Water, Water Everywhere – Make Sure You Get Your Drop to Drink!
The human body is a water machine. Like a race car that runs on high octane fuel, our human machine runs primarily on water and minerals. Every process thwater article revised graphicat happens inside our body… happens with water.
In the past few years, more and more research is being done on the healing process our body has and how much that ability depends on water. The human body is made up of over 70% water. Our blood is more than 80%‚ our brain over 75%‚ and the human liver is an amazing 96% water! Water is the key to healthy, daily living and to high levels of performance.
Our energy level, training level and performance levels are greatly affected by the amount of water we drink, or can retain in our system. It has been proven (with those guys in white coats again) that just a 5% drop in body fluids will cause a 25% to 30% loss of energy in the average person…a 15% drop in body fluids may cause death! Water is what our liver uses to metabolize fat into useable energy. It is estimated that over 80% of our population suffers energy loss due to minor dehydration. Many times this is because we think that as long as we are getting “fluids”, that’s as good as getting water into the system. When we look at water consumption, WE DO NOT INCLUDE SODAS, TEA, ENERGY DRINKS, COFFEE and other drinks (many of these drinks can be a source of leading to dehydration).
A simple way to remember how much water to take in (look at chart attached – “10 Reasons to Drink More Water”) is to take your body weight, half it, and that is the number of ounces of water you should drink a DAY! And that is without activity. If you are very active, you need to take in more.
We tell our athletes, and the clients we train, that they need to “Pee Clear Once a Day!” Sorry about sounding so vulgar, but if you look at the Urine Chart (also attached) – urineyou can see that when you go to the bathroom, your urine should be clear. The darker it gets, the more you need to add WATER into the day.
Last key note – IF YOU START FEELING THIRSTY, you are already in dehydration, and performance levels may start to decrease. SO DRINK UP, before, during and after activity!
(Please note: In the future, look on Friday for Friday Fit Tips.)
