With warmer weather coming, staying hydrated will be important to enjoying the outdoors.
- On average a healthy adult male should drink 3.7L and a healthy adult woman should drink 2.7L of water.
- Water makes up 50%-70% of the body’s weight.
- Promotes productivity by replenishing your energy and reduces fatigue.
- Sufficient water intake helps remove wastes through urination, perspiration and bowel movements.
- Water helps the body regulate temperature.
- Water acts as a cushion on joints.
- Insufficient water intake can lead to dehydration which effects the body’s functions including energy.
- Too much water intake can cause stress on the kidneys by over loading the filtration process. It can also cause hyponatremia which is too low sodium levels in the body.
How do I know I’m not drinking enough water?
- You may notice that you are hungry or are quite thirsty. Often we feel hungry when our body is in need of water.
- The colour of your urine can tell you if you’re hydrated enough. The goal is to have colourless to light yellow urine.
- Skin turgor is the elasticity of your skin.
- Checking your skin turgor by pinching the skin on your hand and watching the release time. If it is slow to retract you need more water. The quicker retraction = the better.
Resources
20 Benefits of Drinking Water: How Much to Drink and Why (earthandhuman.org)
Skin Turgor Test for Dehydration in Children & the Elderly, Treatment (healthline.com)
