Drink all the Water you can
Water is the one of the most precious elements found in nature. Water is one of the most essential requirements for the human body. All of us are aware of the importance of water, but most people do not know how much water to drink to be sufficient for our bodies to stay healthy and how to drink it.
Why our body needs water
In fact (depending on your age) our bodies already contain 70% of water by weight. Water is everywhere in our body, in our blood, muscles, lungs and brain. Water helps nutrition to travel from one organ to another and it helps regulate body temperature. Other important tasks performed by water inside the body include transporting oxygen to the cells, and protecting organs & joints.
Some interesting facts for not drinking enough water. Any shortage of water in your body can lead to serious health conditions. For example, if you don’t know how much water to drink, you may suffer:
Dehydration: In case sufficient water is not supplied to the body, it can lead to a condition called dehydration.
Mental Harm: It might be surprising to know that not drinking enough water may not only cause serious harm physically, but it will likely to cause mental and emotional harm as well. How? Less water leads to less energy and hence, weak concentration and less focus than you normally would have.
Metabolism: Even mild dehydration slows down your metabolism by at least 3%.
Hunger: In research at the University of Washington, one glass of water stopped midnight hunger pangs for all the volunteers.
Joint Pains: Having enough water each day reduced joint pains in 80% of the sufferers.
Weak memory: During a study they found that a small drop in percentage of body water, say 2%, can lead to problems such as weak memory, problems with basic math and reduced focus on computer screens.
How much water to drink
Normally, all of us lose water in the form of urine, sweat and respiration. The water you lose should be replenished by drinking more water. Normally an adult loses about 10 cups of water every day in various bodily processes. About 20 percent of this loss is normally covered by food and the rest can be replenished by drinking about 2 liters of water.
The amount of water required by a person in a day can be calculated by dividing one’s body weight by two. This is the number of ounces of water required each day. For instance if you weigh something like 180 pounds, make sure to drink 90 ounces of water daily.
If you exercise a lot or do excess physical labor, you should drink more water; say about 8 more ounces for every hour of activity. If you drink alcohol, increase your water intake equal to the amount of alcohol you consume.
When travelling on an airplane, drink extra ounces of water during the entire trip; drink one glass per hour of travel. According to The Institute of Medicine, men need to consume about 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages in a day while women need to consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.
How to get enough water?
We get water from the food we eat, beverages, soft drinks, sports drinks, fruit and vegetable juices. Though everybody needs a good amount of water every day, many people find it difficult to drink as much water on a busy day.
- Keep water handy always (like at the office, while travelling, working or exercising). It is better to carry a bottle of water everywhere you go. Plain water is the best recipe, but if you want, you can make it more delicious by adding some flavors.
- You should keep drinking water every two hours even if you are not thirsty. Being thirsty means your body is already showing signs of dehydration. Other signs of dehydration include constipation, headache, lower back pain and pain in muscles and joints.
- Drink water before and after each meal.
You can easily check whether you are drinking enough water or not. Go to the bathroom for a urine check. If it is dark yellow with strong odor, you are not drinking the amount of water you need. If it is pale yellow, it means you are drinking enough water.
You have always been drinking water when you are thirsty, but now on make it a habit to drink water for your good health.