So… Most people know that about 60% of your body is composed of water. Here’s a few facts that you may or may not already know [& may be a little boring] … but the slide show is pretty cool…
- Water acts as a medium to support numerous metabolic reactions
- Water (the main component of blood) carries:
- To the cells: nutrients, hormones, and other compounds
- And metabolic waste products away from the cells, for excretion from the body (mainly sweat and urine) .
- Water plays a major role in body temperature regulation. Through sweat production, and its evaporation from the surface of the skin, excess body heat is dissipated.
- We lose approximately 2.6 liters of water on a daily basis from breathing, sweating, urination, and elimination (bowel movements)
- Replacing water is important when there is any physical activity. Activity means that you will have increased water requirements that parallel sweat losses. If these increased requirements are not met, the body can enter a state of dehydration.
- DRINK BEFORE YOU GET THIRSTY!! You are already at the least slightly dehydrated when you feel like you need something to drink!!
- Drinking water SUPPRESSES the APPETITE!! If you aren’t drinking enough, your body can interpret thirst as hunger & you will wind up eating when you’re really not hungry!!! So DRINK UP!!!
Am I Dehydrated??? You can usually tell by the color of your PEE!!
“Developed by Professor Lawrence A. Armstrong, a specialist in sports physiology and an expert in hydration, the hydration chart represents how urine color provides an indication of patients’ hydration status.
Urine ideally should be pale yellow or ‘straw-colored’, corresponding with a state of optimal hydration (euhydration). The darker the color, the more concentrated the urine and the more dehydrated the patient…This tool may be used as an indicator of the hydration state. Please note that urine color may be influenced by the content of diet or medical treatments.”
References:
“The Importance of Healthy Hydration.” Hydration for Health | H4Hinitiative. Sudler &Hennessey, n.d. Web. 29 Aug. 2012. .