SOMETHING SIMPLE: Watermelon-Cucumber Cooler

I live in Minneapolis, where it feels like summer can never come soon enough. After spending months shoveling the sidewalk and dressing in layers and questioning whether I can take out the trash without risking frostbite, that first day above 60 degrees can be almost intoxicating.

Suddenly, I’m swapping my handwarmers for sunscreen. I’m requesting a patio table at my local watering hole. I’m biking home from yoga class and stopping to meet some buddies for a concert in the park. I’m in my garden, pulling weeds and trying to intimidate the neighborhood rabbits. I’m paddling my kayak around Lake Nokomis, and I’m not stopping until the mosquitoes come out.

All that summertime spirit can make a girl thirsty.

I’m really serious about hydration, mostly because I love to sweat. I know that drinking enough fluids throughout the day is going to help keep me feeling my best — especially if I’m spending time in the sun or recovering from a challenging workout.

It’s not just in my head: Optimal hydration facilitates some of the body’s most crucial processes, like breathing, digestion, energy metabolism, and blood-pressure regulation. Our brains, kidneys, and skin all need plenty of water to do their best work. Water even acts as a lubricant for our joints, quite literally helping to keep our bodies moving.

On my personal list of daily health aspirations, staying hydrated is also one of the easier boxes to check. Even if I exceed my screen time or fall short of my fiber goal, I always manage to get enough water — especially in the summer, when lots of my favorite water-rich produce is at its peak. Tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, and watermelon are more than 90 percent water, and they’re all at their best during the hottest days of the year.

The cucumber and watermelon in this recipe contain potassium and magnesium, electrolytes that play a vital role in helping your body absorb water and move it through your bloodstream. Without electrolytes, your body would struggle to maintain fluid balance in your cells, where it’s needed to prevent dehydration.

The coconut water is also high in electrolytes, specifically potassium, magnesium, and calcium. I don’t particularly enjoy drinking coconut water plain, but I like the tropical flair it adds to blended watermelon, which can otherwise taste too sweet.

The acid from the lime juice and a pinch of sea salt help round out the flavors and add a bit of sodium, another electrolyte that’s typically present in lower amounts in coconut water. The sea salt is optional; depending on your brand of coconut water or the ripeness of your watermelon, you may find you don’t need it.

I prefer this beverage strained, but you can skip the straining step if you don’t mind the pulp, which adds a bit of fiber to your glass.

If you’re craving more of a cool-down after a sweaty day in the sun, toss a handful of ice cubes into the blender and make it a watermelon-cucumber slushie.

And if you, like me, are out there trying to squeeze all the juice you can out of summer, make sure you stay hydrated. Go ahead and drink both servings.