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Well, summer is definitely here in the Central Valley of California and it is hot. It’s imperative to stay hydrated every day of the year, of course, but it’s especially important in the summer and even more important if you’re active in the summer heat (like we runners tend to be).
I usually prefer hot drinks over cold drinks, so I usually do much better with hydration during the winter months (because I can drink pots and pots of hot tea), but I also try to stay on top of my drinking game in the summer, of course.
So today, I am linking up again with Kookyrunner and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics and share some of my favorite summer drinks to stay hydrated.
Water
I don’t think that needs much explaining. I (try to) drink tons of water during the summer months and it’s definitely my main source of hydration. While I like the idea of adding lemon, cucumber, mint, or something like that to the water to make it a little more interesting, more often than not, I just reach for a glass of plain ice-cold water.
Apple Juice or Lemonade Spritzer
In Germany, mineral water mixed with any type of fruit juice is a very popular summer drink. So popular and common that you can buy any type of juice spritzer in bottles. The most common one is Apple Spritzer and it’s so refreshing. I don’t know what it is about the carbonation, but it really quenches my thirst.
[bctt tweet=”Tuesday Topics: What are your favorite summer drinks to help you stay hydrated? #Runchat #SummerRunning #TuesdayTopics” username=”san_in_ca”]
Grapefruit Juice and Coke (60/40)
Ok, bear with me here, this might not sound like something you have heard of, or even would consider trying, but I beg you: do yourself a favor and try it. It’s a super-duper-thirst-quencher. I won’t have more than one glass of this (because of the sugar content, obvs), but it’s so good.
Funny anecdote: in my hometown in Germany, we call this drink “Erftwasser” (Erft is the local river and it’s pretty muddy most of the time and the color of the drink matches the color of the river water to the point). You can basically walk into any restaurant and ask for “Erftwasser” and they’ll know what you want.
Iced Tea
I mentioned earlier in this post that I drink a lot of (hot) tea during the winter months, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that iced tea makes it on my list of favorite summer drinks. It’s a pretty good source of hydration, because I drink it unsweetened and don’t feel guilty downing a couple of glasses of it (just try to be careful with the added caffeine when it’s not an herbal iced tea).
What’s your favorite summer drink?
Kimberly Hatting
July 30, 2019 at 11:22 amI’m drinking lots of plain water now (I’m in the midst of some orthodontic work, so I can’t have anything other than water unless I wan’t to brush/floss immediately after LOL). Amazingly, it’s been an easy transition for this flavored-water-loving gal.
Tanja
July 30, 2019 at 12:00 pmI usually drink Water and rarely a Monster (the white one, without sugar) as well as a Coke Zero. However, when I’m super thirsty I pour myself ones in a while a “Krefelder” (Beer and Coke (Zero)). Some might not like the idea of mixing Beer and Coke but like your Erftwasser, it’s pretty darm good to quench the thirst.
Deborah Brooks
July 30, 2019 at 12:06 pmI have to say that I have never heard of mixing grapefruit juice and coke before! how interesting!
Shathiso
July 30, 2019 at 12:49 pmIt’s winter where I live, and I wish I was like you and could do hot drinks! Because at the moment I am struggling to stay hydrated in winter. I really need to make a much better effort!
Beth
July 30, 2019 at 1:42 pmI love iced coffee, it’s my go-to in the summer for sure. I also enjoy a good shandy (beer with lemonade) so I won’t shrug at your grapefruit juice and Coke! Can’t knock it till you try it!
kim g
July 30, 2019 at 3:47 pmThe lemonade spritzer sounds yummy. I will need to try that!
Thanks for linking up with us :)
Wendy
July 30, 2019 at 6:29 pmNo beer? And you call yourself German… :P Just kidding. I love what you call a spritzer. Erftwasser sounds interesting!
Penny Struebig
July 30, 2019 at 7:51 pmFor the first time ever, I’m actually enjoying drinking water. I use my Swell cup and it gets super cold. I think that’s why I like it. I’m curious to try your grapefruit juice and Coke combo.
Heike
July 30, 2019 at 7:59 pmNever heard of Erftwasser! A little bit of Grapefruit juice and some sparkling water is the most refreshing to me. I usually stick with plain water and even now I pour myself 1-2 cups of peppermint tea. It is always cold in my office ;)
ShootingStarsMag
July 31, 2019 at 5:27 amI’m so curious about eftwasser now. It kind of sounds good! lol I try and drink as much water as I can in the summer because it’s the only thing that really quenches my thirst.
-Lauren
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
July 31, 2019 at 6:41 amI’m having a hard time imagining combining grapefruit juice with coke! Ha! My aunt lived in Germany when she was first married and she would often combine diet coke and beer – I think you’ve done a similar combination with coke and beer?
I’m really basic when it comes to beverages. I pretty much only drink (hot) coffee in the morning and water the rest of the day. We do have sodas in our fridge and I will have one occasionally on the weekend as a treat but that’s it. I also like white wine but only drink it when I’m out for dinner as I don’t keep any in our house. When I was running long distances, I always had gatorade in our fridge, too. In my water belt, I would have one bottle of water and one of gatorade. It’s so dang humid in Minnesota in the summer, so the combo of heat + humidity can be brutal for runners so I found I needed the extra electrolytes from gatorade in the summer.
Anthea
August 1, 2019 at 4:50 amI drink water year around (warm water mostly at work) and then cold after a workout.
I love iced tea as well!
Zenaida Arroyo
August 1, 2019 at 10:34 amThe coke and grapefruit juice is an interesting combination! I need to try it.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
August 18, 2019 at 10:08 amI’ve never heard of Erftwasser but I might give it a try. I love iced tea. I usually have a green sencha half water half tea with a spitzer of pear juice. My current favorite.