Water makes up between 60 - 70% of the body, creating structure and form.
Water is a major player in cooling body temperature and creating an environment for cells and body systems to run smoothly.
Water is used to perform thousands of functions within the body. To gauge the importance of water relative to food, consider the fact that severe dehydration can lead to death in a matter of days, whereas we can go without food for weeks.
Remember, water is lost every minute of the day through passive actions such as breathing and perspiration. Caffeinated beverages have a diuretic effect on the body causing even more water loss (they say, we should also drink water while sipping on cup of coffee (1:1) - one sip of coffee , one sip of water ;).
Dehydration can also lead to headaches, loss of energy and muscle weakness. So, replacing lost water is vital for maintaining health and performance.
Do not wait until you feel thirsty to drink. Always keep a water bottle or glass nearby and sip frequently.
Although not a topic for polite discussion - the best indication that you ,might be dehydrated is from the color of your urine (dark color is a definite fact that you are running low on fluids whereas light yellow (white-ish) color means that your body is adequately hydrated.
And what are other good quality sources of water?
- Fruits and vegetables
- Non caffeinated drinks (herbal teas are my favourite. Also, make sure you avoind drinking too much of a green tea, one cup or two is more that enough if you do have that cup of coffee too).
- Water, the best course of all!!
And how much water you should drink per day?
There is a simple calculation :)
Water (in litres) to drink a day = Your Weight (in Kg) multiplied by 0.033.
(For example, if you are 60kg, you should drink about 2 litres of water every single day).
And make sure to drink at least 250ml (500ml) of water more, on days you workout.
Until next time, S.
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