Water and Your Health
Here's a question you've heard many times before:
How many glasses of water do you drink each day?
Two, three, four... more? You've heard it so often because it's
a very important question, prompting you to think about the
amount of water you consume, urging you to drink more...
Get the basics right, like eating a balanced diet, regular
moderate exercise, rest and relaxation, fun and laughter, and
life can be free of illness and poor health. Water consumption
is one of these essential basics. If you want long-term good
health, read on, we're going to give you all the evidence you
need to encourage you to drink water, as recommended by the
experts: 6-8 large glasses a day!
Why you need a fresh daily supply
At any one time, between 55 and 75% of your body weight is
water. Your body's need for water is second only to it's need
for oxygen! Take a look at why you need so much of this
life-giving liquid: It assists the digestion, absorption and
elimination of the food you eat It assists the excretion of
waste from your bowel and kidneys It regulates your body
temperature 24/7 It lubricates your joints and membranes Blood
is your body's transport system, constantly distributing
nutrients around the body Your blood is made up of approximately
92% water Body secretions and digestive juices are almost
entirely water (your digestive system produces approximately 1.7
litres of saliva each day) Because of these many important
tasks, in normal conditions your body needs between 1 and a half
to 2 litres of water daily, in order to function optimally. This
daily amount is also affected by your size, diet, how active
your lifestyle is and even the weather conditions! The list
below shows how your body loses water: Through exhaling,
perspiring and elimination (urine, faeces) your body lose 1.7
litres daily In hot weather, perspiration increases so more
water is needed to help regulate body temperature and keep you
feeling cool During cold weather, additional moisture is lost
through breathing For each hour of physical activity, you need
and extra 1-3 glasses of water Central heating has a drying
effect, so you need to drink more, or turn down the heat DID YOU
KNOW?
Water is a natural appetite suppressant. Lack of water can lead
to over eating, this is because your brain doesn't differentiate
between hunger and thirst, so when you think you are feeling
hungry, chances are, your body really needs water, so drink a
large glass of water before you eat. In most cases, you will
probably find this will satisfy what you thought were hunger
pains.
Are you Dehydrated?
You can probably appreciate by now that many, many people are
walking around in a constant state of dehydration! So is your
body gasping for water? How would you know? You can check for
yourself below - we've started with the most common symptoms,
right through to the more severe symptoms:
Headaches A major function of water is to flush toxins from the
body. Your brain is 75% water, so even being slightly dehydrated
can cause headaches.
Poor Concentration/Fatigue If your body is overloaded with
toxins and not enough water to flush them out, you will feel
less energetic while your body struggles with the toxins.
Constipation Water speeds the process of elimination adding bulk
to the stool, so drinking adequate fluid assist the flow and
regularity.
Reduced urine Output/Dark Urine The kidneys filter waste
products out of the blood. Amazingly, approximately 180 litres
of water is recycled by the kidneys daily! This process relies
on an adequate fresh supply, without it, output of urine is
reduced, waste products become more concentrated, resulting in
darker urine.
Furry tongue/bad breath If not enough fluid is passing through
the mouth to wash away food particles, bacteria builds up in the
throat and mouth, and on the tongue as a white film of fur.
Dry Mouth Saliva lubricates the mouth, dehydration reduces the
amount available.
In More Severe Dehydration
Muscle Cramps This happens when not enough oxygen is getting to
the muscles via the blood stream because of insufficient water
in the body.
Skin If there is not enough water to feed the skin, it loses
elasticity. Test by pulling the skin on the back of your hand,
it should snap back instantly.
Eyes Sunken eyes and dark skin around/under the eyes are a sign
of severe dehydration.
Get Into a Life-Long Water Habit
Your aim is to drink water consistently throughout the day.
Avoid drinking too much water at once, or too fast, because it
will pass through you with little benefit to your body. For the
first few days you may experience more frequent trips to the
toilet, this is because your body isn't used to being so well
hydrated and needs time to adjust. You should also begin to
notice a reduction in weight and centimetres, as your body's
water stores become redundant and gradually release their cargo!
TIP If you don't have a water cooler/dispenser at work, take a
two litre bottle with you each day - it will also help you
monitor your water intake.
Water is your body's life force, without it, you would literally
dry up!
WATER RETENTION
Don't overlook water retention... The less water you drink, the
more the body will try to store water for later use. This will
result in water retention as the body cells swell with their
precious water stores, giving the appearance of 'extra weight'
TAKE ACTION NOW Choose your Source Wisely
Some fluids work against hydration
COFFEE - TEA
Coffee and traditional teas contain caffeine, which produces
increased urine output and is therefore a dehydrating agent. The
more you drink, the quicker water will pass through your body.
DIET DRINKS
Diet drinks contain artificial sweeteners in place of sugar.
These sweeteners send confusing messages to the brain that food
(energy) is on the way to the stomach, but because sweeteners
contain no calories, no energy arrives, so the brain sends out
hunger messages until food finally arrives. People who drink
diet sodas on a regular basis therefore tend to eat to much.
FRUIT JUICES
We generally think of fruit juices as being good for us, but in
reality, they are sugar water. fruit is always far healthier
when eaten in it's whole, fibre and nutrient-rich form. if you
do drink fruit juice, dilute 50/50 with water to reduce the
sugar content. Beware of fruit cordials/squashes, which are
usually sugar-saturated or contain artificial sweeteners - check
the labels.
About the author:
Dale Maxwell http://www.healthier.co.za
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