Water
The final piece of a good solid nutritional foundation is getting in enough water. It is estimated that 75-80% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. What is staggering about this is that even a 2% water loss will cause decreased performance and can result in increased fatigue, lethargy, headaches, acid reflux, poor concentration and memory and a host of other health problems – health problems that can all be remedied by drinking more water.
Adults lose nearly 6 pints (12 cups) of water every day. We lose 1/2 cup to 1 cup a day from the soles of our feet. Another 2 to 4 cups is lost from breathing. Perspiration accounts for another 2 cups; and this is just the normal perspiration that occurs to maintain body temperature, it does not include sweating due to physical exertion or exercise! Another 3 pints (6 cups) are lost in urine.
How Much Water Should you drink?
Obviously, if we are going to stay hydrated we need to replace the water we lose throughout the day. If you needed another reason to eat fresh whole vegetables and fruits, here’s one: Eating whole fruits and vegetables can account for 20% of your total water intake. Besides being good sources of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fiber, fruits and vegetables contains lots of water. For example, oranges are 87% water and cucumbers are 95% water. Therefore, eating a diet that is high in whole fruits and vegetables can account for about 1/5th of your total daily needs (or about ½ quart of water). That means you must still get about 2.5 quarts of water in everyday to keep hydrated. If your aim is to lose weight, add another 3 8-oz. cups to that and you’ll aid your metabolism and help create new muscle weight.
Another way of determining your water needs are as follows: A good guide for daily intake is to drink 1 ounce of water for every 2 pounds of body weight (or ½ oz. water for every pound of body weight). A 200 pound person should be drinking around 100 ounces (12.5 cups) of water in order the gain the benefits of increased energy and metabolism.
If exercising is part of your regular program a bit more water should be included to account for water loss from sweating. An active, athletic person needs 2/3 ounce per pound which is 13-14 eight ounce glasses a day if you’re 160 pounds. Drinking water before, during and after exercise will keep energy levels high and help recovery after training.
As important as how much water you drink during the day is how much water you should drink at any one time. This is a very important and often overlooked aspect of proper hydration. Let me explain: cells have a limited ability to absorb water. Said differently, water can only pass into the cells at a certain rate. A good example would be that if you poured water through a funnel with a small hole at the bottom, simply putting more water in the funnel would not increase the amount of water coming out of the funnel. Similarly, if you put more water into the body than the cells can adequately absorb it will simply be excreted by the kidneys.
It has been estimated that the cells can absorb, or take-up, about 2-4 oz. of water in 20-30 minutes. That means that if you drink more than 2-4 oz. in 20-30 minutes, you will not be significantly improving your hydration status, although you will significantly increase the number of times you have to go to the bathroom.
Luckily, the solution is very, very simple. All we need to do is drink 2-4 oz. of water (1/4-1/2 cup) every half hour or so to be properly hydrated. That means you just need to sip water all day. You can certainly drink more water at any given time if you’d like, but just be sure and continue to sip water throughout the day. For instance, many people find that consuming a full glass of water in the morning is refreshing, and the body needs a little extra water after not drinking for 8+ hours during the night!
Once more, by drinking your water regularly throughout the day, it is very easy to not only gauge how much water you are drinking, it eliminates the need to even do so. If you drink 2 oz. of water every 30 minutes throughout the day and you are awaken 16 hours, this equates to 64 oz. of water during the day. If you drink 4 oz. of water every half hour and are awake for 16 hours, this is 128 oz. of water. If you drink water regularly throughout the day, you will get in enough water to achieve and maintain optimal (intracellular) hydration.
In addition, it is best not to drink too much water too close to meals, as one can dilute the digestive juices and cause sub-optimal digestion. Take in water 15-20 minutes before meals and wait at least 1 hour after meals to drink. You can certainly have some water with your meal to cleanse your palate; just don’t put away several glasses.
Some people may find that they urinate more frequently when they first begin to drink water regularly throughout the day. This is perfectly normal as you body begins to adapt to more frequent water consumption. This will subside after 2-3 weeks. While the number of times we urinate depends upon many variables, you generally want to make a trip to the bathroom once every 90-120 minutes throughout the day. In addition, if you find that you awaken during the night to urinate, you should stop drinking water for 2-3 hours before retiring for the evening.