Water.
Water, water, water.
Here is the scoop on water.
Did you know that 75% of Americans are dehydrated? And did you know that in almost 40% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak.. its often mistaken for hunger?
And did you know, not drinking enough water is the main cause for daytime fatigue.
And.. water can decrease the risk of certain cancers, naturally moisturizes skin, increases your metabolism and prevents constipation, and is the main source of transporting all the nutrients in the body.
So.. why then, ... why are over 75% of Americans not drinking enough water?
Here is an interesting article we found on Shapefit.com
Doing the Math
Every day a human loses water through breathing, perspiration, urine and bowel movements. For a human body to function properly, we must replenish our water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.
The average urine output for adults is about 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) a day. You lose close to an additional liter of water a day through breathing, sweating and bowel movements. Food usually accounts for 20 percent of your total fluid intake, so if you consume 2 liters of water or other beverages a day (a little more than 8 cups) along with your normal diet, you will typically replace the lost fluids.
One popular method of calculating the necessary daily water intake is the "8 x 8 rule" - drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day (about 1.9 liters). The rule could also be stated, "drink eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day," as all fluids count toward the daily total. Though the approach isn't supported by scientific evidence, many people use this basic rule as a guideline for how much water and other fluids to drink.
There are different ways to calculate human water needs. As a general recommendation you can simply follow the replacement rule based upon gender. Men consume roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.
In any event you should drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) or more of colorless or slightly yellow urine a day.
Different Strokes
The amount of water a human needs can vary. Humans need to modify their total fluid intake depending on how active they are, the climate they live in, their health status, and if they are pregnant or breast-feeding.
Workouts
If humans exercise or engage in any activity that makes them sweat, they need to drink extra water to compensate for the fluid loss. An extra 400 to 600 milliliters (about 1.5 to 2.5 cups) of water should suffice for short bouts of exercise, but intense exercise lasting more than an hour (for example, running a marathon) requires more fluid intake.
How much additional fluid humans need depends on how much they sweat during exercise, how long they exercise and the type of activity they are engaged in. During long bouts of intense exercise, it's best to use a sports drink that contains sodium, as this will help replace sodium lost in sweat and reduce the chances of developing hyponatremia (loss of Sodium), which can be life-threatening. Additionally, humans need to continue to replace fluids after they are finished exercising.
Weather changes
Hot or humid weather can make humans sweat and require additional intake of fluid. Heated indoor air also can cause human skin to lose moisture during wintertime. Further, altitudes greater than 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) may trigger increased urination and more rapid breathing, which use up more of a humans' fluid reserves.
Illness or health conditions
Signs of illnesses, such as fever, vomiting and diarrhea, can cause a human body to lose additional fluids. In these cases humans should drink more water and may even need oral rehydration solutions with electrolytes. More fluid is needed if a human has a bladder infections or urinary tract stones. Heart failure and some types of kidney, liver and adrenal diseases may impair human excretion of water and even require that a human limits its fluid intake.
Pregnancy or breast-feeding
Women who are expecting or breast-feeding need additional fluids to stay hydrated. Large amounts of fluid are used especially when nursing. Pregnant women should drink 2/3 gallon of fluids daily and women who breast-feed consume 3/4 gallon of fluids a day.
So the challenge..
Drink more water. Keep track of the water you're drinking.
Tell us how you do it, and the changes you've seen! We'd love to share your story =)
* Stay tuned on learning the different types of water, and which one is best to drink. Sounds complicated, but its pretty interesting stuff~!
Water, water, water.
Here is the scoop on water.
Did you know that 75% of Americans are dehydrated? And did you know that in almost 40% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak.. its often mistaken for hunger?
And did you know, not drinking enough water is the main cause for daytime fatigue.
And.. water can decrease the risk of certain cancers, naturally moisturizes skin, increases your metabolism and prevents constipation, and is the main source of transporting all the nutrients in the body.
So.. why then, ... why are over 75% of Americans not drinking enough water?
Here is an interesting article we found on Shapefit.com
Doing the Math
Every day a human loses water through breathing, perspiration, urine and bowel movements. For a human body to function properly, we must replenish our water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.The average urine output for adults is about 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) a day. You lose close to an additional liter of water a day through breathing, sweating and bowel movements. Food usually accounts for 20 percent of your total fluid intake, so if you consume 2 liters of water or other beverages a day (a little more than 8 cups) along with your normal diet, you will typically replace the lost fluids.
One popular method of calculating the necessary daily water intake is the "8 x 8 rule" - drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day (about 1.9 liters). The rule could also be stated, "drink eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day," as all fluids count toward the daily total. Though the approach isn't supported by scientific evidence, many people use this basic rule as a guideline for how much water and other fluids to drink.
There are different ways to calculate human water needs. As a general recommendation you can simply follow the replacement rule based upon gender. Men consume roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.
In any event you should drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) or more of colorless or slightly yellow urine a day.
Different Strokes
The amount of water a human needs can vary. Humans need to modify their total fluid intake depending on how active they are, the climate they live in, their health status, and if they are pregnant or breast-feeding.
Workouts
If humans exercise or engage in any activity that makes them sweat, they need to drink extra water to compensate for the fluid loss. An extra 400 to 600 milliliters (about 1.5 to 2.5 cups) of water should suffice for short bouts of exercise, but intense exercise lasting more than an hour (for example, running a marathon) requires more fluid intake.
How much additional fluid humans need depends on how much they sweat during exercise, how long they exercise and the type of activity they are engaged in. During long bouts of intense exercise, it's best to use a sports drink that contains sodium, as this will help replace sodium lost in sweat and reduce the chances of developing hyponatremia (loss of Sodium), which can be life-threatening. Additionally, humans need to continue to replace fluids after they are finished exercising.
Weather changes
Hot or humid weather can make humans sweat and require additional intake of fluid. Heated indoor air also can cause human skin to lose moisture during wintertime. Further, altitudes greater than 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) may trigger increased urination and more rapid breathing, which use up more of a humans' fluid reserves.
Illness or health conditions
Signs of illnesses, such as fever, vomiting and diarrhea, can cause a human body to lose additional fluids. In these cases humans should drink more water and may even need oral rehydration solutions with electrolytes. More fluid is needed if a human has a bladder infections or urinary tract stones. Heart failure and some types of kidney, liver and adrenal diseases may impair human excretion of water and even require that a human limits its fluid intake.Pregnancy or breast-feeding
Women who are expecting or breast-feeding need additional fluids to stay hydrated. Large amounts of fluid are used especially when nursing. Pregnant women should drink 2/3 gallon of fluids daily and women who breast-feed consume 3/4 gallon of fluids a day.
So the challenge..
Drink more water. Keep track of the water you're drinking.
Tell us how you do it, and the changes you've seen! We'd love to share your story =)
* Stay tuned on learning the different types of water, and which one is best to drink. Sounds complicated, but its pretty interesting stuff~!
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