Are you drinking enough water?
I am rarely spotted without my trusty green gatorade bottle! Its really not that i LOVE water or that I am addicted to it, but i do love the way that my body looks and feels when I drink enough water.
WATER has helped me to …
-Stay hydrated
-Control my craving
-Stay awake during my night classes
-Manage my weight
-Ensure proper digestion and cell function
-Look and feel younger!
-Enjoy Life 🙂
Water is a nutrient that is essential to life! Every body function depends on water. Your total body weight is 55-75% water, which is approximately 10 to 12 gallons. Water makes up about 83% of our blood, 73% of our muscles, 25 % of our body fat, and 22% of our bones. It is also inexpensive ($) and readily available.
More Benefits of Drinking Water
Gives the feeling of fullness when consumed with a meal- Carries nutrients and oxygen to cells
- Provides moisture to skin and other tissues
- Helps strengthen muscles
- Regulates body temperature to about 98.6° F
- Reduces fluid retention
- Helps prevent constipation
- Cushions joints
How Much is Needed?
- On an average day, a healthy adult needs 8 to 12 cups of water to replace the amount lost through perspiration, breathing, urination, and bowel movements. These fluids must be replaced to avoid dehydration and to keep the body working normally. When eating a high fiber diet, extra water is needed to process the additional roughage.
- The exact amount of water needed depends on: age; gender; weight; health; level of physical activity; foods eaten; any medications taken; and the weather.
- Thirst is one sign that you need fluids. Your current fluid intake is probably adequate if you drink enough water to quench your thirst, you feel well, and you produce a normal amount of urine that is colorless or slightly yellow. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU FEEL THIRSTY TO DRINK WATER. Often the brain doesn’t get the thirst signal until you are already dehydrated. Older adults often lose the ability to sense thirst.
What Else Determines Water Needs?
Exercise: When involved in an active sport that makes you sweat, drink plenty of water throughout the day, not just during the activity. Sweat, or perspiration, is the body’s natural way of cooling down, especially on a hot day or when your body gets a real physical workout. Without fluids, your body overheats. To replace fluid loss, drink plenty of water and juice or milk before, during, and after physical activity. These fluids prevent dehydration and the tiredness that accompanies it.
To avoid cramps and dehydration during activity, drink fluids at regular intervals, and continue to replenish with water after the activity is completed. A good rule of thumb is to drink a cup of fluid every 15 minutes during and immediately after exercise.
Drink the following amounts of fluids when exercising rigorously or in very hot weather:
—2 cups during the two hours before exercising
—1 to 2 cups within 15 minutes of the activity
—½ to 1 cup every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise. (One medium mouthful of fluid equals about 1 ounce, and 8 ounces equals 1 cup.)
For most physically active people, water is the best fluid choice. Sports drinks are necessary only for endurance athletes and people who have exercised for an hour or more, because they lose sodium and potassium through sweating.
Environment: In hot or humid weather, drink additional water to replace what is lost through sweating and to help lower body temperature. In winter more fluids are required due to loss of skin moisture from heated indoor air. Extra water may be needed in cold weather if you sweat while wearing insulated clothing. High altitudes (greater than 2,500 meters or 8,200 feet) cause an increase in fluid needs, and recirculated air on planes promotes dehydration, also.
Health Conditions or Illnesses: Fever, vomiting and diarrhea cause the body to lose extra fluids that must be replaced with water or other solutions such as Gatorade. Sometimes intravenous water and electrolytes may be necessary. Certain health conditions prevent the body from getting rid of water—heart failure and diseases of the kidney, liver, adrenal and thyroid. People with urinary tract stones usually need to increase water intake.
Pregnant or Breast-Feeding: Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding need additional water. The Institute of Medicine recommends that pregnant women drink nearly 10 cups of fluids a day, and women who breast-feed should get about 13 cups of fluids daily.
Tips for Drinking More Water
- Drink a glass or bottle of water as soon as you get up each day.
- Every morning, fill a 64-ounce to 96-ounce container with water for the day. When you drink all the water in the container, you have met your daily water need of 8 to 12 cups. Heres my water jug. I fill it twice during the day. Customize your own 🙂 to keep you motivated!
- Drink water with meals and snacks.
- Add slices of lemon, lime or orange to water for a hint of flavor.
- Start your meal with soup occasionally.
- Enjoy water breaks instead of coffee or tea breaks.
- Take water bottles* with you to work and when running errands.
- Keep a cup of water on your desk to sip on as you work at the computer.
- When passing a water fountain, stop and take a drink.
- Instead of a soft drink, or soda, reach for bottled water in the convenience store, as well as from the vending machine.
- At social gatherings substitute sparkling water for alcoholic drinks, or alternate them.
- Pack a water bottle in your carry-on luggage when traveling by plane. Fill it before you fly. Drink 1 cup of fluid for every hour of your flight.
- Drink water before, every 15 minutes during, and after physical activity.
*Every time you drink, bacteria from your mouth contaminate water in the bottle. Keep your water bottle clean or replace it often. Wash it in hot, soapy water or run it through a dishwasher. If you use a bottle repeatedly, make sure it is designed for reuse.
Final Thoughts
Try to limit your soda, caffeine and alcohol consumption! They are all super dehydrating 😦 which is bad for your workout, skin, body and mind
Drink up ❤
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