Healthy hydration: What can you do to stay hydrated and what happens if you’re dehydrated?
Staying Hydrated
Healthy hydration is part of day to day life to make sure that we can function and stay alive. If you don’t drink your body will start to malfunction. You are made up of 50-65% water and therefore you have to drink water and have the right amount of minerals in your body.
You have to drink at least 2-3 letters of water per day to stay hydrated. That isn’t just in the form of water, food can also help hydrate the body. So if you eat a lot of vegetables that are high in water it means that you might not have to drink as much water. However, some people may need more and some may need less depending on their body types.
What does water do in the body?
Water in the body has many different functions to help you live. These functions include creating new cells, regulating body temperature, metabolise proteins and carbs, lubrication of joints, flushing toxins out of the body, dissolves vitamins and minerals and carries oxygen and nutrients to the cells.
Sign’s to too look out for if you’re dehydrated
You might see or feel signs of dehydration and when you do you need to act on it to prevent it. Your body will start to feel thirsty at the point of the body losing 2-3% of its fluid. Your mental performance and physical performance will start to impact you before your thirsty. This happens around the 1% dehydration. So if you have any of the symptoms below start to think about drinking some water.
what to look out for:
- Dry lips
- Dry skin
- Cramp in your libs
- Not peeing or having dark pee
- feeling dizzy
- rapid heart rate
- rapid breathing
- sunken eyes
- sleepiness
- lack of energy
- fainting
What to eat and what to drink?
If you feel like you might be dehydrated it is best to start drinking water. Sipping water slowly and more frequently can be better that guzzling water fast because your body can absorb it better.
If you want to also start hydrating your body with food also, so you get more minerals that you might not get in water. These foods don’t just hydrate you they also have many vitamins and minerals to help your body stay healthy.
Foods that help healthy hydration:
- Cucumber
- lettuce
- Celery
- Radishes
- Tomatoes
- Green pepper
- Cauliflower
- watermelon
- Spinach
- Star Fruit
- Strawberries
- Broccoli
- Grapefruit
- Baby Carrots
- Cantaloupe
Last note:
As a personal trainer in Windsor I make sure that my clients bring water to their training sessions. Because whilst exercising you can lose water and it can accelerate dehydration. Also healthy hydration can help improve your wellbeing so I make sure client have their water quota every day.
