By Mariah Ashley

I don’t know about you but I struggle with how to stay hydrated when shooting a wedding. Usually I have run around like mad all day never stopping to sip until the reception when I realize my mouth is so dry I can’t form words and my headache threatens to crack open my skull like a … coconut!

And that my fitographer  friends is my recently discovered secret to how to staying hydrated while shooting a wedding…a secret elixir…coconut water! {with lime}. It’s doctor prescribed after all, “Doctor ain’t there nothing I can take? Put the lime in the coconut and drink them both up.” More than a catchy tune, it’s excellent advice.

Once on vacation in Hawaii, while hiking for hours in the heat I stumbled down the steep rocky trail trail to find an oasis of refreshment…. a man, a cooler full of ice water with bobbing green coconuts, a machete,  a pile of limes, and a straw. Salivating, I watched him hack off the top of the ice cold coconut and squeeze the lime into the hollow shell. He stuck a straw into the coconut and handed it to me with a smile. $4 dollars please. Mahalo my friend, I just discovered the most beautifully thirst quenching liquid on the planet.

So the other day I thought, why not recreate that euphoria in the workplace? I pre-gamed the wedding by sipping my big glass of cold coconut water with lime {did I mention the lime is essential} on the way there. I felt great all day. No cotton mouth, no coconut splitting headache.

The next day I woke up and felt that annoyingly familiar post wedding work-hangover. I thought, why not have another glass of coconut water and you know what? The hangover disappeared almost instantly. I’ve been suffering with post wedding hangovers all these years and it’s been because I was dehydrated?!

According to the doctor in this case, {WebMD}: Coconut water contains easily digested carbohydrate in the form of sugar and electroyltes. Not to be confused with high-fat coconut milk or oil, coconut water is a clear liquid in the fruit’s center that is tapped from young, green coconuts.

It has fewer calories, less sodium, and more potassium than a sports drink. Ounce per ounce, most unflavored coconut water contains 5.45 calories, 1.3 grams sugar, 61 milligrams (mg) of potassium, and 5.45 mg of sodium compared to Gatorade, which has 6.25 calories, 1.75 grams of sugar, 3.75 mg of potassium, and 13.75 mg of sodium.

Add this super hydrating natural miracle drink that has more potassium than four bananas to your grocery list this week. It has less sugar and calories than sports drinks and sodas and naturally cholesterol free. Put the lime in the coconut and feel like a new photographer! Cheers!