Celebrate National Hydration Day 2021

June 23rd is recognized as National Hydration Day. It probably makes sense that this holiday falls three days after the official start of summer, when the temperatures warm up, and the outdoor activities start! Since 1993, our society has recognized National Hydration Day as a celebration of one of our most precious resources on earth. It also serves as a reminder that drinking purified water consistently is critical for long-term health, and just feeling good each day!

How Did National Hydration Day Start?

Although National Hydration Day was first celebrated in 1993, it was initially proposed in 1992 by Victor Hawkins. Hawkins was an inventor best known for his creation of a mouthguard that released electrolytes into their users. Known as the FuelGuard, Hawkins’s motivation for creating this product came from his days as a football coach and witnessing players miss time in practice or games with symptoms of cramps and dehydration. The FuelGuard, which ended up getting distributed by industry leader SafeTGuard was a smashing success and set Hawkins up to be the hydration representative celebrated on National Hydration Day.

Unfortunately, Victor Hawkins passed away on June 23, 2012. On June 23, 2016, four years after his passing, National Hydration Day was instituted by the SafeTGuard Corporation in his memory to preserve his desire to see athletes better hydrated for their performance. 

Why is Drinking Water so Important?

Although we take a day to remember Mr. Hawkins’s valuable lesson in hydration, drinking water should be a staple of everyone’s consciousness every day. The profound benefits of drinking water help every aspect of our lives, including:

• Increased focus
• Immunity against viruses 
• Flushing toxins
• Decreasing water retention 

As the old saying goes, if you’re drinking because you’re thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Only 45% of Americans proactively drink water throughout the day. That means 55% of Americans are subjecting themselves to chronic dehydration, and not giving their body adequate amounts of water often enough.

World Statistics on Water Consumption

Although it probably seems like 55% is a frightening amount of Americans who are not getting enough water in their body, the U.S. represents the middle ground of most other developed countries.

According to the World Water Report, most European and North American countries fall somewhere within a scale of 36% - 56% of people who proactively drink water throughout the day. Some specific examples include:

• France - 36%
• United Kingdom - 40%
• Austria - 48%
• Canada - 50%
• Netherlands - 56%

Upon further investigation of the world water report, some countries have a near equal sample of people who drink water once they feel thirsty (aka, dehydrated), and people who drink water proactively throughout the day. 

Strikingly enough, 40% of Americans say they drink water ONLY once they feel thirsty.

The key takeaway in all this is that about half of the developed world is not proactively managing its water intake. Chronic dehydration can have long-term health effects, and make you feel lousy and drowsy throughout the day.

Don’t Take Our Word for It - What do the Celebrities Say?

If you still aren’t convinced, then we’ve enlisted the help of some A-list celebrities we love, who might have a better impact! 

“Once I drink the water, I feel it immediately. I go from being a wilted plant to one that has been rejuvenated by the rain.” - Cameron Diaz

“I try to drink a gallon of water a day, and I try to get in 32 ounces with breakfast.” - Gabrielle Union

“Water is the essence of wetness, and wetness is the essence of beauty.” - Derek Zoolander

via GIPHY

Happy National Hydration Day from ZeroWater

All of us here at ZeroWater want to wish you a Happy National Hydration Day and encourage you to remember the benefits of drinking water. Invest in a sustainable and reusable water bottle, and make sure you set a plan to drink enough water early in each day, and throughout each day.

Your body, mind, and spirit will thank you for it!

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*All stats recorded by Culligan International. The Global World Water Day Survey 2021 was conducted in February 2021 by Toluna for Culligan International.