Proper hydration is the key to well-being, health and beautiful appearance

Proper hydration is very important for the functioning of your body. After all, the human body is primarily composed of water. As children, we have as much as 75% of water in our bodies, then with age, the water content decreases. In a young adult man, water constitutes 60%. Looking after a correct fluid balance is extremely important. Here you will find answers to questions about how much to drink, what is best to drink and whether it is definitely mineral water.

The problem of dehydration is very serious. A recently published report shows that up to 75% of Americans suffer from chronic dehydration. So how much should we drink? The Institute of Medicine recommends 2.5 liters a day.

However, each of us has individual needs depending on the level of activity and the degree of sweating. When calculating your fluid requirements, we have to take into account that we are losing water almost all the time. Through the skin and with breath, up to 700 ml of water escapes from us. Subsequent fluids we excrete are with feces (100 ml) and urine (1500 ml). At moderate temperatures, we lose as much as 200 ml in sweat, but the exact amount depends on an individual. We add everything together and it results in 2.5 l. That’s where the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine come from. However, we must consider other factors in detail. One of them is height, because tall people will experience more water loss through the skin.

We also need to add periods of increased sweating, for example during physical activity and on hot days. Active people should drink an additional 500 ml within an hour before training. Just before training, weigh yourself, then drink 150 – 300 ml every 15 – 20 minutes during exercise. At the end, re-weigh yourself. For each lost kilogram of body you need to drink 1.5 l of fluids. Of course you do not have to, in fact you should not take such dose of water in one seating. However, it is best if we supplement the fluids within 0.5 hour of finishing the exercise.

Well, we already know how much to drink, and now let’s consider what to drink?

Not everyone  likes to drink mineral water. When looking for a healthy alternative, many people opt for flavoured waters, assuming that they have low calories, but do not taste like pure water. Yes, it is definitely better to reach for flavoured water than for Coke. But despite everything, let’s remember that the taste of our alternative is chemical … This water contains ordinary sugar (in the best case) or very unhealthy glucose-fructose syrup or artificial aspartame sweetener.

A much better option for us is to prepare your own flavoured water. It is extremely simple. Add lemon juice or a few strawberries, raspberries, nectarine pieces or other fruit into a jug of water (or water bottle that you will take with you to work or for training). You can also add pieces of cucumber or celery sticks. The possibilities are of course endless. You can also add mint leaves, basil, pieces of fresh ginger or cinnamon sticks.

Such prepared drink is a solution not only for those who do not like pure water. Everyone will benefit from it. Such drink is characterised by a very good bioavailability, because it contains lots of minerals and vitamins. So water will not just “flow” through us. The body will obtain microlements while absorbing water at the same time.

Another alternative is the purchase of naturally flavoured waters. Thanks to them, we do not poison our body with compounds of artificial origin, and additionally we gain many health benefits depending on the specific water.

Here are some examples:

• coconut water: is great as a drink at times of increased water demand, for example during training or hot weather. Its great advantage is the high content of potassium, which supports the transport of water inside the cells of our body. 250 ml of coconut water contains more potassium (510 mg) than the average banana (422 mg).
• cactus water: it is usually made from a prickly pear concentrate. The female readers should be especially interested in this water, because it contains antioxidants called betalains. This water therefore supports detoxification processes and neutralises reactive oxygen compounds, thus improving the appearance of skin, hair and nails, and delaying the aging process.
• artichoke water: perhaps the name of this drink will scare away some of us, but it is completely unnecessary. The taste of this water can be described as a balanced drink with a touch of lemon, apple and mint. Advantages? It is low in calories (30 kcal in 250 ml) and has a huge amount of antioxidants.
• maple water: as the name suggests, this water is obtained from maple itself. Like coconut water, it contains a lot of potassium, but a little less than the first one. However, it has an excellent sweet taste, and at the same time it is low in calories (3 g of sugar and 15 kcal can be found in one glass of maple water).

Are you hearing about some of these waters for the first time? Are you wondering where to find them? Unfortunately, we can not find them in every shop in Poland yet. However, in health food stores, yes. In addition, we can decide to buy larger quantities online, which will save you money.

Remember, however, that water and drinks are not everything. About 50% of the daily water intake should come from solid food. However, there are products that have a particularly high proportion of water. These include: tomatoes, cucumber, celery, salads of all kinds, watermelon, raspberries, strawberries. Eating large amounts of vegetables and fruits helps us to keep the body hydrated.

And finally, a few words about recognising the symptoms of dehydrations, which is an invaluable skill. The best hint to drink a sip of water is the feeling of thirst. Remember, however, that this is already too late. Your body is already dehydrated. Thirst appears with 2% dehydration. What does this mean in practice? A decrease in the body’s efficiency by 10 – 20%. The next signs of this condition are nervousness, irritation, slight reduction in concentration or attention. It is worth knowing that each subsequent percentage of dehydration increases your body temperature by half a degree, while the heart rate increases by 5 beats per minute.

Imagine a hot day now. It’s hot, but you drink very little because you think you do not have the time, that you do not need to or that you do not like to drink large amounts. You are dehydrating your body. Not only is the air hot, you also have a higher body temperature. Your concentration drops on a hot day, because you think about your vacation, how cool it would be to be outdoors or how clothes stick to you.

Again, you further reduce your concentration through the state of dehydration. Is it worth drinking a sip of water from time to time? The answer depends only on you. However, if you lead to a situation where you experience symptoms such as headache, stars in front of your eyes or dark urine with the colour of apple juice, the body’s dehydration is already at a dangerous level for your health and not just your well-being. So pay attention to how much you drink and how many vegetables and fruits you consume during the day.