Water - do you drink enough?

Water - the elixir of life - so important and so often overlooked. There are so many benefits besides quenching a thirst, so these few Blog Posts continue to look at the value, importance and benefits of water to your daily life and your daily health & fitness regime. Sourced at 'ezinearticles' (http://EzineArticles.com/7219756) and written by Philip S. Anderson (http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Philip_S_Anderson) this will help provide some guidance and make you think about your daily H2O intake.


I ask this question to a lot of my patients and the general answer I get is "I don't drink that much, I should probably drink more."

Our bodies are made up 70% of water. For everything to work properly we need it in our system. For our bodies to work efficiently and to heal well, we NEED water!

The more health conscious person out there probably knows the benefit of water and will drink 2 litres a day. But most of us haven't got the time nor the patience to measure out 2 litres of water.

Then we all have our own different needs for water. Some of us will need more than 2 litres and others less depending on the activities we do, foods we eat and place we live etc.

"How much water do I need?"
What colour is your urine when you go to the toilet? This might seem like a crude question but it needs to be asked. Normal coloured urine is clear when enough water is being consumed but am sure the next time most of you go to the toilet, your urine is yellow. The darker the yellow, the more you need water!

For those of you that take vitamin supplements, this test will not be accurate because within the first few hours of taking your supplements, your urine may be almost fluorescent yellow but don't worry, this is normal! As the day goes on, the supplements will get used or be flushed out so the normal colour of your urine will return.

Our body is very smart. Any time you feel hungry, be aware that this could just mean you are thirsty. Have a glass of water and see if you still feel hungry after five minutes. Also when ever you feel thirsty, drink water as soon as possible. It's your body telling you it has a need for fluids.

It's also important to hydrate during sport. During intense activity it's advisable to take a mouthful at a time because you will end up being sick if you take more.

It's important after you're finished to drink a lot of water to re-hydrate the body. Also eat something as well to refuel the body. You may have lost a lot of sweat and important nutrients like sodium which your body needs.

Drink water, it's important!

WhyWeight - don't hesitate, participate, before it's too late!

-Steve, at WhyWeight-