So many of us are in the mind set that if we want to stay healthy and lose weight, its going to cost us. Not true, there is one very important component of our diet that’s usually ignored and yes, it’s free! Water, H2O, Agua! Simple, yet sadly enough, commonly not considered nearly enough! When was the last time you heard someone say, “I’m going to start focusing more on a healthy diet…I’m going to drink more water!” Never… or rarely… it’s probably not one of the more popular solutions. Most of us ignore our water intake because of it’s simplicity but that is exactly what makes it so beautiful and extremely important! We often overlook and take for granted the easiest of challenges. The human body’s principal component is water and it makes up about 60% of our body weight. You have all heard the term, water weight, and unfortunately it is looked at in a bad way, when of course it is not. Every system of our body depends on water, it flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to our cells, and provides a moist environment to our ears, nose and throat tissues. Even our skin thrives on water yet this simple component is ignored or at best disregarded in most diets! This is one of the “secrets” I love to share with our Farmingdale personal training clients.
Water helps you to keep looking young by naturally plumping the skin; filling in fine lines and wrinkles. Reports show that drinking more water keeps your calorie intake down. Dehydration, which is a lack of water in the body, is associated with feelings of anger, depression and confusion, and can cause impaired brain functions. As previously stated, water also flushes your system of harmful toxins. Besides the intake of water, who can argue about the relaxation benefits of water in our environment? Whether you’re at the beach, lakeside, a waterfall, or a river. Water is obviously here to make us feel better both emotionally and physically. With all these benefits it’s unfortunate that not every one of our clients consumes enough water.
How much water should I be drinking? Good question… as with most dietary factors, it really depends on the individual! If asked, most would probably reply eight glasses of water a day. That’s a start but… there are more ways to determine how much water you really should be drinking. Take your weight and times it by .66. Easy right, a person of 150 lbs should be drinking 100 ounces of water a day or 12.5 cups. Now… add on 12 ounces or a cup and a half for every 30 minutes you exercise. You should always add more, water can’t hurt except in extreme cases. Pregnancy and breast feeding require even more water intake. If you are working in an office or environment which uses heated indoor air, increase your intake as well. High altitudes, increase! If you’re suffering from the common cold, the flu, vomiting, diarrhea; again, increase your water intake!!! If you have a trainer like me, up that water because you know I’m making you sweat!:0
There are few instances where too much water can be a bad thing. In general, drinking too much water in healthy adults is good but there are some cases of hypo inertia where the kidneys are unable to excrete excess water from the system, the electrolyte (mineral) content of blood is diluted and low sodium levels in blood lead to this rare condition. Many of our clients compete in various races. However, only extreme endurance athletes will ever have to consider this situation.
Always check with your doctor or dietitian as to the right amount of water intake that is best for you and your routine. Plan ahead; determine when you can spread out your glasses of water though out the day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack time… water is always a much better alternative to soda, high calorie fruit juices, and/or fancy and expensive coffee drinks! There are also some other sources of water you may not be thinking of such as watermelon and/or other fruits, even tomatoes are high in water and may be made up of almost 90% of H2O. Be sure to be hydrated through drinking clean water or fresh fruits if you ever come to a Farmingdale personal training session.
The point is many of our clients are concerned with their diet. We advise them to take advantage of the simplest and most important of forms which has many more benefits to you than are beneficial for the marketers to sell. This may be caused by the fact that there is no market for a product that is free…do not forget our most essential nutrient because it is not making money for others:) Drink H2O, agua, water to your hearts content. It’s good for you, zero calories, and it’s free!!