Water...The Source of Life

[Guest Prosoft Admin]

How long could you last without FOOD?   Experts say up to 8 weeks!

How about WATER?  Depending on the heat, those same experts say 3 days!!

What does that tell you about the importance of each of those to your body?

Why is water sooo important?  Why especially in these hot, humid, and potentially active days of summer does your body crave it…no, depend on it?

Water does some really crucial tasks in our body.  Most importantly, it REGULATES YOUR BODY TEMPERATURE.  Raising your body temperature only 3.4 degrees to 102 can be serious, while core temperatures above 105 (only 7 degree increase) can be life threatening.

Water also helps LUBRICATE YOUR JOINTS.  Have you ever ridden a bike with a really rusty chain?  Not a very smooth ride, is it?  Eventually the friction produced without lubrication on the chain will wear down the bike’s parts...The same is true with your joints!

TRANSPORTING NUTRIENTS to your muscles and organs is another task that water assists in.  Remember in the spring when we had all that rain and the rivers were flowing freely and fast?  Now think of those smaller streams that are pretty low with our lack of rain.  The water travels so much slower. Our bodies are the same. When they have a lack of fluid in them, the blood flow and muscle function is less efficient, and you just feel sluggish.

Finally, and very importantly, water is a key to your body’s WASTE MANAGEMENT.  I don’t even have to give you a visual of your garbage overflowing the last few days before pick-up. I don’t even have to remind you of the smell on a hot day of a pile of garbage decaying and rotting.  After our body processes our food, especially cooked and processed food, we want the Garbage to be removed! Water is the key to keeping the flow out of our bodies!

When we don’t replenish our Water supply we start to look like our grass!  This is called DEHYDRATION.

We can get dehydrated especially in the summer from:

- Excessive sweating

- Failure to replenish fluids after exercise or activity

- Drinking only when thirsty

- Inadequate fluid intake

- Drinking only Caffeinated drinks

What does Dehydration feel like?

First symptoms: 

- Decreased saliva production (can you spit?)

- Decreased frequency and amount of urine you excrete

- Deep color and strong odor in urine

Further signs:

- Dry mouth

- Rapid heart rate

- Lethargy (lack of energy) or irritability

- No urine output

- Feel hot

- Vomit or diarrhea

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU BECOME DEHYDRATED?   The best thing you can do is prevent this by drinking non-caffeinated beverages with minimal sugar (that’s a subject for a future blog!).

What I can tell you is that everyone sweats at different rates, and it depends on the temperature and humidity and activity level.  I can also tell you that it is recommended to drink .5 oz of fluid x Body weight/day (or 75-100 oz / day for a 150-lb person). That formula sounds very scientific, and it is.

But, there is an easier way, and here it is: I call it “Hydration for Dummies” because it is so simple:

1.     Monitor your urine color and output.  It should be a fair amount with a very faint yellow color.  If it is dark, concentrated, or less than usual amount, that is a sign to DRINK MORE WATER!

2.     Weigh yourself before and after practice, or activity, especially if you are in the heat, or sweating! If you have lost a few pounds, it is probably only water (sorry, no fat loss that quickly).  You should replace those fluids! Right away! Experts say that more than 2% loss of body weight (fluid loss if due to activity) is crucial to replace by drinking fluids.

Now go play, run, swim, jump, be active and enjoy.  Oh, yea and “DRINK YOUR WATER!”