Well, the weather is finally getting nice and warm! So here is my reminder that our health depends on excellent hydration for many reasons. Our bodies are about 70% water. Water is essential for every system in our body because when we take in water, it goes in through our digestive system and is then distributed through our blood to every part of our body. This carries with it the good nutrients that we need and delivers them where they are beneficial, and then carries away the toxins that result from our body processes. If our blood is low on water, it makes that distribution and elimination very inefficient. Think of adequate hydration as “flushing” our body to clean out the bad things and keep our cells clean and working properly.
Our basic daily water need is our weight in pounds divided in half to give us our ounces of water needed each day: 140lbs./2=70 ounces. We will need more if it’s hot or we are sweating.
Do we need more than plain water? Yes and no. There are times when we need to replenish electrolytes, and a hydrating/electrolyte beverage (low or no sugar, please) is best:
- exercising more than one hour
- sweat heavily during exercise
- vomiting or diarrhea
- heat exposure for long periods
But… generally regular water is just fine. It is a good idea to add minerals to some of our water intake. This is helpful to keep our trace minerals at a good level. In this case, a pinch of pink Himalayan salt mixed into a glass of water can provide a small amount of a wide array of minerals that may be lost in the purification process of our water.
Drinking water leads to healthy hydration and a healthy body. Drink up everyone!
