Drink Up

(Originally posted in the May 28th Edition of Exposure Magazine. )
Sixty percent of our body is water. Do you realize that you “lose” water by breathing, exercising, urinating and even breast feeding? We are constantly depleting the water needed by our body to function properly. In helping people create a healthier lifestyle, I find low water intake to be the most problematic, yet easiest to fix.

Our bodies have a few ways to communicate dehydration. I will share three. The first sign for most people is feeling tired. Your body is encouraging you to conserve water by sleeping. Breathing will be shallower, less movement – all adds up to conserving water. If you feel fatigued, drink 16-24 ounces of water and reassess how you feel. The second common symptom of lack of water is headaches. Often you will find people have dehydration headaches. Your brain is literally yelling at you; it is thirsty! Once again, try 16-24 ounces of water intake. We do derive approximately twenty percent of the required water needed through our food. This doesn’t mean we should slack off in water intake because we ate spinach or watermelon. Drink first! The third symptom is constipation. This is no fun! There is a reason it’s called waste. Your body is done with it and it’s got to go. Without adequate hydration, it may not be able to. Constipation can impact your health in a variety of negative ways resulting in other health issues.
What is the magic number? Drinking less than fifty percent of what you weigh in pounds in ounces of water is too little. The actual percentage is about sixty-seven percent, according to Mayo Clinic. Factoring in what you derive from food- fifty percent of what you weigh leaves you with a pretty good balance. If you want top performance from your body, make water intake a daily goal. For most wanting to lose weight, a gallon a day is recommended.

Lastly, here are some tips to increase your intake. Measure it with a measuring cup or gallon jug! It’s the only way you can be sure. Flavor your water by adding slices of strawberry, cucumber, pineapple, apples, lemons and limes. Be creative! You will know you are drinking enough when your urine is light yellow to almost colorless. I start every day with a gallon pitcher full of water to make sure I reach my intake goal. Drink up my friends!