Hydration, It’s Not Optional

Drink up! Water that is. Being properly hydrated is crucial for your health, especially as we enter the hot summer months.

Why Is Water Important? 

Around 60% of our body is made up of water.  Humans can actually live for months without food but only days without water, which illustrates the vital importance of this precious resource.  

Water plays a critical role in food digestion, body temperature regulation, waste elimination, and providing a cushion for our joints, organs, and tissues.  

Given our bodies are constantly losing water through our sweat, breath, urine, and bowels, it is imperative that we consistently replenish our supply. 

Many factors affect our hydration from our sex, age, weight, diet, and genetic make-up along with environmental conditions like temperature, humidity, and sun exposure.

Even the clothes we wear can greatly affect our hydration levels. Physical fitness and the intensity level of your exercise also play a large role. 

Replenishing the water in our system can be accomplished through a variety of sources including the foods you eat and the beverages you drink.

Effects of dehydration

When you don’t obtain a sufficient amount of water from your foods and beverages, dehydration occurs. Drinking caffeinated beverages and alcohol, as well as taking diuretic medications, will further dehydrate your body. 

When it comes to dehydration, even just a  small amount can have a significant impact on your body and wellbeing:

• At only 1-2% water loss, you might experience thirst, fatigue, loss of appetite, and weakness. During these stages, you will also feel your physical and mental performance begin to decline.  
• At 3-6% water loss, your mental and physical abilities will become impaired as you experience dry mouth, headaches, decrease in urine, and sleepiness. 
• By 7-10% water loss, you will encounter symptoms such as dizziness and muscle cramps along with the potential to completely collapse. 
• And at 20% water loss, you have entered into a phase that is life-threatening. 

Furthermore, prolonged exposure to dehydration imposes a greater risk of UTIs (urinary tract infections), kidney stones and dysfunction, hypertension, constipation, increased blood sugars in diabetes, and heart disease. 

So how much water should I drink?

An easy calculation is to drink at least one milliliter of fluid per every one calorie of food that you eat. 

This means that if you are aiming for 2,000 calories each day, you should try to drink 2,000 milliliters (or 2 liters) per day.  Of course, I recommend that water accounts for the majority of your suggested, daily fluid intake. 

The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI)  for adults is 3.7 liters a day for men and 2.7 liters per day for women. The DRI recommendation is an average recommendation that should cover the needs of 97-98% of the healthy adult population. 

However, for those of you with a more active lifestyle or rigorous fitness routine, you will need to balance that water loss with increased fluid intake.

Hydrate well before and after your workout with an additional 250 milliliters for every 15 minutes of your workout. 

Another helpful way to calculate water needs during exercise is to take your weight before and after a workout.

Aim to rehydrate 16 ounces of water for every 1 pound of body weight lost during exercise (500 milliliters for every pound for every 0.45 kilogram). 

For example, if you weigh 160 pounds before your workout and 158 pounds after, you will want to drink 32 ounces of water to account for your water loss.

Unless your workouts are over an hour, at a high intensity, or you sweat a lot, you do not need to hydrate with sports drinks. Just add some high-quality electrolytes to your water. 

Hydration Calculator: 

So how are you measuring up? A good way to check is by the color of your urine. It should be slightly yellow. If it is clear you have likely overhydrated. 

Tips for increasing your water intake: 

• Many people say that they simply dislike the taste of water. Try these hydration hacks to increase your fluid intake by taking a creative approach.
• What about seltzer or carbonated water? Check out our article on Seltzer Water to learn why this might be a great way for you to increase your fluid intake. 
• Try infused waters like ginger-infused, cactus, and wine waters for extra flavor!!
• Grab a water bottle. Carrying a reusable water bottle with you will help ensure you have water available when that thirst hits. Plus, it is a handy reminder to keep on drinking. 
• Use a straw. This might seem silly but having a cup with a straw in it makes a huge difference for some people. 
• Experiment with the temperature. Finding the right temperature will encourage you to drink more water. If you prefer cold water, invest in a good water bottle and ice. If lukewarm is your more your thing, stick to that. 
• Track your water intake! As a Lose It! Premium member, you can set up custom water goals and monitor your water intake. Logging your water and other beverages throughout the day will help you see how close you are to meeting your hydration needs. 

The Bottom Line

Water is crucial in order for every system in our bodies to function properly. 

Although intake needs and levels may be different based on individual factors, the fact that we need it, and lots of it, is universal.

Don’t forget to use the water tracker in the Lose-It app to help you meet your goal for the day!