Obviously, I'm a huge advocate of practicing yoga. It has so many benefits for your body and mind. That being said, I'm all about balance. I love to compliment my yoga practice with weight training and cardio as well. I recently started exercising with an awesome personal trainer Allan Alguire (he trained actress Jennifer Lawrence for Hunger Games and X-Men!!), and not only are his workouts amazing, but he has over 15 years of experience in the health and wellness industry that I want to share with my readers. The "My Personal Trainer" articles will be a regular series on my blog where Allan will be sharing his expertise in the areas of Body, Health, Life and Diet - enjoy!
A significant part of your body is made up of water. In addition to a large part of your body being made up of water, several daily body functions use water. Don't think water deserves so much credit? Consider these wet-and-wild facts.
In a day, your lungs expel about two to four cups of water just through normal breathing (even more on a cold day).You can lose up to a cup of water if your feet sweat.In just six trips to the bathroom a day, you can lose about six cups of water. Your body can expel about two cups of water a day if you perspire (and that doesn't include exercise-induced sweat).
For these reasons and many more, it's obvious that you need to replenish your body with liquids regularly.
How to Do It
Okay, so if your body is losing all of this water every day, what do you have to do to replenish it? The best thing you can do is drink a little bit of water all day long. Try sipping down about four ounces of water every hour when you're awake. Take a water bottle with you when you're driving, grab a glass of water before you sit down in front of the television, and bring something to drink when you go to that marathon meeting during your workday. If you don't like the taste of water, try drinking extremely cold water or twist a lemon or lime in your water. If none of those options sound good, other liquids such as diluted fruit juices, skim milk, coffee, and diet soft drinks also provide the liquid your body needs.
Now that you know how to get the water your body needs, let's talk about how much water your body needs. Many experts say that drinking between 8 and 10 glasses of water a day is a good rule of thumb. However, other factors, such as your body size, your body type (muscle holds more water than fat), your activity level, your age, and your diet, all play into the amount of water your body needs. If you have any questions about how much water your body needs or if you experience any symptoms of dehydration, touch base with your physician.
When You're Not Getting Enough to Drink
Dehydration is one of the most common ways your body lets you know it's not getting enough water. When dehydration occurs, your body has lost more fluids than it has taken in. This condition is not often life-threatening, but it can have serious consequences in babies and older adults. Symptoms of dehydration include feeling dizzy or lightheaded, having a dry or sticky feeling in your mouth, or producing less urine. If you experience any of these symptoms, take a moment to rest and get a drink. It's also a good idea to get out of the sun and relax for the rest of the day. If symptoms continue, contact your physician.
Here's the bottom line: your body needs water and it needs it every day, so try to keep a water bottle close by and refill it often. Your body will thank you for it.
H2O in Your F-O-O-D
Thankfully for the water haters out there, water can be found in a variety of places beyond the sink-including your dinner. The following are just a few of the foods that have high water content:
- apples
- broccoli
- cantaloupe
- carrots
- celery
- warm cereal (ie. oatmeal)
- cottage cheese
- gelatin
- grapes
- grapefruit
- iceberg lettuce
- oranges
- radishes
- rice
- soup
- strawberries
- tomatoes
- tuna
- watermelon
- yogurt
- Author: Allan Alguire, End Result Fitness