How Much Water To Drink

It May Have More To Do With Dehydration Than The Intensity Of Your Exercises

How do I measure how much water to drink? I am fit, active, and very busy. What I am not is an athlete. I don’t run marathons or play a professional sport. Do I drink less water? How about on the days where I am more active than usual? How much water to drink then?

First of all, what is enough? The basic rule of thumb is eight 8-ounce glasses of water intake a day. Having really measured that out, that is a lot of H2O. Am I trying to hydrate myself or drown my internal organs? Let’s take a look at why water is so important for us especially during your Pilates workout.

First of all, we are water. Our body is made up of any where from 50-70% water. It’s an extremely important nutrient for the proper functioning of your body from the smallest cellular level to the hair on your head.

It helps to regulate body temperature. Why do you think you sweat when you are over heating? To get rid of the heat and bring your core temperature back to normal.

Water also acts as a transportation system by carrying out waste products from the body. In actuality, we only need about 2 cups of water a day to clear waste products, but it’s essential that we replace that fluid loss every day.

Simply put, for optimal water balance, we should match what our body loses every day through normal processes (perspiration, respiration, and excretion) which is an amount ranging from 1.5–2 liters a day, or 6-8 eight ounce glasses of water a day.

For very active persons, depending on how much water they lose during a workout, this number increases by 50-100%. And in heat, be more aware of staying well hydrated.

Now if you just can’t fathom drinking that much water every day, don’t worry too much. Plenty of fruits and vegetables hold large amounts of water.

Think of juicy watermelon, which is 90% water, or peaches or melons. Increase your daily fruit and vegetable intake and you up your water intake for the day too.

Caffeinated tea, coffee, soda and alcohol all act as diuretics. They will actually send you back a notch on the fluid intake scale, so drink those in moderation.

I once got some very good advice from a female singer. Drink until you pee clear. Those were her exact words. If your urine is very dark, drink some water. If it is clear, you are on the track to hydration heaven.

The best way to know how much water to drink is to listen to your body. I feel more energetic and less fatigued when I am well hydrated. During your next Pilates workout, pay attention to your mouth.

If it feels dry, and you feel thirsty, it’s probably too late, you might already be dehydrated. Drink a little bit of water throughout the day to keep your levels up and your body will tell you how much water to drink.

End of Article.

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