Do you suffer from migraines?
Are you struggling to stay focused or do simple mental tasks? The answer could be simple: You might be thirsty!
Imagine your body as a system of water slides at a waterpark. With appropriate water flow, we shoot through the tunnels, sliding and gliding easily. But decrease the flow of water and what happens? We stick to the slide! Our bodies work just like a sophisticated water park. Without water, we slow down and, eventually, our bodies shut down.
Each day we utilize water to help our body function, much like a waterslide. For instance, normal respiration requires 2-3 quarts (64-96 oz) of water each day, just to allow the lungs to efficiently exchange the oxygen from the air into our bodies and to release the carbon dioxide back into the air. If you add an additional workload, such as manual labor or activity such as a sport, the amount of water the respiratory system requires increases. Each of our body’s functions require water to work smoothly and efficiently. If we don’t want the system to come to a grinding halt, we need to replace the water that we utilize each and every day.
How much is enough?
A good rule of thumb is to drink half of your body weight in ounces per day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, divide it by half, and that means that you should drink 75 ounces of water each day. Just to replenish the water that normal body function requires!
However, replacing the water lost is not as simple as just increasing your fluid intake. For instance, caffeinated beverages contain water, but due to the diuretic properties of the caffeine, the water in the drink is essentially lost and therefore doesn’t count toward your daily water intake. Fruit juice, while a healthy food choice, also requires water for the body to digest the sugars and nutrients in the juice. So, what is the best choice? Just plain water!
Exploring further
To understand why we need to keep up with our water intake, it’s important to understand what happens to our body without it. Similar to the presence of water at a water park, water is critical to the function of our bodies. Did you know that water makes up 75% of muscles, 82% of blood, 90% of our lungs and 25% of our bones? Not to mention our brains–they are 85% water! When we start to deprive our bodies of much needed water, our body starts to ration the water to keep the important functions alive.
Without appropriate water intake, our brains start to slow down. We find it difficult to focus and accomplish simple mental tasks, and we suffer from fatigue and migraines. Without enough water, our body struggles to regulate temperature, our joints become sticky, and our intestinal tract becomes inflamed and painful. Our liver and kidneys cannot flush toxins from our system and our blood gets thicker, making our heart work harder. Without water, a day at the park turns into a daily battle for our body to survive and function as it should.
You might be suffering from various ailments that you haven’t been able to pin down a cause for. Could it be a lack of water intake? Often, we don’t recognize our body’s cry (see: Bhat and Steve) for water. Next time you feel these symptoms, consider drinking water.
Heartburn
Confusion
Dizziness
Dementia
Joint and back pain
Muscle aches
Fibromyalgia
Constipation
Asthma and allergies
Diabetes
Hypertension
Autoimmune diseases such as lupus or psoriasis
How do I get enough?
While this task may seem daunting. Here are five things we recommend to help you achieve your daily goal of half your body weight in ounces:
Take the plunge and consider investing in a reusable water bottle that you carry around with you throughout the day. If you know the size of the container it will make it easier to track your water intake. Not only that, but if you get one you like the look of it can actually become something fun to tote around! Just be sure to look for one labeled ‘BPA-free’ to avoid unwanted chemicals leaching into your water.
Download a water drinking app that you can connect to your phone or watch. I use Plant Nanny but there are many other viable apps that can help you reach your daily goal. Check out this article to see more.
Mix it up! While plain water is best, if you are struggling to make the switch from juice or tea, consider adding fresh mint or a slice of lemon to your water — these additions won’t cause your body to utilize water to digest the flavoring but will add some flavor and help you transition to just water. Be careful to avoid artificial sweeteners or flavoring as these would require water to process and defeat the purpose.
Make it visual. Put a pitcher of water in your fridge with the recommended daily amount and fill your reusable water bottle from that pitcher to help you better gauge your daily intake.
Hold yourself accountable. Set reminders on your phone or watch to drink water.
Healthy bodies need plenty of water, so take the splash and drink up! You might see a bigger change than you think.
If you have any questions about plans to increase your water intake, or are wanting to know more about why it’s important to your overall health, feel free to contact me here or follow CoreFit on Facebook!
Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash