Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Water helps keep us going

By Jeff Cline

In the classroom we learn all kinds of interesting facts about water. Molecules, atoms and how much oxygen and hydrogen is in it. But, I don't remember learning about how good it is for us and how much we should drink.

Maybe we learned, but did we pay attention? Water regulates our body temperature. It delivers nutrients to our organs. Organs such as lungs, brain and muscles can not survive without water. Our blood carries nutrients through out our bodies and our blood is mostly water.

It makes since that when we sweat due to exercise and urination that water is continually needed. We must replace the water that is depleted from our bodies. It is important for these reason to keep your body hydrated

Dehydration is what happens when we do not get enough water. Dehydration can have many symptoms. One is aches and pain in the muscles, joints and back. It causes headaches and constipation. Another clear sign is a darkening or odor in the urine.

Now we know how important it is to get water so let's talk about how much we need to drink everyday. You should take you current body weight and divide it by two. This is how many ounces of water you should be taken in each day.

Most people do not like to drink that much water. You do not have to get it all from tap or bottled water. Some of the water will come from foods we eat, about 20%. We can drink decaff teas and flavored water for more. Sports water and Kool-Aid is fine also.

Our schedules are sometimes so hectic that we can not keep up with how much water we have drank though out our day. You could keep a water bottle at all times, wear 8 rubber bands removing one for each 8 ounces you drink or something of that nature.

So it is very important that you get the daily amount of water your body needs. Make it a habit to drink all you can. Sip on it all day. Pay attention to the signs that you are not getting enough water.

About the Author:

No comments:

Post a Comment