Importance of Proper Hydration to Your Health
How important is proper hydration to our health? Your hydration level could actually become a matter of life and death.
As an example, water is vital to your heart’s health. Water helps your heart to perform it function; pump blood. Keeping your heart properly hydrated allows your heart to more easily pump blood through your blood vessels and into your muscles. With proper blood flow, it also helps the muscles to remove waste (bi-products from your activities) so they can work efficiently.
“If you’re well hydrated, your heart doesn’t have to work as hard,” said John Batson, MD, a sports medicine physician with Lowcountry Spine & Sport in Hilton Head Island, S.C., and an American Heart Association volunteer.
To say that proper hydration is vital to our health would be an understatement. Dehydration can be a serious condition that can cause health issues ranging from swollen feet or headaches, to even life threatening illnesses when you are in warmer climates, such as heat stroke.
Understanding Proper Hydration
What is the Recommended Amount of Water?
Many people will ask what does being properly hydrated mean, how much water should I drink? There is no simple answer for this as everyone is different. The amount of water you will need daily will depend on many factors starting with the climate you live in, your daily activities and any existing health conditions you may have.
A person who perspires heavily will need to drink more than someone who doesn’t. Certain medical conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, may also mean you need to drink more to avoid over-taxing the heart or other organs. People with cystic fibrosis have high concentrations of sodium in their sweat and also need to use caution to avoid dehydration. Finally some medications can act as diuretics, causing the body to lose more fluid.
A great misconception is that when you get thirsty that is your indicator to drink. Unfortunately by the time you are thirsty it is too late, you’re already dehydrated. As every one of us is different the easiest indicator is to pay attention to our urine. When our urine is transparent or pale in color, we are properly hydrated. If your urine is dark in color you need to drink more fluids.
You can calculate how much fluid you need if you are exercising, by weighing yourself prior and after you exercise, to see how much you have lost through perspiration. This is a very good routine to get into, especially when exercising in warmer temperatures.
“For every pound of sweat you lose, that’s a pint of water you’ll need to replenish,” Batson said, adding that it’s not unusual for a high school football player, wearing pads and running through drills, to lose 5 pounds or more of sweat during a summer practice.
People who are in good shape tend to sweat more, and need to drink more even if they aren’t feeling fatigued, Batson said.
Not sweating during vigorous physical activity can be a red flag that you’re dehydrated to the point of developing heat exhaustion.
Water is Good, Cluster Water is Best
For most people, water is the best thing to drink to stay hydrated. Sources of water also include foods, such fruits and vegetables which contain a high percentage of water. Sports drinks with electrolytes, may be useful for people doing high intensity, vigorous exercise in very hot weather, though they tend to be high in calories.
Clustered water is a special form of water that readily and quickly permeates through the walls of our cells faster than regular water. This means we can actually drink less volume of water, yet have similar or better hydration – that is proper hydration.
As our cells are properly hydrated this allows for the efficient delivery of nutrients, the removal of toxins and better cellular communication. In addition to being properly hydrated, drinking clustered water also raises your energy level.
It is recommended to steer clear of fruit juices or sugary drinks, such a soda. These types of drink can be hard on your stomach and their high sugar content as other health issues, plus can actually make you thirstier. In addition to the sugar content many sodas also contain caffeine, which acts as a diuretic and will cause you to lose more fluids.
Another great tip to stay properly hydrated is to drink some clustered water or regular prior to your exercise. Then while exercising continue to hydrate as well as after you are finished. This will then keep you from having to play catch-up and stop your heart from having to strain.
How important is it to our health to be properly hydrated? Your hydration level could actually become a matter of life and death.
As an example, water is vital to your heart’s health. Water helps your heart to perform it function; pump blood. Keeping your heart properly hydrated allows your heart to more easily pump blood through your blood vessels and into your muscles. With proper blood flow, it also helps the muscles to remove waste (bi-products from your activities) so they can work efficiently.
“If you’re well hydrated, your heart doesn’t have to work as hard,” said John Batson, MD a sports medicine physician with Lowcountry Spine & Sport in Hilton Head Island, S.C., and an American Heart Association volunteer.
To say that proper hydration is vital to our health would be an understatement. Dehydration can be a serious condition that can cause health issues ranging from swollen feet or headaches, to even life threatening illnesses when you are in warmer climates, such as heat stroke.
The Importance of Proper Hydration
Drinking enough fluids is not just a concern for athletes or people who are working out, it applies to all of us. Even if you are not physically active and you are sitting in the sun on a warm summer day, you can still become dehydrated. Your body requires fluids at all time.
Any individual who has a heart condition, is overweight or over 50 should be mindful of their hydration. Extra precautions should be taken to ensure an adequate supply of clustered or regular is available. Make proper hydration a sub-conscious habit and your body will thank you.
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.