Proper Hydration

By Allison Buck

These days everywhere you go you see people walking around with a bottle of water (be it vitamin infused, plain spring water, electrolyte replacement) constantly at hand. Bottled water has become a status symbol as dominant as coffee shop choices in our society. Designer water is on the market and environmentalists complain about the effects all these empty water bottles have as waste. The importance of hydration is obviously a concern a lot of us share, but whether we’re drinking the latest flavour of celebrity endorsed water or just plain old tap water, how much do we really know about why our bodies need water? How much water should we be drinking a day? And are their special concerns we need to take into account when exercising?

What is the Role of Water in the Body?

Water is the single most important nutrient for the human body. Depending on factors such as age, gender and weight, it makes up between fifty-five to seventy-eight percent of the human body. Babies have the highest percentage in their bodies at an average of seventy-eight percent, and women have a slightly lower percentage of water than men due to their higher fat stores. Fat tissue contains less water than lean tissue. Therefore, a person who is overweight will have a smaller percentage of water in their body compared to a person of the same sex and height who is of a healthy weight.

Water is involved in every system in the body. It moistens the oxygen we breathe. It regulates our body temperature. It protects our vital organs. It helps to convert the food we eat into the energy we need. It carries nutrients and oxygen we need to every cell in our bodies and then carries the carbon dioxide our cells produce away. It cushions our joints so that we are able to move without our bones rubbing against one another. And it allows us to excrete waste. Since more than half of our body is made up of water, no bodily function could occur without water! Blood is often referred to as life fluid and it is ninety-two percent water. Our brains are made up of approximately seventy-five percent water. Even our bones are twenty-two percent water.

Why does everyone from your Trainer to your Dentist tell you to drink more water?

Water is involved in all systems of the body. As a result, having proper hydration has many health benefits. Beauty experts love to point out that hydrated skin means less wrinkles, and no cream can hydrate the skin from the outside as well as fluids can when taken internally. Weight loss experts recommended drinking water for a few reasons. It helps to keep us feeling full, helping to limit the calories we eat. A lot of us even go so far as to confuse thirst with hunger, meaning we’re eating to satisfy our hunger when really we are just thirsty.

Water also allows for proper excretion of waste which helps to prevent fluid retention and constipation. Proper hydration allows the kidneys to work efficiently leaving the liver free to function properly and use up stored fat by turning it into energy. Personal trainers love water because it keeps us energized for our workouts since our bodies are able to make maximum use of the energy we get through the carbohydrates and fat we’ve consumed earlier in the day. As well, it keeps our joints lubricated and our muscles working properly by aiding the balance of electrolytes, limiting the chance of cramping and increasing strength and muscle response.

Dentists recommend it because it strengthens our bones and teeth. As an added bonus, fluoride is commonly added to our drinking water sources, providing even extra strength than just plain water alone. And doctors advise us to stay properly hydrated to limit the risks of dehydration. It is even thought that because water is so important for healthy functioning body systems, disease risks are decreased when staying properly hydrated as our bodies are able to function at their peak.

Dehydration...What are the risks of not consuming enough fluids?

Dehydration is a very real and common medical concern. Mild dehydration starts with a loss of fluids as small as two percent which causes a significant change in the human body. Because approximately sixty percent of the average human body is made up of water, dehydration affects all aspects of the body. Symptoms range from decreased concentration, headaches, dry mouth, heat exhaustion which can lead to heat stroke, muscle spasms, dry sticky mouth, sleepiness, dizziness, irritability and confusion, lack of sweating, little or no urination, sunken eyes, shrived dry skin, low blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, fever and finally a loss of consciousness which can lead to death. Obviously getting enough liquids is extremely important, but how much is enough and how do we know when we’re getting it?

What constitutes proper hydration?

We have all heard that we should drink eight to ten glasses of water a day. That seems to be the most commonly recommended amount of water in order to keep our bodies functioning properly. Why is this the magic number? The average person loses approximately two point five liters of fluid a day through excretion of waste, sweat and exhaled air. That is just over ten cups of fluid we lose on a daily basis. So in order to avoid dehydration we need to consume at least that amount of fluids. Most of us consume twenty percent of our fluids through the food we eat and the rest through what we drink. So the recommendations of drinking eight to ten glasses of fluid a day is a good average for most people to aim for.

However, not everything we drink counts towards our fluid intake! Coffee, tea and alcohol are actually diuretics so consuming those actually strip our bodies of water rather than adding to our fluid intake. That’s why most health professionals recommend water itself to be a main source of fluid because it doesn’t add extra calories like juice or milk, though both of those are acceptable, and it contains no caffeine or sugar as most soft drinks and other mixed drinks tend to. If you don’t enjoy the taste of water on its own, feel free to add lemon or lime to flavour it or take advantage of the low calorie products on the market. These days many things can be added to our water to turn our eight to ten glasses into delicious drinks rather than tasteless chores.

How do you know that you're getting enough fluids?

First of all, if you are thirsty, drink! You should be drinking enough so that thirst isn’t something you are bothered with throughout the day. When you are thirsty, your body is saying that you need fluids and is one of the first signs that you are mildly dehydrated. Thirst (or lack of thirst) is normally a good indicator of proper hydration. However, during exercise, due to increased rate of fluid loss, it is best not to not use thirst as you’re guide.

Weight is a very good indicator to gage if you are adequately hydrated for the activity you’re engaged in. Weigh yourself before and after working out. You should weigh the same amount if you have kept yourself properly hydrated. You know that you have replenished your fluids properly when your weight returns to your pre-exercise weight.

Another good indicator we should all pay attention to in order assure we’re properly hydrated? Our urine. Yes, the colour of our urine tells us if we have been consuming enough fluids throughout the day. Assuming it has not been altered by anything we’ve consumed (certain food and supplements are known to change the colour) our urine should not be any darker in colour then a pale yellow. If it is dark or you notice a decrease in the amount of urine you are producing, make sure you increase your fluids. 

Allison Buck is a freelance writer and exercise enthusiast who keeps up to date with the latest news about nutrition and fitness. She can be reached at allisonbuck@rogers.com