Why is hydration important to the body
Hydration is an essential part of your body's overall health and wellness. It helps to keep your body functioning at its optimal level, and it also has many positive effects on your mental clarity and energy levels.
In this blog post, we'll take a closer look at why hydration is so important to the body, and how you can ensure that you get enough water each day, especially if you are an outdoor enthusiast and spend most of your time under the sun. The power of hydration cannot be understated.
The Benefits & Importance of Staying Hydrated
The human body is made up mostly of water and needs a certain amount of fluids each day to stay healthy. Without proper hydration, our bodies cannot function at peak performance.
Hydration plays a key role in keeping your body healthy and well-functioning. Water helps regulates body temperature by releasing heat through sweat, and keeps your organs functioning properly. It helps transports nutrients and oxygen to cells and helps to remove waste products.
Drinking water helps the kidney to function properly and reduces the risk of kidney stones, and flushes toxins from the body. This is probably one of your key motivators to drink more water as the pain from having stones in your kidney is agonizing, to say the least.
Drinking water helps to maintain a healthy digestive system, preventing constipation and promoting regular bowel movements.
Drinking water helps your muscle function better, reducing fatigue during exercise or other activities. It's especially important to stay hydrated when exercising, as dehydration can lead to muscles cramp, fatigue, dizziness, and even heat stroke in extreme cases. Drinking plenty of fluids before, during, and after exercise can help prevent these problems from occurring.
Drinking water lubricates joints and provides cushioning for them.
In addition to physical performance benefits, proper hydration has mental benefits as well. Drinking water helps to boost energy and brain function, and improvement in cognitive function and mental performance.
When you’re dehydrated, your brain isn’t able to work at its full potential; you may experience difficulty concentrating or have trouble remembering things. You may even feel depressed or anxious when dehydrated due to changes in neurotransmitter levels caused by dehydration.
By drinking enough water throughout the day, you can help ensure that these issues don’t occur, reduce stress, and can maintain optimum mental clarity and concentration.
Drinking water helps to maintain healthy glowing skin by keeping it soft and supple, reducing wrinkles and dryness.
For all of you out there looking for ways to lose weight, this one is a free bonus, so to say! Don't let cravings take the best of you - hydration is key to weight loss!
Enjoying plenty of water during your day can help reduce overeating, providing a great opportunity to aid in weight maintenance and even losing those extra pounds.
Drinking water helps to make you feel fuller for a longer period and is an effective way of curbing hunger pangs.
Plus, drinking more H2O increases metabolism for an added benefit!
Not drinking enough water can lead to several health problems making even the simplest of tasks seem more difficult than usual. I believe you get the whole picture now!
How much water to drink per day
According to the Mayo Clinic, "The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is:
About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men
About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women
These recommendations cover fluids from water, other beverages, and food. About 20% of daily fluid intake usually comes from food and the rest from drinks"
Another approach based on The University of Missouri System "How to calculate how much water you should drink" Byline Jennifer Stone, PT, DPT, OCS, Clinic Supervisor is as follow:
"Your weight is one variable that changes the amount of water you should be drinking. To help you establish a baseline, you can use the following rule-of-thumb equation described in U.S. News & World Report.
Calculation:
Your weight x 0.5 = oz. of water per day
Example: 200 lbs x 0.5 = 100 oz. per day.
In short, the equation tells you to take half your body weight, and drink that amount in ounces of water. In the example, notice that you should be drinking more than 12 glasses of water, not eight!"
The amount of water that you need depends on several factors such as age, weight, activity level, climate conditions, and others. Generally speaking though most people should aim to drink 8 glasses (or 2 liters) of water per day. This is about half of the recommendation from "The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine". It is probably sufficient for most people. This is not a one size fits all scenario.
How do you know if you are drinking enough?
Wondering if your fluid intake is sufficient? If you are adequately hydrated, you should not feel thirsty and have light yellow or colorless urine. A darker shade of yellow means your body needs more water.
A doctor or dietitian can help you figure out how much water to consume each day, but generally a glass with meals and before/during/after exercise should suffice. To make sure your body stays hydrated, just drink whenever you feel the need!
If you are exercising or spending time in hot climates then you should increase this amount accordingly. Keep in mind that thirst is not always an accurate indicator of dehydration; so it's best to make sure that you drink enough water throughout the day even if you don't feel thirsty.
It is tough to drink enough water each day, and it is harder to keep track of how much you have drunk each day, especially if you don't have a good way to track your progress.
A good way, practiced by many active sportsmen is to use a big water bottle, such as a Gallon Water Bottle with motivational and time markers on the bottle.
Whichever you chose to adopt, always listen to your body. If unsure, drink water!
STOP .. for the average person drinking too much water is not harmful. However, there can be some potential risks if you drink too much in rare cases. Your body's electrolyte levels can become imbalanced due to overhydration (water intoxication or hyponatremia). This can cause symptoms such as headaches, nausea, vomiting, and confusion. If in doubt, always speak to your doctor about the best amount of water for you, and always listen to your body.
What should I drink?
What should I drink to stay hydrated?
Water is best for staying hydrated, and it is also the most commonly available source of hydration. It can be found in many forms, including tap water, bottled water, sparkling water, and flavored water. But it doesn't have to be a glass of water every time.
Other common sources of hydration include sports and energy drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade, which contain electrolytes to help replenish lost fluids.
Fruits and vegetables are an excellent way to fulfill your daily fluid requirements, as many varieties contain almost 100% water. Coconut water is a natural source of electrolytes that are becoming increasingly popular due to its sweet taste and natural ingredients. Watermelon is almost 100% water.
Even caffeinated drinks or dairy products (for example, coffee, tea, and soda) can contribute to your daily water intake. However, regular soda and sweetened drinks should be consumed in moderation due to their high sugar content.
There are other creative ways of hydration with enhancements that serve to complement the hydration and improve upon it.
One way is based on the holistic approach of using specific crystals and their power together with the intentions of the person drinking them to revitalize and receive their unique positive benefits. It is a simple routine of filling a crystal bottle with water to benefit from the crystals-infused water. If you wish to explore further, click here Best Crystal Water Bottle to learn more.
Yet another way is to drink alkaline water to hydrate and balance the pH level in your body for optimum performance. As with the above, it is simply adding water to an alkaline water bottle that turns regular water into 9.5 pH alkaline water in minutes.
And you can learn more about it on Best Alkaline Water Bottle.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to get hydrated quickly?
Oral hydration solutions containing water, electrolytes, and sugar.
These 4 hydrate the fastest:
- Water
- Electrolyte-Infused water
- Milk
- Fruits such as Watermelon, Coconuts, and others.
Is orange juice good for hydration?
Yes, Orange juice is good for hydration and quenching thirst, and restoring electrolytes. It is also good for the body with its high antioxidant properties.
How much sea salt to add to water for hydration?
As a general rule, you will need a minimum of 1.5gm of sea salt for every 950 ml of water that you consume.
Sea salt helps your body absorb water for optimal hydration, and helps your body stay hydrated for a longer period
Does showering hydrate you?
No, you cannot hydrate through your skin. Water cannot make it through the layers of your skin to rehydrate you. For water to hydrate your body, it has to get into your bloodstream. For this to happen, you have to drink your water.
Perhaps you can be hydrated during your shower, as you may drink a little of the water flowing down your face and lips.
Do your veins show more when you are hydrated?
Yes, your veins will be plumper and show more when you are hydrated. The reverse is also true, with dehydration your vessels are smaller since the amount of blood volume in your vessels is reduced.
Summary: The Importance of Hydration for Maintaining a Healthy Body
Ultimately, proper hydration is an essential element of health and while it can be easy to forget, staying mindful of your daily intake can make a difference. Even mild dehydration can create havoc on your body system.
Make sure to keep track of how you’re feeling throughout the day and note if something feels off: drinking water will help your alertness and well-being! Since everyone is different, listen to your body – adjust your water consumption as needed to match your lifestyle and level of activity.
Eight glasses a day should be enough for most people, but if you’re exercising or spending time outdoors, then make sure to adjust this amount accordingly.
Furthermore, don’t be shy to try different types of water such as sparkling, carbonated, or electrolyte-infused. Not only will these give you some valuable nutrients and minerals, but they can help you keep your water intake stimulating without feeling like a monotonous chore.
Investing in proper optimal hydration today means that you’ll reap its rewards tomorrow – so drink up!
You’ll soon find yourself feeling energized, mentally sharper, and ready for whatever comes next.
Live a Great Life .. Live Well.
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Trusted Outdoor Gear published a 3-blog posts series of staying hydrated with different approaches such as crystal-infused water, alkaline water, and how to stay on track to drink sufficient water every day. Just click on the tag "water bottle" to read all 3 posts.
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