The Importance of Hydration

It’s super important to keep your body well hydrated all year round, not just in the summer months. There’s no denying the importance of water.  It makes up roughly about 60% of your body mass. That’s a lot of fluid! It’s in every cell and daily, adequate intake is crucial to maintaining a healthy body and a healthy glow!

Water is a builder, an insulator, a metabolizer, a lubricator, an excreter, an oxygenator, a solvent. All these many roles allow everything in your body to work fluidly :) Organs, blood, joints, muscles, brain. No other nutrient comes close to water’s importance.

You naturally lose water when you sweat and any loss needs to be replenished. Alcohol, caffeine, prescription drugs and soft drinks can all throw off your body’s water balance. It’s a good practice to drink a glass of water for every glass of the above you take in. 

Like most everything, balance is key. Studies show that a water loss of just 2% can cause fatigue, headaches, muscle cramps, anxiety, lack of concentration and a host of other symptoms you just don’t want.  And yes, drinking too much can be a problem too, although that’s very uncommon. 

Water carries important electrolytes(minerals), primarily calcium, chloride, magnesium, potassium and sodium. The mineral content of water is key, but unfortunately, all water isn’t the same due to the various different sources, filters, bottles etc. Some filtering systems and bottle sources can deplete those minerals. If you find that you’re drinking tons of water but you’re running to the toilet way too often, you may need a boost of electrolytes in your water to help you absorb what you’re drinking.  Dropping a pinch of sea salt or Himalayan rock salt into a glass of water each morning may help that. Drinking water with some lemon slices or cucumber will also add some electrolytes. The balance of minerals will vary depending upon what you use, but they will all be beneficial. If you need to know exactly what you’re getting you can purchase a bottle of electrolytes from companies like Body Bio or Trace Minerals with a clearly defined breakdown of minerals.

Your water needs vary from day to day depending upon what you’re eating and your activity level. Some water you take in comes from foods with high water content like tomatoes, melons, celery, and cucumbers. A simple way to get a rough idea of how much water your body needs is by dividing your body weight by two.  The number you are left with equals the number of ounces you should aim to take in each day and most of those ounces should come from well sourced water.

Reibl,S. K., Davy,B.M. (2014) The Hydration Equation: Update on Water Balance and Cognitive Performance https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4207053/

Popkin,B.M., D’Anci,K.E., Rosenberg,I.H, (2011) Water, Hydration and Health https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908954/