Water is one of the essential elements of overall health. The basic foundations of health for all humans include: air, water, food and sunlight. Without these four elements we are unable to survive! Did you realize that water was just as essential to our health as the air we breathe?
The human body is composed of approximately 65 per cent water. It’s one of the core elements to our makeup both by volume and weight. It’s in every cell; all of our muscles and tissues, our blood, and our bones. Essentially every part of our bodies is made up of water.
Because water is one of the basic building blocks making up a large component of our bodies, without adequate hydration we cannot function optimally. Water is required for every reaction that occurs throughout the day. Chronic dehydration or inadequate water intake can essentially impact any and all health concerns. Common signs and symptoms of inadequate hydration include fatigue, skin concerns, digestive disorders including constipation, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, headaches, asthma and allergies, joint discomfort, weight gain and even premature aging.
I often have people tell me: “But I’m just not thirsty.” This is a coping mechanism of our body. Often if we aren’t supplying our body with water regularly to meet its demands, we won’t feel thirsty. Why ask for something you know you aren’t going to get? Would you go to the bank and ask to withdraw a million dollars knowing that there is only a thousand in your account? Probably not, because you know you’re not going to get it! If we don’t drink water regularly, our body will not ask for it. Increasing water consumption will increase our thirst response.
So, great, we know that we need to drink water daily, but how much do we really need? A rough estimate of how much water we need daily is to take our body weight in pounds and divide it by two. This will give us the number of ounces we should be drinking daily. Ex. 150 lb/2= 75 ounces daily. A glass of water contains eight ounces so a 150-pound individual would need to drink about 9-10 glasses daily. This is a rough estimate and some people need a little more or a little less.
Did you just do the math for yourself and you’re sitting there in shock? You’re not alone! Most people don’t realize how much water they really do need to drink on a daily basis.
If you’re currently drinking two to three glasses of water daily and your goal should be about 10 glasses daily, do not increase that all at once! All liquids we put into our bodies need to be filtered by our kidneys so that would be a huge shock to our system and could actually cause negative consequences. We want to increase our water intake slowly. I usually recommend increasing by one glass per day each week. If you’re currently drinking three daily now, have four each day for the next week and five daily the week following and so on.
Looking for ways to enhance the taste of your water: Try adding a lemon or lime wedge. Or a handful of frozen raspberries. Cucumber slices or a few sprigs of mint can really add a lot of flavour without changing the health benefits. Herbal teas (hot or cold) can also count towards your water intake.
Foods that are majority fluid also contribute. Make a big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup to up your hydration. Or chow down on some high water content foods, like watermelon which is 92 per cent water while celery, zucchini and radishes are about 95 per cent water by weight.
Did you know that caffeine is a diuretic? This means that each cup of coffee you drink throughout the day slowly dehydrates you. You may be drinking a fluid, but the caffeine soaks up the hydration status of our cells and they are even more dehydrated than before you drank that cup of joe. Similar to coffee, drinks that contain high amounts of sugar like pop and fruit juices count against our water intake. To deal with the excess sugar you are taking in your body uses up a huge amount of water just to remove it from your system. For each caffeinated or sweetened beverage we drink, we need to add one more glass of water to our daily goal.
I hope by now, you’re sipping on a glass of water while you finish reading. Take the first steps to improve your overall health and make sure you are getting enough water each day. Drink up!
This article is intended for educational and information purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you require medical advice, diagnostics or treatment, please contact your nearest healthcare professional.
The human body is composed of approximately 65 per cent water. It’s one of the core elements to our makeup both by volume and weight. It’s in every cell; all of our muscles and tissues, our blood, and our bones. Essentially every part of our bodies is made up of water.
Because water is one of the basic building blocks making up a large component of our bodies, without adequate hydration we cannot function optimally. Water is required for every reaction that occurs throughout the day. Chronic dehydration or inadequate water intake can essentially impact any and all health concerns. Common signs and symptoms of inadequate hydration include fatigue, skin concerns, digestive disorders including constipation, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, headaches, asthma and allergies, joint discomfort, weight gain and even premature aging.
I often have people tell me: “But I’m just not thirsty.” This is a coping mechanism of our body. Often if we aren’t supplying our body with water regularly to meet its demands, we won’t feel thirsty. Why ask for something you know you aren’t going to get? Would you go to the bank and ask to withdraw a million dollars knowing that there is only a thousand in your account? Probably not, because you know you’re not going to get it! If we don’t drink water regularly, our body will not ask for it. Increasing water consumption will increase our thirst response.
So, great, we know that we need to drink water daily, but how much do we really need? A rough estimate of how much water we need daily is to take our body weight in pounds and divide it by two. This will give us the number of ounces we should be drinking daily. Ex. 150 lb/2= 75 ounces daily. A glass of water contains eight ounces so a 150-pound individual would need to drink about 9-10 glasses daily. This is a rough estimate and some people need a little more or a little less.
Did you just do the math for yourself and you’re sitting there in shock? You’re not alone! Most people don’t realize how much water they really do need to drink on a daily basis.
If you’re currently drinking two to three glasses of water daily and your goal should be about 10 glasses daily, do not increase that all at once! All liquids we put into our bodies need to be filtered by our kidneys so that would be a huge shock to our system and could actually cause negative consequences. We want to increase our water intake slowly. I usually recommend increasing by one glass per day each week. If you’re currently drinking three daily now, have four each day for the next week and five daily the week following and so on.
Looking for ways to enhance the taste of your water: Try adding a lemon or lime wedge. Or a handful of frozen raspberries. Cucumber slices or a few sprigs of mint can really add a lot of flavour without changing the health benefits. Herbal teas (hot or cold) can also count towards your water intake.
Foods that are majority fluid also contribute. Make a big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup to up your hydration. Or chow down on some high water content foods, like watermelon which is 92 per cent water while celery, zucchini and radishes are about 95 per cent water by weight.
Did you know that caffeine is a diuretic? This means that each cup of coffee you drink throughout the day slowly dehydrates you. You may be drinking a fluid, but the caffeine soaks up the hydration status of our cells and they are even more dehydrated than before you drank that cup of joe. Similar to coffee, drinks that contain high amounts of sugar like pop and fruit juices count against our water intake. To deal with the excess sugar you are taking in your body uses up a huge amount of water just to remove it from your system. For each caffeinated or sweetened beverage we drink, we need to add one more glass of water to our daily goal.
I hope by now, you’re sipping on a glass of water while you finish reading. Take the first steps to improve your overall health and make sure you are getting enough water each day. Drink up!
This article is intended for educational and information purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you require medical advice, diagnostics or treatment, please contact your nearest healthcare professional.