Water Bottles, To Re-Use or Not?

I am always banging on to my bootcampers and personal training clients about drinking more water. It is crucial for health and losing weight, and is one of the easiest things to change in a person's lifestyle. I probably drink about 3 litres per day, sometimes more, depending on my training.

Today I am going to discuss the dangers of re-using plastic water bottles, and offer some alternatives so none of you have any excuses! Hahahah (evil laugh).

Contamination: The more you re-use a bottle without washing it out properly, the more you put yourself at risk form the bacteria that will be accumulating daily. Each time you touch the rim of the bottle with your mouth or hands you are transferring saliva, skin particles and other nice treats to the bottle. This then becomes a breeding ground for bacteria that migrates inside the bottle until it gets so bad it gives you a dose of the squits. No fun - although you might lose some weight!

Possibly Carcinogenic Chemicals: A water bottle is only designed to be used once and is totally safe to do so. The older it is the more likely it is to leach chemicals into its contents. The best documented and most researched is di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate, a carcinogen that has been shown to cause liver damage and reproductive problems. This is made even worse when the bottle is exposed to heat for instance when you leave it in a warm car. We all know that horrible taste of water from a warm plastic bottle that you found in the footwell of your car. That taste is the chemicals that are now in your body!

Solutions: Keep a glass on your desk and re-fill it from the cooler or water filter throughout the day and wash it daily. Buy a good quality metal bottle like the ones made by Sigg and remember to wash it. Only use a plastic bottle for a day or 2 before recycling it and getting a new one and never drink it when it has been warmed up.

Stay Strong

Ben