Oakland sports experts know that as many as seventy-five percent of Americans aren’t drinking enough water. As most of us learned in school, our bodies are made up of nearly seventy percent water, so doesn’t it seem natural that we need to stock up on this most important element? In this article, we’ll learn why staying hydrated is so important to your health, the dangers of not getting enough water, and what Oakland sports experts suggest to incorporate drinking water into your healthy lifestyle.
Why we need water
Our bodies are nearly two-thirds water; it’s in our blood, muscles, brains and even bones. This water plays a very important part of keeping our bodies healthy. It helps the body absorb nutrients and vitamins, helps digestion, detoxifies the liver and kidneys, carries away waste, helps the blood circulate, and many other important jobs. But the level of water in our bodies doesn’t stay the same; we lose water through urination, sweating, and even respiration. An Oakland sports expert stresses that this is why it is so important to replace the water that we’ve lost.
Dangerous dehydration
Many of us wait until we’re thirsty to start drinking water, but our bodies are dehydrated long before we have the sensation of thirst. We all need to replenish the water level of our bodies over the course of the day, and this is especially important the more active we are. If we’re not drinking enough water, we can experience signs of mild dehydration like joint, muscle, or lower back pain, headaches or constipation. Another clue that you’re not getting enough water is urine that is yellow or amber in color accompanied by a strong odor. Because water helps keep the blood flowing smoothly, the blood can actually become thicker without enough water, leaving us feeling tired. These problems can only get worse over time and can cause complications with the liver and kidneys.
How to get enough water
An Oakland sports expert suggests that the best way to estimate the amount of water you should drink over the course of a day is to divide your body weight in pounds in half. This number is how many ounces of water you should be drinking in a day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be consuming 75 ounces of water a day. You can count on about twenty percent of your water intake to come from your food, so that leaves sixty ounces of water, or around eight glasses of water a day.
An Oakland sports expert understands that it can be difficult in the beginning to get used to drinking eight glasses of water a day if you haven’t been following this rule, but you can get your water from a variety of sources. Although the caffeine in your morning coffee is a diuretic, which can leave your body feeling like it has consumed more water than it has, your body has likely compensated for this daily dose of caffeine.
Just don’t make the mistake of replacing your entire water intake with coffee! You can also get your water from fruit or vegetable juices (as long as the juice indicates that it is 100 percent natural and not loaded up with sugar!) or flavored or sports drinks, as long as you keep an eye on the extra calorie intake. You can also get in the habit of carrying a small bottle of water with you on the go.
One other note on how much water you drink – there is such a thing as drinking too much water! Never attempt to drink all of your daily water intake in one sitting, and don’t try to overcompensate when you feel you need to catch up. Drinking too much water can result in a disorder called hyponatremia, which literally means “low sodium.” This can happen when too much water is consumed, which in turn overwhelms the kidneys that can’t process the water fast enough, forcing the sodium levels to drop. This can lead to seizures and even death. If you are interested in getting healthy with an Oakland sports expert, contact us today!
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