Water…. essential for life. After just 3 days our body needs water. Dehydration can express itself in many ways. It may come on as a headache, as lower back pain (where your kidneys are located), or as dry skin. So many signs that could possibly lead all to the same thing.
The amount of water that an individual needs is different from another individual. The formula is easy to remember. Take your body in pounds and divide by two which will give you the amount in ounces of water you need to consume per day to stay hydrated. This formula is not an end all be all, if you exercise you need to add ounces to your normal intake. Here is the formula written out:
200 pounds / 2 = 100 ounces
If you exercise*:
1 to 2 hours before your workout drink 15-20 ounces of water
15 minutes before your workout drink 8-10 ounces of water
During your workout drink 8 ounces of water every 15 minutes
Do you think that you have to drink water in order to stay hydrated? I did for the longest time and sometimes water can get BORING!! Going through school to get my nutrition degree I found that some foods are high enough in water content that you can consume them as part of your daily water intake. Here’s a short list: cucumber, watermelon, bell peppers, celery, spinach, iceberg lettuce, cantaloupe, grapefruit, radish, and zucchini.
Another way of making water less BORING is by infusion. Infusion water bottles are becoming more and more popular now and helping people increase their water intake. Hotels have started sitting out water for their guests with cucumbers and lemons. Not only does this make the water look super fancy but also taste like NOT JUST WATER.
Comment with how you stay hydrated throughout the day!
*information taken from “Water Tips for Efficient Exercise” by, Gina Shaw
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/water-for-exercise-fitness#1