drink, a hot espresso drink or a blended frappuccino. The drink is most commonly bought either iced or as a frappuccino, but nonetheless the flavors all come well together in this holiday beverage.

When making the frappuccino, baristas have to put whipped cream at the bottom of the cup, as well as on top. Calories stack up easy with this holiday drink. Still, this drink remains one of my favorite holiday drinks. In my opinion, I’d drink this coffee as an iced coffee. Although the hot drink provides the common warmth associated with winter and hot drinks, I feel like I get more flavors when I drink it iced. In my coffee, I typically order it with half the amount of syrup and an extra shot of espresso for that coffee flavor. And as always, no whipped cream in my coffees.

Rate: 7.5/10

 

PWM (Peppermint White Mocha)

The PWM (Peppermint White Mocha) is a sweeter twist to the PM. The PWM is made with White Mocha sauce and Peppermint syrup, mixed with espresso and steamed milk and topped with whipped cream and dark chocolate curls. The drink can come as an iced drink, a hot coffee beverage or a blended frappuccino.

The same way it does with the PM, whipped cream is put at the bottom of the PWM Frappuccino. This is my usual go to drink, and I usually order it as a small frappuccino. I get it with no whipped cream and  lightly sprinkled with dark chocolate curls. Again, it’s too sweet to drink with the regular amount of syrup, so I order it with half the amount of pumps. If not a frappuccino, I get it as an iced drink with light ice, an extra shot and no whipped cream.

Rate: 8.5/10

 

Even as a barista, there are drinks I am still yet to try. The following are some other popular drinks:

 

EL (Eggnog Latte)

Eggnog is already a popular holiday drink that people think of when it comes to a Christmas-themed drink. This Starbucks-inspired drink is the simplest to make, yet all the flavors inside of it is what keeps customers coming back for more. The EL (Eggnog Latte)  is made with espresso shots, steamed eggnog, and topped with nutmeg powder. It come as an iced drink, a hot espresso coffee, and even a frappuccino if you really wanted it. The drink is most popular as a hot espresso drink, and often times customers will ask for extra nutmeg powder or even whipped cream to make the already sweet drink even sweeter.

 

GL (Gingerbread Latte)

Gingerbread cookies are a classic Christmas cookie, and the GL is a classic Christmas coffee. The GL (Gingerbread Latte) is a sweet yet slightly tinted with spice Gingerbread syrup, mixed with espresso shots, steamed eggnog, and topped off with whipped cream and nutmeg powder. The drink is offered as an iced drink, a hot espresso coffee, and a blended frappuccino (both with coffee and without coffee). All the different components mix together to create what seems like you’re drinking a liquified gingerbread cookie, bringing you into the holiday spirit as winter approaches.

 

Just remember that after finals comes the holidays. Try not to completely dedicate your time to studying and find time to reflect on yourself. Meditate when it gets too stressful and take a second to breathe. Take a break, drink a cup of coffee and eat a snack.

Happy holidays from your local barista and good luck on your finals this year!

By: Rose Lu

It’s the period after distribution, where all the journalism staff goes out and delivers papers. Already, there are papers scattered on the floor, papers being thrown in the trash can–not even being properly recycled. “Personally I feel offended because the journalism class always works hard on the newspaper and it’s being undistributed or mishandled,” said layout team member Nghi Nguyen. It hasn’t been the first time that the newspaper or the school have been treated like this.

At the beginning of every issue, the entire staff gets together to brainstorm potential story ideas, the theme of the newspaper, and even the centerspread to make it enjoyable and relevant to current events within our school. Afterward, everyone within the staff writes a story for the paper, which is revised over and over again by the editors. Even the photographs and graphics are revised thoroughly, to make sure that the newspaper is relevant to the events happening around the school. Then after-school layout happens, where the layout team, editors and mostly everyone else works together to make sure the placement of the stories are perfect, that the stories align and match with the pictures. “I spent around 12 hours on the November Issue designing only two pages alone,” reminisces design editor Victor Xie.

“ I wish that they would just read it,” says journalist Lawrence Pei. The newspaper is for reading–not for turning into paper hats, dumping it on the ground right next to the recycling bin or throwing it away in the trash, especially at someone else’s expense. It’s pretty annoying when people don’t take responsibility for their actions, such as dumping the newspaper on the ground; if you don’t want to read the newspaper, there’s a choice to leave it in the classroom, but if you’re going to throw it away, at least recycle it and do it in a way so that other people like our janitors don’t clean up after you.

If there’s an issue with the spelling of someone’s name, the sports page or any article, there’s a reason for the retractions feature. Send a message to any of the staff and it will be clarified. This doesn’t apply to everyone, but there have been instances of angry messages directed towards some of these mistakes in the newspaper.

I didn’t have an issue with all this chaos before I joined journalism, because I never saw nor understood how much work gets put into the newspaper for every issue. After working on just two issues, and seeing my work along with all the other staffs’ work being disregarded, ignored, and being nonexistent to some people, I can finally understand why this is an issue.

This isn’t just a problem with just the newspapers. It happens with teachers and their lesson plans, the ASB officers’ hard work and planning, the principal and all the other staff. “I do undergo a lot of stress because of the workload and it does sometimes feel unacknowledged and unappreciated by the whole school in general,” shared ASB Treasurer Chloe Nguyen.

All of the faculty and students work hard to provide for Piedmont’s students in every way possible for a better education and high school experience. “When planning rallies, executive need to plan out how long each segment of the rally will last in order to fit within the 30 minute time window we are given,” explained ASB Secretary Tommie Huynh, “It takes up to two weeks prior to the occasion.” It takes a lot of time and effort to plan events and lessons, which is why we should all be appreciative for everything that the ASB and the faculty does for us.

Don’t take the newspaper and the events for granted. High school lasts for only four years.

By Victor Xie

Double dipping, verb. “Going to one community service event for two clubs for double the community service hours.” For example, “Oh man I double dipped at Turkey Trot for Interact and Key Club, so I got ten hours instead of just five!”

At first glance, many would say this is a good idea for staying active for those two clubs they genuinely enjoy. It’s a way to amass those service hours needed for your college or NHS (National Honor Society) application. But let’s be real­; it’s not service. It’s cheating the system.

This problem traces back to what some people define community service to be. To many, it’s just something you should do to look good on your college apps. But to others, service is about helping the community, changing the world and doing what they love.

“Service to me means lending a helping hand and giving back to the community whether that be helping at a race or helping cleanup at a park or creek,” comments Key Club Lieutenant Governor Sabrina Huynh.

So why don’t clubs take action? My first guess would be that every club wants more active members and some clubs even have hour goals.

“Piedmont Hills Key Club [has]… an ambiguous goal to serve 9,500 hours by April,” says Sabrina.

With these hour goals in mind, clubs want members to go, even if they double dip. Some don’t even check for these double dipping instances.

“We look at all the [events] a student went to and tabulate all the hours for it. We do not go and double check if they got hours for multiple clubs,” says former CSF advisor Peggy Lee.

Another reason for double dipping may be because students don’t even know that it’s morally wrong.

“I don’t think double dipping has been defined by all the clubs so members [may not] know the consequences of it,” Sabrina points out.

These goals and laissez-faire attitudes may seem like a good excuse at the moment. However, this only invites members to continue double dipping and receive more hours than they deserve without any consequence.

In addition, I believe the school doesn’t take action because they have no idea how to solve this issue. Making hour verification mandatory gives all community service clubs grief and adds on to the awful mile-long list of ASB forms to fill out. It would also take an excruciatingly long time for NHS advisors to confirm that every community service event was not double dipped by a student.

Time spent doing community service should be fun and inspiring, not just another extracurricular to do for college. If students genuinely enjoy the clubs they are in, they should feel passionate enough to be active in them, without cheating. That means going to two five-hour service events instead of just one.

“If you only care about the hours, you miss out on so much more. Clubs have so much to offer on this campus than just numbers on an application,” says Red Cross President Vivian Lin.

So to all the double dippers out there, please stop. Our school is counting on our moral standards to do the right thing, and double dipping is a definite form of implicit cheating. When you double dip, you’re not doing real service. Instead, you’re completely undermining what these service organizations stand for: the importance of serving others.

At the end of the day, hours are just numbers. Passion to help the community is something much more meaningful.

 

 

To the average confused customer,

 

What says fall more than ordering a cup of coffee and viciously typing into your computer under the free Wi-Fi of Starbucks?  Every day, students are scattered throughout the store, working on projects ranging from college applications to essays due the next day, spending hours focused on their computer screen. But we all need some type of break, so what do we order? There’s all kinds of choices for you to pick from, ranging from a regular cup of Pike’s Place brew to Pokemon Go Frappuccinos. That’s why I, your local barista, am here to help you find a drink that’s right for you this fall season.

 

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Pumpkin Spice Lattes (PSL) are a very well-known fall drink at Starbucks. It’s a coffee drink with traditional fall flavors like pumpkin and cinnamon with espresso shots, steamed milk, whipped cream and pumpkin spices to top it off. It also can come iced and even blended into a frappuccino if you prefer it. It’s a classic Starbucks drink, and is commonly labeled as a favorite by many customers. It’s only seasonal, so you only have a few months to stop by and order it.

Although it’s said to be this favorite drink among many, in my opinion, Pumpkin Spice Lattes are way too overhyped. The pumpkin sauce inside makes it way too sweet, and the whipped cream on top just adds onto that. I feel like ordering an iced drink takes away from its flavor, as well as that soothing satisfaction that the drink provides when it’s warm. If I were to order the PSL, I’d order it warm with no whipped cream and less pumpkin sauce; that way it still has that coffee flavor and a temperature that makes you feel all warm inside.

Rate: 7.5/10

 

Salted Caramel Mocha

Another fall seasoned drink is the Salted Caramel Mocha (SCM), which also comes either hot, iced, or in the form of a blended frappuccino. The drink is essentially a mocha with toffee nut flavoring, espresso shots, milk, and topped with whipped cream, caramel, and the salt topping. This is another seasonal drink that people have to wait for fall to order it, but those who know the ingredients can get it before it comes by just ordering a mocha frappuccino with toffee nut.

Yet again, the drink, at least in my opinion, is way too overhyped. When I first tasted it, I expected it have a nutty flavor mixed with the perfect balance of chocolate and a topping mixed with the caramel that was a perfect combination of salty and sweet. What I actually tasted was just a mocha with extra toppings on top and no real nutty flavor. Now I’m not saying it’s terrible because it’s not as sweet as the PSL, but the drink is still not something I would get on a regular basis. If I were to tweak it, I’d probably ask for more of the toffee nut syrup because I didn’t get any nutty flavor. But I do have to say, the caramel and salt toppings did really compliment each other perfectly so kudos to Starbucks for that part of the drink.

Rate: 6/10

 

These are the only popular seasonal drinks, so next I’ll introduce some of the newer drinks that entered the menu in stores nationwide.

 

Triple Mocha Frappuccino

The Triple Mocha Frappuccino (TMF) isn’t super new, but it just entered stores this summer. The drink is a blended drink with a chocolate flavor, topped with the new Cold Brew Whipped Cream (CBWC). It’s supposed to be sweeter than the regular Mocha Frappuccino.

In my opinion, the way the drink is presented is pretty cool. Baristas add whipped cream to the bottom of the cup with mocha sauce so that when mixed with the drink it almost looks like a cool swirl. In my opinion, the CBWC really adds a new flavor to the drink; that’s what makes the drink sweeter than the original. The ingredients that go inside are essentially the same as a regular Mocha Frappuccino, but the CBWC is definitely worth the extra 50 cents in the end.

Rate: 8.5/10

 

Ultra Caramel Frappuccino

I know we have many Starbucks lovers out there who get their Caramel Frappuccinos with so much extra caramel that you might as well just order an entire cup of it. Instead of forcing you to keep ordering extra extra extra caramel, Starbucks has offered the new Ultra Caramel Frappuccino (UCF). A blended drink made with our new dark caramel in replacement of the original caramel and topped with our Cold Brew Whipped Cream and Caramel Drizzle, the drink provides an even sweeter twist to the original Caramel Frappuccino (CRF).

As far as sweetness goes, in my opinion, I prefer a stronger coffee taste over sweetness, so I usually add a couple shots to any frappuccino I order. The presentation of the drink itself is similar to that of the TMF, with CBWC mixed at the bottom to give it that cool swirl effect. In the end, it all depends on how sweet you really want your drink to be.

Rate: 8/10

 

Mango Dragon Fruit Refresher

And last but certainly not the least, I present to you the newest addition to the refreshers, the Mango Dragon Fruit Refresher. When it first came out, stores were constantly running out of the new refresher, which replaced the previous Cool Lime Refresher. The new refresher is a combination of tropical flavors, including a mango taste with some dragon fruit flavors. The drink is topped with dragon fruit bits to give it a vibrant pink color and can be shaken with either water, lemonade, or coconut milk.

In my opinion, just ordering the Mango Dragon Fruit Refresher (MDR) tastes like some watered down Vitamin Water. If you shake it with lemonade, it brings out more of the mango flavoring and adds a really good flavor to the already popular drink. I’ve seen customers order it with coconut milk, which gives it a VERY vibrant pink color, as well as makes it a little sweeter than the original drink. The MDRL is actually one of my favorite drinks on the menu, so I would definitely recommend it.

Rate: 9.5/10

 

I hope this helped guide you to your preferred drink out of the newer drinks that Starbucks has to offer. In all honesty, every drink on the menu has its own uniqueness that fits to every customer’s needs. As long as you know what you’re craving, choosing the perfect drink shouldn’t be too hard.

 

Sincerely,

Your Local Barista ◆

By Janelle Perez

Monday morning, alarm goes off. You roll over to turn off the frightening sound of chimes and accidentally fall asleep for another 35 minutes. Before you know it, you’re already late to your first period.

You jump out of bed and quickly put on a pair of jeans and a hoodie and keep your Birkenstocks on as a mistake, but it goes with your look, so you decide to keep them on. As you’re rushing downstairs to eat a quick bowl of Fruit Loops with your hair half done and your socks mismatched, you check the time and see you have five minutes to get to school.

You make it just in time to get to class by the tardy bell. It’s just a matter of taking a shortcut through the outside of the D-Buildings. Slamming your car door and nearly tripping on your own feet, you run from the student parking lot to take your shortcut and realize that it is blocked off.

The blocked off area is where the new science, general education and special education building is being built. While the cause of the building is great, the delayed construction has led to a traffic jam near the student parking lot. The building has been in construction since summer of 2017 where it was said to be done by the beginning of the new school year.

The area prevents students from having a shortcut to their classes near the student parking lot. Although the shortcut may not seem like a big deal, those extra three minutes come in handy when you are almost late to a 7:20 a.m. Pre-Calculus class. Everybody has their days when life just happens and we turn off the excessively annoying sound of our alarm and sleep an extra 35 minutes, so those extra minutes save time and tardy strikes.

Not only is the blocked off area causing a reroute on the way to class, it is causing a backup in where students can be dropped off. Since students usually get dropped off in the student parking lot, parents are dropping off their students further back rather than closer to the football field.

This is because the drop-off area near the football field is primarily where the construction is being held. Even if parents would be able to drop their students off right before the football field, a major reroute would have to take place due to the blocked off area. Whereas if the area were not blocked, then there would be a closer way into the Junior Hall and the D-Building.

Traffic is not favored by most people. Which is understandable since traffic consumes time and causes various problems to a person’s stress levels. But as time goes on and your time at PHHS comes to an end, the only question remaining is whether or not school traffic will ever come to a moderately acceptable end. ◆

 

By Sommer Fowler (Special Columnist)

The average rally follows a single schedule.  First, officers spend half of their allotted time scrunching students into bleachers.  Students scramble to find a seat with their friends before officers yell orders to squeeze in closer like a pack of sardines.  Next, kids run aimlessly across the stage with a loud yet incoherent voiceover.  It is not until it is quiet again does the audience realize they just watched the class skits.
Then comes the most entertaining part.  Clubs perform the dances they rehearsed for months—too bad someone forgot to start the music.  After this, the alma mater starts.  No one knows the words, including the seniors who do not bother trying anymore.  Finally the class call begins.  Half of students yell at the top of their lungs.  The other half are heading for the door while officers plead them to stay in their seats.
It is no secret rallies are not the most popular event of PHHS.  It is evident the order of the class blow-your-ears-out and alma mater were switched just to stop everyone from leaving early.  It seems the only people who truly care about and look forward to rallies are those who are participating in them.  The rest of us are trapped watching their attempts to entertain us.
While some parts of rallies are worth an applause the majority of them are rushed, unprepared, and useless.  To rally is to come together for a common cause.  After witnessing almost four years of rallies, I am not completely sure what that cause is for PHHS.
Understandably dance clubs want to show off their hard efforts and undeniable talent, but this can be reserved for shows out of school hours.  Instead of hasting through three minute routines, clubs could build more content.  They get the opportunity to showcase their talents to a single audience who is totally captivated, rather than an entire school who is hardly watching.  This would also give them a chance to raise funds for their group for costumes and supplies.
None of this means rallies should be set aflame and thrown out the window; they still have a purpose.  There is importance in banding as a school to honor the hard work and achievements of sports teams and their captains, staff members who will retire, and other accomplishments and prides we share as a school.  This means we will have significantly less rallies, but they will be of much better quality.  And maybe we can leave out the singing. ♦

Editorial

Have you ever thought about whether turning off your lights to save electricity really helps the earth? Or if disregarding   the meat options actually make an impact? To some, these actions may seem futile compared to the impact that mass industrialization has. Such concerns are understandable. Dishing out tips is simple, but tracking the effects of them is not as straightforward.

By now, many of us have probably seen media coverage on environmental issues and ways to combat them. While awareness is immensely important, what is the point of that if no one takes action?

The alarms have been blaring for quite some time. Everywhere we turn, the signs are glaring. While some may think the sun is the reason for the increase in warm temperature, it is moreso attributed to man-made causes. The Intergovernmental Panel, a group of 1,300 independent scientific experts from around the world under the United Nations, concluded that there is more than a 95% probability that human activity in just the past 50 years have warmed the planet.

Commonly known as the greenhouse effect, certain trapped gases have created a blanket around our planet. Emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides have interfered with the balance of Earth’s atmosphere and contributed to the mass warming. The majority of these greenhouse gases result from the burning fossil fuel to produce energy, although deforestation and industrial processes have also contributed to this ongoing problem.

We also have to address some misconceptions as well. Generally, the terms weather and climate are used interchangeably. However, there is a slight difference between them. Weather refers to the changes of an area throughout a short time span.  On the other hand, climate change refers to the overarching conditions that characterize a region over a long period of time. Based on this, climate change has a much graver connotation: prolonged changes in an atmospheric region that cannot easily be reversed.

Despite the importance of practicing eco-friendly methods due to the alarming reality, these changes in lifestyle may be temporary. Because the results are not immediate or apparent, people may feel discouraged to continue their efforts in the long run. Not only that, but people may project the responsibility onto someone else. Due to the massive amount in population, the responsibility is not explicitly directed towards anyone. As a result, this dilutes the severity of global warming issues and undermines the importance of collective efforts.

Considering how our lives are directly impacted by the effects of global warming, we must carefully consider the full extent of our actions. Human societies have enjoyed the current climate for years after the end of the last ice age several thousands of years ago, and a warming climate will bring about many changes that can affect our water supply, agriculture, the natural environment, as well as our own healthy and safety.

Although it is hard to tally how much of an effect we make, it is better than doing nothing at all.  The statistics at least provide us with concrete, substantial evidence of the increase in global warming.  Drawing upon facts from NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) climate website, the consequences are severe.

1. From 1884 to 2016, 9 out of the 10 hottest years occurred since 2000. The exception is in 1998.
2. Carbon dioxide levels have been the highest in the past 650,000 years.
3. Global sea levels have risen by 8 inches since 1880, and they are predicted to rise another 1 to 4 feet by 2100 due to the expansion of seawater from the icecaps.
4. Glaciers are retreating among several areas in the world, including Alps, Andes, Alaska, Rockies, and Himalaya.
5. Since the early 1980s, hurricane frequency, duration and intensity have increased.

The magnitude of these effects may not completely register with people.  We may think that because some of these consequences have not personally affected us, then we are safe from the dangers of global warming. The real questions is: can we still stop global warming? In short, no. Humans have already produced too much greenhouse gases emissions, and climate change has already taken place. If we were to completely stop the creation of these gases, it would still take several decades, centuries even, to see a effective change in the planet.

While the harsh truth of reality may be discouraging, there is still a solution. People can prevent the absolute worst of climate change from happening. This involves a two-step approach: mitigation and adaption. Mitigation refers to reducing the amount of greenhouse gases that enter the atmosphere, and adaptation refers to learning how to live with the changes that have already taken place.

However, noticeable improvement requires a global effort. While it is primarily a massive environmental issue, it also encompasses several other issues. Social, economic, and political aspects of everyday life are intertwined and all contribute to the warming of the earth. To truly make an impact, changes must start at the top and trickle down.

If global warming doesn’t endanger our generation, then it may reach the next.  The luxury of ignoring a critical issue is coming to an end.  The Earth will still be here long into the future, but it may not provide a sustainable environment for us. If we don’t take action now, then when will we?

By Asha Lujan (Guest Writer)

Our planet is 70% water. Our bodies are 50-60% water. You can’t refute that water is important. So, are you drinking water?

Everyone thinks that they are getting enough water. But, how much water is enough? 8 glasses of water a day, right? Well that really depends on several factors. How active are you? Are you drinking diuretic drinks? How much do you weigh?

Water is very important for many of your body functions. It lubricates joints, removes wastes, flushes toxins, cushions joints and bones, moistens oxygen for easier breathing, regulates body temperature, and empowers the body’s natural healing process. Most of the cells in your body and your body fluids are water.

The body can produce some water through it’s normal processes about 8%. But, the other 92% of water must be ingested through the foods we eat (fruits and vegetables) and drink.

Being active, exercise and sports can be very dehydrating. If you sweat, you are losing water and electrolytes. Lots of people drink sports drinks to rehydrate after exercise and playing sports but, just like coffee, tea, juice, and soda, sports drinks can also be a diuretic. Diuretics make you lose water in the form of urine.

They can be helpful but, there is a bunch of sugar in them (which is a diuretic) dextrose (which is another form of sugar), and brominated vegetable oil which is synthetic chemical that was first used as a flame retardant. It’s not a diuretic but, yuck!. You are losing water just as you are trying to rehydrate.

So how much water is enough? That depends on your weight. A larger person will need more water than a smaller person. Makes sense, right? An easy equation for figuring out how much water you should be drinking is your body weight divided by 2. The answer is the number of ounces you should be drinking. For example: 200 pounds divided by 2 equals 100.

Therefore, a 200 pound person should be drinking 100 ounces of water per day, pretty simple. But, if you are drinking diuretic drinks you need to replenish your water stores too. For every 8 oz., of diuretic drinks you should replace it with 12-16 oz. of of water. A venti coffee is 20 oz. You would need to drink half your body weight oz. plus 30-40 additional oz. to be optimally hydrated. That’s a lot of water!

That water should also have electrolytes. Electrolytes are: “Salts and minerals that can conduct electrical impulses in the body. Common human electrolytes are sodium chloride, potassium, calcium, and sodium bicarbonate. Electrolytes control the fluid balance of the body and are important in muscle contraction, energy generation, and almost every major biochemical reaction in the body. (medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Electrolytes)

Electrolytes help your body hold on to water. Just drinking lots of water without electrolytes washes away the electrolytes your body already has. Once again you will be dehydrating yourself while trying to hydrate. How do you get electrolytes in your water? Again, there is a simple solution.

You can purchase an electrolyte solution or add a pinch of sea salt. You could also add a squeeze of lemon with the sea salt to add potassium and calcium which are in electrolyte solutions.

For those of you who don’t like water you can infuse your water with some cut fruit or cucumber slices. Fresh and delicious. Happy hydrating!