Liquid Gold

Water water water…it is everywhere. In your kitchens…on the store shelves...water fountains the nation over. It is by far one of our bodies most important nutrients. Our bodies are made up of 70% water so how important do YOU think it is to have a continuous replacement of a vital nutrient we lose?

Here are a few tidbits of things to ponder…

• water is calorie free
• Water is fat free
• water is cholesterol free
• water is low in sodium
• water is a natural appetite suppressant
• helps the body metabolize stored fat
• without sufficient fluids to flush out your kidneys, the by-products of cell metabolism, our body cells slowly become poisoned by their own waste.
• just a 20% drop in body water can be fatal

Everyday we lose, on average, about 2 quarts of water. We lose it through our skin, intestines, lungs and kidneys. When we do not replenish the amount we lose we risk becoming dehydrated.

Signs of dehydration:

• muscle soreness
• headache
• fatigue
• dark urine
• intolerant to heat
• dry eyes
• dry mouth

If we are thirsty we are more than likely already heading towards dehydration. So the question would be then just how much should we drink? This has been asked and answered so many times so many ways but what I found on average we need to be drinking 8 –10 8oz glasses of water a day and add more if we exercise a lot, live in a hot climate area or are overweight*.

Water to some is very difficult to get down, I am not one of them but empathize for those with difficulty in doing so. I wrote a post about how to make it more palatable and you can check that out here.

Before you reach for anything other than the liquid gold known as water think about all the positive benefits you do for your body and what the lack of may lead to.

Tips To Help Increase our Water Intake:

• Drink a glass with each meal
• Be sure to drink before, during and after exercising
• carry a water bottle with you
• Start your day with a nice glass of cold water instead of coffee
• Take water breaks…not coffee breaks

Trish

 

*It is recommended to add another 8 oz for every 25 pounds we are over what our ideal weight should be.