have great information.
Water
I could talk all day about the benefits of water and so could my husband (who is in nursing school). Water is absolutely essential for health and wellness. Every single cell in your body, require water to function. Regulating blood pressure, body temperature, and digestion require water to function properly. Let me talk about some specific areas of your body and water effects them.
First the Brain: When you are hydrated your brain cells are better supplied with fresh, oxygen laden blood which helps you remain alert. Loss of just 1% or 2% of body weight, due to loss of hydration can decrease your ability to concentrate. And loss of more than 2% of body weight due to dehydration can affect your brain's ability to process information and can impair your short-term memory.
Cells: Hydration in the body is important for transporting carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients and oxygen in the cells. Then the cells can produce energy for your body to function.
Digestive Tract: Water plays a very important role in the digestion of food and absorptions of the food's nutrients. Water is required to dissolve your food so it can be absorbed. Poor hydration... leads to constipation too.
Heart: the correct water balance is essential to keep your blood pressure where it should be.\]
Kidneys: Adequate water is essential to keep your kidneys working well, helping them remove waste and excess nutrients via urine. Your kidneys help regulate the amount of water kept in your body by increasing or decreasing the amount of urine you produce. A well hydrated person's kidneys filter about 180 litres of water a day- most of which is reabsorbed.
Muscles and Joints: water acts as a lubricant for your muscles and joints. It helps to keep them working properly. About 70-75% of your muscles is made up of water. If you want to have great performing muscles- then the right water balances is essential.
Skin: Your skin is your defense against pathogens and helps prevent the development of infections and allergies. Good hydration is essential to keep the body tissues moistened and preserve your skin's elasticity, softness and color.
Temperature: The body water has an important role as a thermo-regulator, regulating the overall body temperature by helping dissipate heat. If the body becomes too hot, water is lost through sweat and the evaporation of this sweat from the skin surface removes heat from the body. Sweating is the most effective way that the body prevents itself from overheating.
So you see, water is essential. So how much water should you drink each day? Well there is debate over that. The standard answer is 64 oz (8-8oz glasses). The method I use is half of my body weight in ounces. So Since I weight about 160 right now, that means 80 ounces a day. Why more than the normal 64 ounces? Well I work out which means I sweat, which means I am losing water.. so by drinking 80, I am drinking extra to compensate for what I lose working out.
How do i make sure I get enough water? I don't drink anything else till I hit my 80 ounces. I use multiple resources to help me... We have a Pur Filter we try and keep full and it is only a few feet from where I am sitting now (normally it would be in a fridge, but our downstairs fridge is broken and since we live downstairs, we keep it on a shelf so it's accessible.) We buy cases of water bottles at the store. I am all for reusing, but if I am running late, its nice to have the option to just grab and go, and usually I will refill the same bottle throughout the day once I grab one.
My favorite item- the one that helps me the most with drinking water- is my hospital cup. Yep, you read that right. If you have ever been to the ER or stayed in the hospital and they gave you a bottle that has a little chart on the side of how many ounces it holds, the cups with the lids and straws? yep, that is what I am talking about. I think it's the straw.. It's so much each to just drink and drink with the straw then to open a bottle and drink. I try and drink at least 2 of these a day, plus whatever other water I drink (my cup holds 32 ounces- meaning 2 of them give me the normal 64 oz a day).
Now it's your turn.... How much water do you drink in a day, and how do you make sure you get the amount you need?
No comments:
Post a Comment