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S3: EP3: Powering Productivity with Hydration
36 Plays1 month ago
Hydration is about more than just drinking water—it plays a key role in energy, focus, and overall well-being, especially in high-performance environments like professional kitchens.
In this episode of FYI, host Samantha Wakeham is joined by our three expert guests: George Kruis, former professional rugby player and co-founder of fourfive, Lizzie Fosket, Head of Nutrition at BaxterStorey and Stuart Aitken, our Regional Culinary Lead . Together, they explore the impact of hydration on workplace performance, the pitfalls of relying on caffeine and sugary drinks, and how small changes in hydration habits can make a big difference.
We also dive into fourfive's approach to natural hydration, drawing on George’s experience as a former elite athlete. Whether you're a chef in a high pressured kitchen, working in an office , or a pro athlete, this episode is packed with practical tips to keep you performing at your best. Tune in for expert insights, real life experiences, and actionable hydration tips!
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Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast
00:00:01
Speaker
Hello and welcome to FYI, the Backstreet Story podcast.
Hydration in High-Energy Workplaces
00:00:04
Speaker
I'm Sam Wakeham and today we're exploring the importance of hydration in the workplace. especially in high energy environments like professional kitchens.
Meet the Guests: George, Lizzie, and Stuart
00:00:12
Speaker
I'm joined today by George Kreese, former professional rugby player and co-founder of 4.5, a wellness brand focused on clean, effective hydration and nutrition, Lizzie Foskett, Head of Nutrition for Baxter Story, and Stuart Aiken, our regional culinary
Science of Hydration and Workplace Performance
00:00:27
Speaker
lead. Together, we will discuss the science of hydration, how it affects workplace performance, and share some practical tips for staying hydrated throughout your day.
00:00:36
Speaker
Hi everyone, thank you so much for
George's Journey from Rugby to Wellness
00:00:38
Speaker
joining. anne George, could you tell us a little bit about yourself, four five and how you transitioned from rugby to wellness? Thank you. Well, firstly, thanks for having us on. Hello to everyone listening. Yeah, so I started my journey within, I guess, sport. Maybe when I was 18, I started playing for a club called Saracens professionally. Very fortunate to have played 45 times for England, won a few trophies along the way.
00:01:02
Speaker
and really, i guess, spurred on my love for and necessity for decent quality sleep, nutrition and hydration. And I think within that, there was, you know, five years ago, created company called 4-5, along with ah a player that I played with.
00:01:16
Speaker
We're a health and wellness company. And really in the last, yeah, five years been banging the drum of decent quality wellness and largely around hydration. Thank you, George.
Lizzie's Role in Promoting Hydration
00:01:26
Speaker
Lizzie, would you mind just telling our listeners,
00:01:30
Speaker
what is you do at Baxter Story and why you enjoy promoting health and wellness across the business. Perfect. Thanks, Sam. It's great to be on again. I hit up nutrition at Baxter Story, get the pleasure of working across the whole of the UK and into Europe and just really passionate about helping me people make those sustainable changes that's going to have a really, really good outcome.
00:01:47
Speaker
And we know that hydration is one of those massive areas that you can do all you want with food and exercise, but if you're not properly hydrated, sort of a lot of that will go to waste. So I'm really passionate about helping all our teams across Baxter Story and then into our customers and clients as well.
00:01:59
Speaker
and looking forward to this conversation. Thanks Lizzie.
Stuart on Hydration and Kitchen Safety
00:02:03
Speaker
And Stuart, would you mind introducing yourself, telling us a bit about your role as regional culinary lead and why you're so passionate about and promoting hydration in the kitchen and in the workplace?
00:02:15
Speaker
Hi, Sam. Thanks for that. Yep. So am Stuart Aitken. I am the regional culinary lead for Scotland. And so my role is to develop and look at new strategies for building the business going forward. We look at developing our chefs and putting new projects into the business.
00:02:33
Speaker
I suppose the hydration part for me is to, i was really, when we first started this journey, was to get the understanding about hydration and performance and how that's linked. And I think especially in kitchens, you know, at it's high paced, it's hot.
00:02:46
Speaker
And I think it really true excited to drive this forward and get a better understanding, not just for me, but for everybody out there, our frontline teams. yeah Okay, thank you
Hydration's Role in Sports and Work
00:02:54
Speaker
Stuart. So let's go into hydration and its role with enhancing performance.
00:03:00
Speaker
Research indicates that a reduction of one to two percent of body water can actually and lead to noticeable decline in memory, mood and cognitive performance. And this applies not only to athletes, but everyone in performance intensive roles, including chefs.
00:03:15
Speaker
So George, as a former professional rugby player, how did hydration impact your training and overall performance and can you give us some of the insights into the routines and testings that went into you maintaining your optimal hydration as well yeah for sure i think the the big piece is like i guess firstly recognizing the the fact that like you know performance sport uh professional sport that has like huge amount of crossovers between that and you know chefs within you know who are dealing with high pressure situations, they're dealing with you know knives, they're dealing with all sorts of like intense setups. So I think the crossover is is is a very apparent one. But I think like also recognizing that 60% of our body and 65% or 70% of our mind is made up of water.
00:04:03
Speaker
So like that is a very base level. I think from from us as professional athletes, We were tested every morning. We'd walk in, we'd get our urine tested for levels of hydration.
00:04:13
Speaker
If we were too dehydrated, we'd then get pulled from training for risk of increased injury. But also, you know, that that cognitive drop off between when you're very hydrated and dehydrated is significant as well. So i think from a natural practical perspective, like we were tested every day and hydration is like a key, key factor, which I think isn't really transferred through into like general population i don't think that there's that education yet around hydration and i feel yeah especially within professional sport where it's like you know big decisions but also risk of injury and so on are ah a very costly it is a big factor and in that sense so yeah we were tested daily and think with with my routine i'd very much get up have a glass of water in the in the morning now and it's still sort of followed through from professional days
00:05:00
Speaker
And is that a standard practice being tested daily in all professional athletes? in know In all the teams that I've had, our urine was tested in the morning for for levels of dehydration. So yeah, I think like it is probably across the board, but it's just, it's like whenever I mentioned that to to people, they're like,
00:05:16
Speaker
it kind of ah raises their eyebrows in sense that like hydration is such a key factor. I think there's three massive things that we get told as players to get our foundation right for, you know, our physical and and mental wellness.
00:05:28
Speaker
One being nutrition, one being sleep and one being hydration. I think the first two are talked about it in spades, but really the hydration element is, you know, People think that maybe having a ah cup of tea or or something like that is staying hydrated, where actually actually that's a diuretic. It will make you more dehydrated. So there's a lot of pitfalls and sort of things that are you know marketed to us in terms of trying to make hydration a a big thing, but actually probably harmful for us and in in the future.
00:05:56
Speaker
Thank you, George.
Hydration's Impact on Body Functions
00:05:57
Speaker
And Lizzie, a question for you. Obviously you work very closely with a lot of our team members across Baxter Story. What is your perspective on why hydration is so important, not only just for athletes, but for everyone in particular in the kitchen?
00:06:12
Speaker
Yeah, no, thank you, Sam. I think I started to mention it just there, but I think we've all sort of touched on that hydration affects so many different things in the body. You know, it's whether it's, what you know, flushing out waste products through the kidneys or affecting how well the brain is working in your concentration, making sure nutrients being carried around the body like it does so, so much. That tiny drop in hydration levels can affect so many different functions in the body.
00:06:34
Speaker
We could survive, I think, a much longer period of time without food. But if your hydration levels aren't there, that is a lot of ah much more of a bigger problem. So to me, that is why it's so important when it comes to our teams and anyone in the workplace that you need to keep on top of that.
00:06:48
Speaker
And we know that we're we're all under and you know quite high pressure jobs. So we need to do whatever we can to make sure we're on our absolute A game. The changes that we're already starting to see in the teams that already on this journey is massive with output and what they're reaching for instead of the energy drink.
Hydration Routines and Beverage Choices
00:07:01
Speaker
They're going for the water and feeling so much better.
00:07:03
Speaker
And I also think it's a bit scary. Like actually, by the time you're thirsty, you're already slightly dehydrated. So it's just changing people's outlook on what hydration is and when it's time to reach for the drink. It's just something that needs to become like a daily habit and not something that comes at sort of two o'clock in the afternoon because you're starting to feel a bit weary.
00:07:19
Speaker
So I think, yeah, anyone in the workplace, whereas an athlete, a chef, someone that sat at their desk all day just needs to make it part of their daily routine, really. Yeah, I think what you said there about the quick coffees and and sugary drinks is something that's really, really prominent in the kitchen or in the workplace, you know. But in the kitchen particular, Shura, what are you noticing about the hydration habits in the kitchen culture for chefs and their performance as well?
00:07:43
Speaker
Yeah, I suppose, you know, hydration, we're talking about hydration is key and it's crucial in any kitchen environment, really. And, you know, I think we all know, and I have, you know, everyone's talked about you have to drink so many litres of water a day and things like that, and everyone buys into that. But it wasn't was talking to George and Lizzie and getting more information that, like I said earlier, that Linking that dehydration part to the performance of the chefs in the kitchen or not or in the workplace as well.
00:08:08
Speaker
You know, it's starting to understand that and how it directly impacts us. So, you know, from taking physical and maintenance, and mental clarity, which are all vital for lets preparing amazing food, but doing it safely and doing it with care.
00:08:23
Speaker
You know, and we but we do work in heat. There's time pressures, late nights, early mornings, which can all lead to, you know, that dehydration, there a severe drop in energy as well. So but unfortunately, what we do see is that people are reaching, like we said earlier, for something other than so a dehydration that is is ah a sugary drink, a strong coffee or, you know, or tea.
00:08:45
Speaker
So think that so, yeah, it's not talked about enough. I think is what I'm trying to say though, you know, we all know we should drink water, but I think with this linking it between the performance, you know, I'm not saying we're sportsmen out there in the kitchen, but you know, there's definitely links to the performance.
00:09:02
Speaker
Definitely. And, you know, touched on the sugar and how that could then potentially cause and energy crashes throughout the day as well. but What advice would you give and to try and steer people off of those um traditional energy drinks and those caffeinated drinks? suppose the key thing there would be its education to give the frontline teams as much information as we can and encourage them to drink water.
00:09:32
Speaker
have a water bottle that they can drink from, they have their own one, or if there's a water station within the business that they work in, would be ideal infusing the water. You know, I think George was talking with four five, you know, the electrolytes in there, you know, that sort of style, flavoured waters with fresh fruits and stuff like that. So that would be the advice of have people that are unsure about what to drink and how to drink it. But just think ah education is is definitely the key point now.
4.5's Natural Hydration Products
00:09:57
Speaker
George would you mind telling us what four or five does in terms of the focus on natural ingredients for hydrate and um what kind of inspired the approach to use natural ingredients?
00:10:08
Speaker
I think from our side and it's really in tune with everything we're talking here is our goal is just to have people drink more water I think this is like Stuart said the the education around a lack of sort of what people need in a day from a water perspective is huge so our goal is to encourage more drinking of water to do that we've got some really tasty hydration tablets but they are made with a cleaner profile than you know what you'd look at from a monster or a red boar or coffee or leucoside so they contain significantly less sugars you know that's sort nine calorie per tab which is nothing but also have a stack of vitamins
00:10:45
Speaker
and also a good profile of salts and electrolytes. So when you go to sleep at night, everyone will sweat in the night. You'll sweat out salts and electrolytes. You'll also sweat out water, but just having water alone won't hydrate you as quickly or as long enough as including salts and electrolytes. So probably an analogy is if you go play on tennis and you let your black t-shirt dry and you realize that once it's dried, it's got those like white sort of marks on, that is essentially salt and electrolytes. That's like kind of come out your body when you've been sweating. so
00:11:17
Speaker
All we're trying to do is put back in a clean version of that with low calories and so on to basically, like i said, encourage people to drink more water because we know the effects of if you don't drink water, your cognitive function is impaired, but also risk of injury and and so on. So our goal is to cleanly put put water back in people, basically.
00:11:35
Speaker
Thank you, George.
Effects of Caffeinated and Sugary Drinks
00:11:37
Speaker
And Lizzie, would you mind just sharing some of the health impacts that regular caffeinated drinks can have on the body? Yeah, absolutely. So I think one of the most important things to start with there is like George touched on, the caffeinated drinks can act as a, you know, they can dehydrate you to have sort of the negative effects on what we want to be doing. So the important thing when you look at caffeine is making sure like we're all going to have one, you know, majority of us will have that one or two cups of coffee a day, but always pairing that with the glass of water.
00:12:03
Speaker
to stop you know the negative effects taking toll as much. And caffeine you know can heighten the effects of anxiety, can increase um heart rates and things like that. So it's just make sure you've got that balance that when not you are having the caffeinated drinks, have the water. And we always say, like, try and don't go across ah don't go above that sort of four cups a day.
00:12:22
Speaker
And often people think tea is less caffeine, but it is because it's diluted. but actually, in a concentrated effect, it kind of have more caffeine than a cup of coffee. So it's just looking at making sure you've got that balance there when you're having those drinks.
00:12:33
Speaker
And also a big tip is with the caffeine, always have it not on an empty stomach because that can also try and sort of lighten the effects of the caffeine. But like you say, Sam, if you're having those caffeinated drinks on a daily basis and too much of them, it can, you know, big impact would be putting your heart under too much pressure. The bigger one here though, is the sugar sugary drinks we've all been touching on when it comes to the monsters, the Red Bull, the cans of Coke.
00:12:55
Speaker
There is so much sugar in those that people aren't aware of. You know, we're supposed to have sort of around 36 grams of sugar a day. And those drinks have a high amount of sugar in them per drink. And if you're having two or three of those a day,
00:13:07
Speaker
not only is it going to be affecting your teeth but the risk of developing obesity or becoming overweight is really really increased and obviously when you're suffering with obesity or being overweight you've got things like high blood pressure high cholesterol and sugar plate is a big can take the big toll on your teeth like i said so didn't want to go too deep into that one but they are the worst outcomes that could come from it so if you can swap those caffeinated drinks swap the sugary drinks to something else you're going to have a lot better output further on Yeah, thank you, Lizzie. I think you've sort of touched on to what my next question is for you.
00:13:39
Speaker
it's more around the mental health aspect that dehydration can have on you. So dehydration can obviously amplify feelings of stress, irritability and anxiety.
Strategies for Improving Hydration
00:13:50
Speaker
And especially in high pressure situations like the kitchen, that can have a massive impact on the individual as well.
00:13:57
Speaker
So obviously being hydrated is really important to reduce that. Would you mind just what other kind of strategies would you encourage our team members or people in those situations to practice to try and increase hydration level as well?
00:14:13
Speaker
Yeah, I think the biggest thing for me whenever I'm looking at, you know, things like this for our teams or anyone out there is just try and make those small, sustainable changes. We're not asking you to stop drinking that monster or to stop having your coffee during the day.
00:14:24
Speaker
We would love, you know, our goal is that the monster is stop being consumed. But if you're someone that's had it on a daily basis, just try and cut that down and eventually cut it out. And I do think from the people that we've had on the four five tablets already or are trying to, you know, increase the amount of water, know,
00:14:38
Speaker
Just doing the small change gradually has really helped. Eventually, they actually don't like the taste of the monster or the Red Bull that they've been having. So I always think, yeah, small sustainable check steps is better than one big change all at once.
00:14:50
Speaker
And it just needs to become part of your daily habits. So when you wake up in the morning, start with your glass of water, have that area at work that you go away from your station, you have some water, you come back, and then you go back to preparing the food again.
00:15:01
Speaker
And just making it a habit that's there all the time. And like Stuart said, we are... very close in our business to doing the pilot of making sure everyone's got that water accessible. They've got the station, the hydration stations, and it's just something that they do all the time rather than thinking, oh, I've not had any water. I need to go. Yeah.
00:15:18
Speaker
Biggest one for me is as soon as you wake up, have that glass of water and that's first thing you do. Yeah. And George, as
Practical Hydration Tips
00:15:24
Speaker
an athlete, having hydration was so important. Are there any other practices or recommendations that you would give to someone looking to boost the hydration?
00:15:34
Speaker
I think like the first thing to recognize that it it's the cheapest and most effective sort of thing to fix. Like all it is is just consistencies and that's consistency of drinking enough water in the day.
00:15:46
Speaker
It might be adding like the odd hydration tablet within there and swapping that up for, um you know, much more expensive like Lucozade or Monster or something. But Yeah, to to recognize that it is incredibly cheap and effective to increase productivity, reduce risk of injury and so on.
00:16:02
Speaker
And I think I'd back up what Lizzie said is, it's just a routine thing. So i would wake up in the morning and like Lizzie said, have a pint of water. I would also, there's some really easy sort of cues and ways of figuring out if you're hydrated or dehydrated on a real rudimental way. If you look at the color of your urine, once you've finished,
00:16:22
Speaker
If it looks like a cup of Sunny Delight, then you know you're definitely going to be a bit dehydrated. But like use that as a, you know, there are urine charts online. It's a super easy way to check in on whether you are dehydrated or hydrated.
00:16:35
Speaker
Again, that's probably reactional, but it's still a good way to build that checking in process. But yeah, and and again, I'd back up what Liz said is if you're having a cup of coffee in the morning, just recognize that that is a ah diuretic. You probably would have been sweating at night as well. So start with a good amount of water in the day and just anytime you're having diuretics so teas coffees just just back it up with the water as well yeah that's a really good one actually but looking at your yore and when i was on holiday not long ago i was away somewhere really really hot and they had signs on the toilet and like yore in chart so yeah that's a really good tip actually we supply our hydration tablets to about 25 different professional sports and international teams
00:17:18
Speaker
Part of that will supply a photo or ah posters which will sit in on the on the toilets. And just to check in to say, like, you know, you want your color looking a little bit not as not as clear as that, but, you know, fairly translucent. And ultimately just give you a real indicator of, you know, where you're at. It's a super easy, effective way just to to track what what's going on.
00:17:41
Speaker
And Stuart, you know, just to to go back to the kitchen as well, are there any other recommendations that you would give just on the kitchen floor or having a water bottle or Yeah, I suppose in the in the kitchen, and it's quite busy, you can forget to hydrate, I think.
Establishing Hydration Routines in Kitchens
00:17:58
Speaker
it's But as as the guys have been talking about already, it's routine.
00:18:00
Speaker
That is the key. That's it. That's a part of it. And also but understanding, again, recognising the signs of dehydration and encouraging awareness within the team. You know, let's say if you're talking about going and checking your urine and stuff like that.
00:18:12
Speaker
But I do encourage chefs to have their own water bottles. Take sips regularly rather than, you know, as Lizzie said, if you're thirsty, then it it's too late. Take regular drinks. Don't wait for breaks, you know, if you just to go and have it. Go at to your station if you can.
00:18:26
Speaker
Setting reminders can also be good. Set it on your phone, little timers. A lot of our chefs will do a daily routine all the time. They will do certain tasks all the time, you know, but, you know, get that in your mindset. Take a drink after I do X, Y and Z. I'll have a drink after.
00:18:39
Speaker
And then that just starts the routine and that just helps him along with it. Challenge and support each other. It's in the kitchen, especially on those hectic, busy days when we all know it's going to be office in the summer or it's hot.
00:18:51
Speaker
just challenge each other, make sure that you hydrate and speak to each other. And again, just small, consistent hydration habits will make a massive difference, definitely. Yeah, I actually found a stat that in the physical roles like in the kitchen, you can lose up to 2.5 litres of water an hour.
00:19:09
Speaker
That's how much we're supposed to be drinking a day. That might be a very hot kitchen, but it just made me realise how important it is that our chefs and people in the kitchen should be looking after that hydration. A tip I used to do years ago was have a reminder on my phone every hour to drink a glass of water or you know, you can get them water bottles, but just sometimes them little tricks can help a little bit.
Dehydration's Impact on Health
00:19:30
Speaker
So yeah, going going back to how hydration can impact mental health, studies show that dehydration can heighten feelings of stress and irritability and obviously impact your mental wellbeing.
00:19:43
Speaker
Lizzie, would you mind just sharing some insights on how staying hydrated helps people's mood and manage their stress as well? And what are the long-term implications that dehydration can have on the body and your mental health?
00:19:56
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. Hydration is linked to your physical and your mental health, and especially when it comes to brain function, mental clarity. So as soon as you're a little bit hydrated, that all goes out of kilter a bit. And if it's there for a long, long time, it can have a big impact on your mental health and how you're feeling.
00:20:10
Speaker
I think one of the biggest things that I want to touch on as well is obviously there's a lot of research at the moment going on about gut health and its relation to the brain. And obviously hydration will have a massive um role in how the gut is and also how the brain is. So if the two start to come out of kilter, that connection between the brain and the gut is also not there.
00:20:27
Speaker
So one, your gut health is not up to you know the peak standard and you're starting to be, you know, the mental clarity is not there. Unfortunately, having a bit of a negative effect on how your mood is. And we all know if you're not feeling the best in your mental health, it's going to have an ah an impact on how your physical health is, how you are at work, how you are at home. So there's just so much that hydration can help with. And it's one of the first fixes, I would always say, that if someone's you know on a bit of a journey themselves, really got a look at their hydration.
00:20:53
Speaker
What are they drinking? Is there alcohol involved? And, you know, where can the little fixes be, you know, be started to help them on that journey? And then, yeah, there are long term implications of someone who is staying dehydrated and for a long period of time or they've got a health condition, which means they're struggling with hydration.
00:21:08
Speaker
It can lead to things like UTIs, but also worst case problems would be leading to um kidney problems. And as I mentioned before, the kidneys are massive for fibroblasties. filtering out all our waste products. So if the kidneys aren't working properly, unfortunately, that can lead to big diseases.
00:21:23
Speaker
But, you know, don't want to dwell too much on that one. If you're someone that's suffering with dehydration on a daily basis, these things can catch up. um But like George said, just keeping an eye on the colour of your urine, how you're feeling, there's a lot of little things you can do to help make sure you don't end up down that route.
00:21:39
Speaker
Thanks, Lizzie. And George, you know, as a former athlete, not only were you looking after your hydration, but recovery and sleep were a big part of making sure you performed your best. Would you mind just touching on the other practices that you um did to look after your well-being and your overall health as well?
00:21:58
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. I'd i'd say... I alluded to it that at the start, maybe that the three things that we're drilled in like heavily was sleep and and obviously trying to get eight hours sleep, I think is like, that's the Holy Grail, right? I think that that is something that, you know, people with children, like, you know, there's different stresses and workload. I think nutrition is the second one. and And for us, it was having, i mean, at the time when playing, we're having five portions of food per day to keep the weight on.
00:22:27
Speaker
obviously now retired and significantly you know less in need of eating that much. The advice was a fist full of carbs. So it might be a jacket potato, a palm full of protein, might be a chicken breast and a thumb full of good fats. It might be like avocado or nuts. And that was encouraged three to five times a day, basically on how much weight we needed to keep on. Hydration being the third one and definitely the easiest one to implement, just making sure that you're topped up.
00:22:50
Speaker
But from a recovery aspect, you know there are lots of things that would have to do, ice baths or all sorts of stretching, prehab and rehab. But yeah, I think the key three ones, which are very transferable over to you know, me now having moved from locker room to sort of boardroom and and set up like that is very much sleep, nutrition and hydration.
00:23:11
Speaker
But I'd say in terms of hydration, I think if people are thinking about maybe if if people have listened this far in and they're thinking about it, I'd just... It's super easy one just to give a trial for a month to see, you know, and that might involve buying a water bottle and just drinking enough water per day and seeing the genuine effect it can have on you. I think it's like a nice two, three, four week challenge you can set yourself.
00:23:35
Speaker
and And like said, it's super easy, super cheap, and it makes a massive, massive difference. Yeah. Well, what is the recommended that you would suggest for someone how much water they should be drinking a day? Yes, that there are ah calculations. I think that the average like sort of quite calculation would be if you are 50 kgs ah times that by three and then divide by hundreds.
00:24:00
Speaker
And that will give you how many. So let's just let's just work that out now. So 50 times three, five, 100. So that should be 1.5 litres of water, I think between times three and a half, i think is what they recommend. So it's meant to be 30 millilitres 35 millilitres per kg of body weight.
00:24:20
Speaker
So if I'm 105, then I'll times that by three and divide that by 100. And is that before exercising? I think that's just your base rate of hydration but if you are then doing exercising if you're traveling in a plane and it's an air conditioned unit you'd lose lots of liquid if it's a really hot day if you're in the kitchen and it's baking hot you then need a supplement on top of that but for a base level like most people should be doing between two and three liters of water a day yeah so that's just your base yeah would you say anything different on that
00:24:53
Speaker
No, I'd go with what you've said on that one. But like you said, it depends lots on activity level. But as a minimum standard, that's what we'd always say to people. Yeah, that's good to know, because I think there's some days where I don't reach that. Yeah, I mean, it is crazy. thought You'll be halfway through the door the the weekend think, well, halfway the day, I haven't had a single glass of water or anything yet, yeah which is quite interesting. and then I will feel and notice that, that yeah, I do feel a bit crap off the back of it. So it all relates.
00:25:21
Speaker
Yeah. yeah And I also think, you know, people are you know of the older generation, like my parents, when I go back and visit them, I'm shocked by like the little water they drink. And if you suggest, oh, have you had that pint? Oh, you know, that's not needed.
00:25:34
Speaker
And it just so wasn't spoken about. Yeah, I think what what I could actually do is talk about personally. I am of the gen the older generation that, you know, doesn't drink that, hadn't drink drank a lot of water. And so we just, for an example, we had a very high profile yeah royal event at the start of the year.
00:25:52
Speaker
It was long shifts, long hours. And we just started this journey with George and Lizzie and the Wow Group. That's when I said understood a bit more of about hydration. So I personally changed my habits.
00:26:03
Speaker
So I did give up the coffee. didn't give up the coffee. I changed the coffee. I swapped it out for for water, you know, instead of going for that that cup of coffee for that that day and that morning. and And I just kept going with the coat the water.
00:26:16
Speaker
But most importantly, what I started doing was at the end of the shift, at night as well, I was hydrating. You know, that that was the one time you would go and, you know maybe grab a beer, but I was just sitting there or a coffee. But I was starting to hydrate and at night.
00:26:28
Speaker
But and honestly, by day two, three, i really noticed a difference in myself. You know, I was still, you know, i was sleeping like George said. I was sleeping because, you know, I hadn't had caffeine all day.
00:26:39
Speaker
So I was getting a proper uninterrupted sleep. I felt energized when I came in in the morning. My focus was there. This was a very high pressure event that we're doing, but I really felt the focus, a massive shift.
00:26:51
Speaker
And I could honestly, i could not believe that was just because I was hydrated. And then all the teams that were there in the kitchen, after a couple of days, they started actually coming on this journey as well, because they've seen it, they've seen a benefit and they heard me talking about it. Normally get, don't talk to chef, he's not had his coffee yet, he's grumpy, but it was, it was just sit energy. So I think for me personally, just the advice is, as George and Lizzie says, treat it like self-care, like your exercise, good meal and just this hydration. So I think the tip is obviously drink more water.
00:27:21
Speaker
Thanks, sure. We're coming towards the end of this episode. So I'd like to go around to you all and if you could all share one tip or one lifetime experience that you've had where hydration, a bit like what Stuart's just said, where hydration has improved your mental health or your physical health, or just a tip that you've not said and is burning and you needed to say it. So, Jewel, should we start with you?
00:27:48
Speaker
I mean, I have said it and I'll say it again just because it's such an easy route to do. i Just keep an eye on the colour of your urine and start the day with ah with a glass of water. I think it's such an easy thing to implement and it will have a drastic sort of impact, a positive impact on on your daily wellbeing.
00:28:05
Speaker
Thank you, George. Izzy? Yeah, that's probably mine has been said. But I think one big thing before I just mentioned, obviously, we're on here. mean, Stuart is part of the WOW group, and that's looking at everyone's physical and mental well-being across our business, but also how we can help people out the business and everything.
00:28:20
Speaker
If you can start hydrating more if you need to or just keeping up, that is going to have such a big positive impact on your physical mental well-being. And like Stuart said, we're hearing so many positive stories about people who have come on this journey with us.
00:28:31
Speaker
So if there's one change you can do, start with a glass of water, buy yourself a new water bottle, because people say they get excited by the new water bottle and it helps them keep up the hydration during the day. That's a good point. Yeah. It's like new gym kit.
00:28:43
Speaker
You get a new gym kit and you want to go out in it. Yeah. Get a new water bottle. Thanks, Lucy. Stuart. Yeah, I think for me it's just more education, more awareness. Ask the questions, you know, come to Lizzie or a myself or George, you know, if there is any things that you're not sure about, you know, just reach out and we'll find the answer and just, you know, but just get awareness and drink water.
00:29:06
Speaker
I actually have one last question and Lizzie, this may be one for you. Can foods help with hydration levels as well? No, absolutely. Great question to end on. So there are war there are foods with really good water and concentration in them.
00:29:18
Speaker
Things like cucumber, watermelon. Obviously, when you're cooking with some food, you'll increase their water content as well. So no, foods can definitely help you towards it. So yeah but yeah, something like Stuart will know there's different cooking methods that either will retain or lose water, but things like your um juicy fruits is something that's always going to And something like your lettuce.
00:29:36
Speaker
People always give lettuce a bad rep, but it is one thing that you're going to get from that is some water content. Stuart, what techniques would you recommend to increase your water intake? Well, it's a... I'll put my spot here, though.
00:29:48
Speaker
Probably seats and things like that. Oh, yes. Yeah. Yeah. and just by boiling the yeah If you don't boil something to the absolute end, not only will it keep a bit of the water in there, but also it means the nutrients haven't leached out in their water.
00:30:01
Speaker
But yeah, soup's absolutely another one. know Things like mushrooms have a massive water of content in them as well. So, you know, just cook them cook them quickly, keep them fresh. You know, you've got a lot water content in there. But, you know, even if you the lettuce that Lizzie was talking about, just a clip ah quick chargrill or roast, chi just change the slight texture and flavour of it.
00:30:20
Speaker
And then maybe make it a bit more exciting than just a slice of lettuce possibly, but retaining all that but hydration in there. how Amazing. Thank you. but thank you all for joining in this episode.
00:30:31
Speaker
And thank you to our listeners as well for listening on the importance of hydration. And see you next time.