Water is the one of the essential components for your survival on this planet. Keeping our bodies hydrated is absolutely vital for optimum health and wellness. We can survive months without food but we won’t last more than 3 days without water. Our bodies need water to conduct energy, digest our food, transport nutrients, escorts waste out, regulate our body temperature and aid with circulation. So how much water do you need each day?
Our earth’s surface is covered by 70% water and our bodies are made up of approximately 50-70% water . Babies are approximately 75% water and as our age rises are water ratio begins to decrease.
If you have been around for one of my wellness classes or cleanses you will know that I make a big deal about water intake and the importance of staying hydrated.
I think it is important to note that dehydration causes the fluids in you body ie. Blood plasma, lymph and even bile to thicken and become congested. When you are not providing your body with its needed liquid requirements you go into a state of dehydration. When this happens your cells are asked to give up their water to hydrate the blood and other vital fluids needed by your body to survive.
How Much Water Do You Need?
If your body is chronically in a state of dehydration the cells will go into water conservation mode to protect or hold on to its precious supply of water. It does this by thickening up the cell wall membrane with cholesterol. This is a good quick fix in the short run but not so good in the long and is a classic example of the double edge sword. The thickened cell membrane prevents loss of water on the one hand but prevents absorption of new water and needed nutrients on the other. This ends up causing pooling of liquid in the tissues, stagnation, build up of toxins and sluggish cells. As a result, you end up with water retention in the connective tissues leading to swelling of the legs, arms, face, eyes and other parts of the body.
Your body loses water through sweat and urine daily and this vital fluid needs to be continually replenished for optimum health and well being.
How much water do you need to drink to replenish what you’ve lost? Should we just rely on the common health advice to drink six to eight glasses of water each day?
Lucky for us our body is equipped with a simple gauge that tells you when you need to replenish your vital reservoir even when you may not be feeling thirsty.
This is how it works: Once your body has lost between one two percent of it’s total water reserves, your thirst gauge kicks in telling you it is time to rehydrate. This is the time to take action and start sipping to ensure you remain well hydrated.
The color of your urine will tell you where you stand on the water level gauge. Your urine should be a very light colored yellow. If it is deep, dark yellow then this is a good indication that you are not consuming enough water. On an average a healthy person will urinate 7-8 times per day. If your urine is minimal or if you haven’t urinated in several hours, this too is an indication that you’re not drinking enough hydrating liquids. Be aware that as we age our thirst gauge tends to work less than optimal so older adults will want to rely more on urine color as a good indicator of where their water levels stand.
You will want to be sure to hydrate yourself with pure water, alkalizing green juices and herbal teas rather than, coffee, sodas or sugary fruit juices. Both coffee and soda are high in caffeine, which acts as a diuretic causing you to lose vital fluids. Sodas, fruit juices and other sweetened liquids are chief sources of fructose, which will only end up harming your health.
Staying well-hydrated is crucial for vibrant health and well being. Are you including enough good pure water every day?