First off, Id like to thank all of you who reach out with positive feedback on the content Sweat Nation is creating!
We will work to the best of our ability to give the most educated and solid information straight to you. With that lets jump in to the deep side of the pool. Today's Topic is Water!
I'd like to thank Sweat Nation Citizen Lissette Martinez for this first question. She wanted some clarification on the whole 8 glasses of water per day idea.
Did you know an estimated 75% of Americans function in a chronic state of dehydration.
With several major cities now recording more consistent summer temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. Most Americans consume far below the recommended daily minimum, regardless of season!
Most people know perfectly well that their water intake needs to go way up. More than half of our bodies are composed of water, 75% of it in our muscles, 85% in our brains.
With Americans reportedly buying more soda than water, this news should not come as a surprise. Health professionals continue to emphasize the importance of proper hydration, as chronic deficiencies may be very difficult to connect to its symptoms. Because the human body is so unique that it will say ‘I want water’ in food, in any way, shape or form, people just think that when they start to get a little weak or they have a headache, they need to eat something, but most often they need to drink something. That something of course being water.
Water is a necessary catalyst for the body to digest and absorb vitamins and nutrients. It’s also key to proper digestion; it detoxifies the liver and kidneys, and carries waste away. If your urine becomes darkly colored you’re dehydrated. Your urine should be light, straw colored.
Over time, failure to drink enough water can contribute to a wide array of medical issues, from fatigue, joint pain and weight gain. To headaches, ulcers, high blood pressure and kidney disease. In addition, much of our fluid intake can itself have a deleterious effect on our health, as caffeinated, diuretic beverages can contribute to a problem. There is a tendency in the U.S. to drink a lot of beverages that are mildly dehydrating. For those of you who cannot stand the taste of water, i'd like to take this moment to bring awareness to how you've let yourself become disconnected from what your body is wanting and asking you for. There's no way around it. If you'd like to feel more optimal in your all around life water is a foundational piece, and as the saying goes you can't build a strong house on a weak foundation. So this is how you can take action. There are a wide variety of fruits and vegetable that can help. Throw an orange in your water, cucumber, pineapple, etc.
Dehydration compromises physical and mental performance. Water is a vital macro-nutrient. water is needed for carrying fuel to oxygen cells, flushing waste through your system, keeping skin moist. regulating body temperature, blood pressure & Cushioning your joints. Are you thirsty yet?
You are made mostly of water. Now, Do you really need 8 glasses everyday? Its an average that is thrown out to give people a guideline. That average came to be as a recommendation given by the food and nutrition board of the national council in 1945. This recommendation also takes into account the water that is inside the foods we eat as well. There's your cool fact of the day.
Douglas Kalmari Ph.D., R.D., Professor of Sports nutrition at FIU & VP of international sports nutrition. Overlooked a one person case study of a writer who wanted to find out exactly how much water a person needs(remember this is just a single person study n=1. so you take it for exactly that). I always like to recommend that you do your own N+1. After all, you're the most important science project you have.
To figure out how much water he needed to drink he had him take his weight and divide it by 2. For example: for someone like me that would be about 85 oz of liquid. which is significantly different than the 8 glasses a day. Depending on your size it will be different. This is the base, now depending on how much activity you do, the temperature where you're located, you would need to adjust your level.
With a base of 85oz, if throughout the day, with whatever activity is done there is a 45oz deficit. To stay "adequately" hydrated there would need to be 130 oz of water to drink. For Dr. Kalmari's case study.
Some of the pros that were expressed were.
Less hunger throughout the day More energy Endurance while exercising Breath smelled better Softer skin
Some of the cons were as follows
Interrupted sleep from having to go to the bathroom No effect on strength
(reminder...correlation is not causation. just means more studies need to be done)
That's the basics for your hydration project. Drink water. It has no calories, it's refreshing, which leaves your mind and body in a great state. Since water has no calories and you probably love to eat. The less calories you take in through liquid. The more you can take through whole foods. Have a bottle of water always close by. Take that first step to getting to know how YOUR body works. try drinking more water. See how it affects you.
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