Every day you lose water through perspiration, urine, and breathing and as the weather is getting warmer, and people are doing more outside, the thing that one shouldn’t forget is to continuously drink water throughout the day.
Dehydration occurs when you don’t have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions and can drain your energy.
Nearly all of the major systems in your body depend on water. It is responsible for protecting body organs and tissues, lubricates joints, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, regulates body temperature, helps to dissolve minerals and other nutrients, moistens tissues such as those in the mouth, eyes and nose, and lessens the burden on the kidneys and liver by flushing out waste products.
Your body is 60% made up of water, and for it to function properly you must replenish it supply through beverages and foods that containing water. Watermelon and tomatoes are great examples of food, and juice and milk are alternatives to just drinking water.
An easy way to remember how many water enriched fluids you should consume is the “8 by 8” rule.; eight 8 ounce glasses of fluid. The amount of water you intake may need to be modified on how active you are, your environment, health conditions and pregnant or breast feeding.
You know if you have had taken in enough fluids if you rarely feel thirsty and produce colourless or light yellow urine a day. To keep dehydration at bay it is good idea to drink a glass of water with each meal and between each meal and before, during and after exercise. A few considerations to stay well hydrated include drinking water with every meal, take water breaks instead of coffee or tea breaks and substitute sparkling water for alcohol.
Even though it’s uncommon, too much water can overwhelm your kidneys’ ability to get rid of water. This is referred to as hyponatremia which is a condition in which excess water dilutes the normal amount of sodium in the blood.
If you use a reusable water bottle remember to change it frequently and washing it with hot soapy water or in a dishwasher as bacteria from your mouth may contaminate the water.
Keeping a bottle near by is great reminder to drink more. So whether it’s tap or bottled, don’t forget to stay hydrated.
