This Watermelon Basil Water Is The Perfect Post-Workout Drink

Contributor: MBG Movement
Photographer: Nike Women

Staying hydrated during the summer can feel like a workout in itself—add in a sweaty session and you've got yourself a recipe for serious dehydration, unless you're careful. Tori Holmes' new book Beauty Water has hydrating recipes for everything from immunity and energy to sexuality and spirit. Her Watermelon Hydrator, recipe below, has the added benefit of containing magnesium, potassium, and salt, three minerals that are needed post-workout that can aid in recovery.

Overcome fatigue by dealing with its root cause: dehydration. Minerals are the foundation of proper hydration, as maintaining them in optimal levels helps with oxygenation throughout the body. Infusing water with mineral-rich watermelon creates nature's perfect electrolyte balancer. This colorful, fun elixir is a great way to get your kids to drink more water, too.

Beautiful and hydrating, the watermelon is made up of 90% water and is naturally high in electrolytes like potassium and magnesium, which help your body maintain a healthy fluid balance. A member of the melon family, it gets its brilliant red color from high levels of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant also found in tomatoes.

Reach for this recipe in hot and sweaty summer months, and turn your love of watermelons into your new go-to energy drink!

Watermelon Hydrator

Makes 4 cups

Ingredients

2 cups cubed watermelon

Juice and rind of ½ a lime

20 basil leaves or 2 large sprigs (use variegated basil for a more beautiful elixir)

Himalayan salt to taste

4 cups water

Method

In a quart-size jar, layer all of the ingredients starting with the watermelon, then fill the jar with water.

Seal the jar and let sit in the refrigerator anywhere from 3 to 24 hours before serving.

When ready to serve, pour the liquid into a glass, leaving the solid ingredients in the jar.

Keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.