Our bodies are 60% water. It amazes me when I have to remind people to drink more water. Then again, it amazes me when I reflect on my day and realize I need to drink more water. Hyper-hydrating, or carrying around a gallon jug with you, isn’t necessary to get proper hydration. The 8 glasses of water adage isn’t a bad one, but not necessarily based in any real science. Drinking according to what your body is telling you is a much better indicator.
Signs you need to be drinking more water
1. Dark Urine or lack of urine – urine should be no darker than a pale yellow
2. Dizziness
3. Hunger
4. Sluggishness
5. Inability to sweat
6. Confusion
7. Headaches
8. Palpitations
9. Pain – especially in the low back
10. Fainting
Very often the water you are drinking with your medications helps your symptoms faster than the pill itself. Drinking a big glass of water with your Tylenol might be doing more to offset that stress headache than you realize.
- Muscle consists of 75% water
- Brain consists of 90% of water
- Bone consists of 22% of water
- Blood consists of 83% water
Benefits of Drinking Water
1. You need it to live. This goes without saying. Need more convincing?
2. Stressed? You can control, your stress hormones, by staying properly hydrated.
3. Kidney troubles? Creatinine and arginine vasopressin, markers of kidney function, are dramatically improved with increased water consumption. If you tend towards kidney stones you need to keep the intake up!
4. According to The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition you can Gain a 30% improvement in Athletic Performance
5. Bad mood? The USDA has shown that hydrating can improve memory and attitude.
Fun Fact: 20% of water come from our food. Eat your vegetables!
The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day. The AI for women is 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.
Here’s a good PDF recommending water consumption.
