Are you drinking enough water?

By | April 5, 2013

Healthful self-hydration is very important to a fit lifestyle. Many times our patients suffer from muscular and spinal and joint pain, leg cramps and general malaise that could be an imbalance of fluids and electrolytes. We suggest drinking 2 glasses of water as soon as the discomfort begins.

One should consume 1/2 oz. of pure water per pound of your body weight daily (200 lbs= 100 oz. each day) and at a slow but steady sipping pace of about 3-5 oz per half hour for optimal liver and kidney clearance. Proper hydration is essential to your healing and your health each and every day.

People taking medications or even vitamins may have a unique need to add water to their diet. Exercise and forced-air heat like furnaces and car heaters dry you out as well. Many bottled drinks are in fact, less effective than plain old water. If your urine is yellow, or your feet are dry, add 2 glasses of water to your normal routine. Drink extra water on days you exercise, have massage, or require the heater in your house or car. Stop the pain. Don’t get dehydrated!

glass of water | prevention

Eight a day

The body loses, on average, about two to three quarts of fluid daily through perspiration, exhaled moisture, and excretion. You must replace this fluid, hence the rule of thumb about consuming the equivalent of at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily. Some of the water you need comes from solid foods, especially fruits and vegetables. You get the balance from liquids you consume (juices, milk, soups), which are just as good as water.

Any change in diet, particularly an increase in protein or salt consumption. or an increase in exercise or outdoor temperature may raise your fluid needs. Certain drugs, notably diuretics, will increase water loss, as will alcohol or caffeine. Dehydration is a particular problem among the elderly, in part because the thirst mechanism becomes less efficient as we age.

Normally thirst is the best sign that you need more fluids. But if you’re exercising or working strenuously in the heat, you can lose a quart of water an hour. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty: drink before, during and after your workout.  If you fail to do this and need to replenish the water you’ve lost, weigh yourself after your workout, and drink a pint of fluid for each pound you’ve lost.

One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University study.

Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or

Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Drinking one glass of water before going to bed avoids stroke or heart attack.
why people need to urinate so much at night time.

Gravity holds water in the lower part of your body when you are upright (legs swell).
When you lie down and the lower body (legs and etc) seeks level with the kidneys, which remove the water then because it is easier.

Drinking water at a certain time maximizes its effectiveness on the body:
2 glasses of water after waking up – helps activate internal organs
1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal – helps digestion
1 glass of water before taking a bath – helps lower blood pressure
1 glass of water before going to bed – avoids stroke or heart attack
Water at bed time helps prevent night time leg cramps. Your leg muscles are seeking hydration.

 

Are you drinking the amount of water you should every day?

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About Paul O'Brian

CEO, Paul O’Brian founded Accelerate Physical Therapy , P.C. in 1989 in Arvada. Specializing in orthopedic and neurological rehabilitation over a 40-year-career, Paul is experienced in shoulder, knee, spine, foot/ankle, elbow, wrist and hand rehabilitation, quadriplegia, hemiplegia, multiple sclerosis, weakness and balance issues, and geriatric conditions, arthritis, functional decline, postural and pain problems, sports injuries, motor vehicle accidents, and workers’ compensation injuries. Paul O'Brian has been a youth sports coach for 25 years (swimming and diving, soccer, football and rugby). Paul has served on the Board of Directors for multiple Colorado non-profit Colorado corporations, including Colorado Physical Therapy Network (20 years), Rugby Colorado (5 years) and Tigers Rugby Football Club (20 years).