Benefits of Hydration
Benefits of Hydration
The body is made up of around 75% water. Keeping the body adequately hydrated is a must to ensure good health especially in athletes. Sometimes proper hydration is difficult for people if they do not prefer the taste of water. This can lead to serious problems with their health.
Determining your hydration can be simply done in two ways. One way to determine your hydration is to examine your urine. If you are properly hydrated it will appear pale yellow or sometimes clear, however it appears dark in color, this indicates dehydration. For regularly active individuals, an alternative way to determine hydration levels is by weighing pre and post workout. If you weigh less after your workout (due to excessive sweating), you are probably dehydrated. It is recommended to drink 16 ounces of water per pound lost (during exercise) to replace fluids in the body. There is some controversy on sports drinks versus water. Though sports drinks can replace salts in the body to reduce leg cramps, etc… Water is always the best solution for rehydrating.
We have always been taught to drink 8 glasses of water a day. Medicinenet.com provides an actual formula showing daily fluid requirements:
Body weight Daily fluid requirements (approximate)
10 pounds 15 ounces
20 pounds 30 ounces
30 pounds 40 ounces
40 pounds 45 ounces
50 pounds 50 ounces
75 pounds 55 ounces
100 pounds 50 ounces
150 pounds 65 ounces
200 pounds 70 ounces
There are so many benefits on drinking water and staying hydrated. An article in bodybuilding.com did a good job expressing these benefits and the importance of hydration especially in athletic performance:
1) Increases muscle tone
2) Helps build muscle
3) Reduces the risk of disease
4) Aids in circulation
5) Aids in cooling the body
It is a common problem among individuals to wait until they are thirsty to drink water. By doing this you have already allowed yourself to become dehydrated. A common complaint among individuals
The body is made up of around 75% water. Keeping the body adequately hydrated is a must to ensure good health especially in athletes. Sometimes proper hydration is difficult for people if they do not prefer the taste of water. This can lead to serious problems with their health.
Determining your hydration can be simply done in two ways. One way to determine your hydration is to examine your urine. If you are properly hydrated it will appear pale yellow or sometimes clear, however it appears dark in color, this indicates dehydration. For regularly active individuals, an alternative way to determine hydration levels is by weighing pre and post workout. If you weigh less after your workout (due to excessive sweating), you are probably dehydrated. It is recommended to drink 16 ounces of water per pound lost (during exercise) to replace fluids in the body. There is some controversy on sports drinks versus water. Though sports drinks can replace salts in the body to reduce leg cramps, etc… Water is always the best solution for rehydrating.
We have always been taught to drink 8 glasses of water a day. Medicinenet.com provides an actual formula showing daily fluid requirements:
Body weight Daily fluid requirements (approximate)
10 pounds 15 ounces
20 pounds 30 ounces
30 pounds 40 ounces
40 pounds 45 ounces
50 pounds 50 ounces
75 pounds 55 ounces
100 pounds 50 ounces
150 pounds 65 ounces
200 pounds 70 ounces
There are so many benefits on drinking water and staying hydrated. An article in bodybuilding.com did a good job expressing these benefits and the importance of hydration especially in athletic performance:
1) Increases muscle tone
2) Helps build muscle
3) Reduces the risk of disease
4) Aids in circulation
5) Aids in cooling the body
It is a common problem among individuals to wait until they are thirsty to drink water. By doing this you have already allowed yourself to become dehydrated. A common complaint among individuals