Water, Water Everywhere!
Finally, summer has arrived here in Montana. Temperatures no longer make you question whether or not it is actually June. In fact, today it hit 89 degrees and I, along with you across the nation, are feeling the physical effects of the heat! As such, diving into a large pool of water sounds about as refreshing as it gets! But instead of just making a splash and drinking up the summer sun, we ought to be guzzling the water. Hydration is important not only in the summer, but all year round as not only the heat from the sun but from heaters and recycled air dehydrates the body as well.
Being properly hydrated is key to a body that functions at its best as about 45-75% of a person’s body weight is accounted for by water. Water is used to flush out toxins, breakdown and carry nutrients to cells, maintain temperature balance, bring moisture to membranes in the throat, ears, and
nose as well as the eyes. It keeps skin soft, used to produce saliva, gastric juices, and even makes up about 83% of blood. It is in essentially every cell of the human body. If that isn’t reason enough, proper hydration helps to keep you focused, able to perform at your peak physical activity abilities, and feeling well.
When you are dehydrated the first signs include headaches, increased body temperature, flushed skin, fatigue, elevated pulse and breathing rate, decreased exercise capacity, muscle spasms, and shriveled skin among other things. If you don’t head to these dehydration cues and continue on without sipping water you will start to experience dizziness, increased weakness, and labored breathing.
It’s best to not ever let yourself get to the point of feeling thirsty because when you are there you’re already more dehydrated than you should be. My cross country coach used to always tell my teammates and I, “If you’re clear, you’re in the clear.” What we are talking about is urine. It is a good visual indicator to tell you to drink more. Pale, clearer urine means it is more diluted which in turn mean you are more hydrated. If you notice a stronger color and odor get your hands on a water bottle!
Dehydration is caused by losing more fluid than you take in. How do you lose water? It can be lost through more extreme situations such as vomiting or diarrhea but is mostly lost through normal body functions such as sweating, breathing, bowel movements, and urinating. Larger body sizes require more water as they have larger systems to run and more surface area to cool down. More physically fit people also have a higher water need as they are more efficient at sweating since their bodies are used to increased stress and also due to higher lean body mass as muscle is made of a higher percentage of water than fat. External factors also increase the need for water such as hot temperatures, dry climates, high elevations, as well as intense and or long workout times.
With all these highly influent
ial factors coming into play it is hard to determine your individualized water goal so the Institute of Medicine has conducted some research to make it easy for you. They recommend men should consume about thirteen and women about nine 8 oz glasses of water a day and any additional fluid needs can be met through food consumption. To get your ounces in drink water or beverages with every meal and sip water throughout the day. Water is the gold standard for hydrating as it is pure, calorie free, cholesterol free, and sodium free but it can be understandably boring from time to time. In that instance, spice it up by adding a splash of juice or a medley of sliced fruit. If you just can’t do that still, sodas, juices, milk, and caffeinated beverages such as coffee still count toward your daily fluid intake. Just be sure to monitor caffeine, sugar, and calorie intake from beverages. Also, don’t forget to continually hydrate as you enjoy a summery cocktail or two as alcohol suppresses an antidiuretic hormone known as vasopressin. This results in a higher urine output which can lead to dehydration and a headache later on if fluid is not replenished.
So be sure to drink to your health and find fun ways to encourage hydration. Make homemade popsicles out of juice and bits of fruit, drop sliced strawberries into your glass of water, go pick out fun reusable water bottles, or try eating more fruits and veggies such as watermelon or cucumber. And never forget to eat an all around healthy diet which also includes whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats from fish, nuts and seeds. Limit saturated fat, added sugars, and sodium as well.
Let us know what tricks you use to keep hydrated?
