Water is life.
In this post, I explain why it’s so incredibly important to drink enough liquid “water” and how you can better motivate yourself to drink.
Why is water so important?
“Headache again, do you have a headache pill?”. I’m sure you know this phrase and have said it yourself many times. At the latest now it is high time to check your water balance. In an adult human, the body consists of 60% water. Our brain and muscles in particular have a very high water content and react particularly sensitively when this is out of balance.
How much water should you drink?
The basic rule is about 1.5 liters of fluid (that’s about eight glasses) a day. You should prefer water, preferably non-carbonated, juice spritzers or unsweetened teas. Here it is particularly important to pay attention to the list of ingredients in the drinks, because it is not all that uncommon to find hidden sugars in the form of glucose or glucose syrup in drinks. Juice spritzers made from fruit or vegetable juices are very suitable. The mixing ratio should be 1/3 juice and 2/3 water. The good old apple spritzer has proven very useful in this context, because it is considered isotonic and helps the body optimally rebalance the fluid balance and quickly absorb electrolytes.
TIP: When I buy apple juice, I make sure that it is a naturally cloudy organic apple juice. This is because valuable ingredients, which can be very important for health, are lost when apple juice is clarified.
Sports and drinking
If you are physically active, you should increase your fluid intake depending on the intensity. Since the body cannot store liquid reserves, it is all the more important to always have a drink within reach. The more intense your workout, the more you should drink. During moderate exertion, the body loses between half a liter and one liter of fluid, depending on body weight. That’s why it’s especially important to drink enough before and after exercise (or in between, if you can). Studies have shown that performance decreases by about 10 percent when you lose a liter of fluid. The general rule is to consume half a liter of fluid before and after exercise. Of course, this can vary depending on body weight, intensity and climate.
TIP: The rule of thumb for fluid intake by weight is 30 to 40 milliliters of water per kilogram of body weight. That would be between 1.95 and 2.6 liters for a 65 kilogram person from solid food and beverages.
Drinking too much, is that possible?
We talk about drinking too little 99 percent of the time, but is it possible to drink too much? The answer is clearly yes, because the body can only absorb a certain amount of fluid. A healthy person could drink up to 10 liters a day, however, I clearly do not recommend you to try this. This is because anything above the recommended amount can dilute the blood and decrease the concentration of vital salts and minerals. But who would have time and desire to drink 10 liters a day?
5 tips for practice – Drink yourself healthy
- Fluid in the morning expels … The body is dehydrated in the morning after sleep. To get your digestion and mind going, it’s best to drink one or two glasses of water with a squeeze of organic lemon juice right after you get up.
- Water with taste? Fruits or herbs in the water taste like more. Just add a few mint leaves, lemon slices, cucumber slices, blueberries or pomegranate seeds to the water.
- Nice drinking? Ever tried with a good looking water bottle? Many water bottles are anything but beautiful. Meanwhile, there are incredibly great and good-looking water bottles that you can take everywhere with you
- Me and my water. It’s best to keep your water handy at all times and in all places, whether you’re at your desk, exercising, or many other occasions. Once you have the bottle in sight, it becomes easier to think about drinking.
- Let’s get spicy. Cooking with healthy hot spices stimulates thirst and makes you reach for your thirst quencher faster. In addition, they also strengthen your immune system, sounds perfect, right? So let’s go to the organic supermarket and buy Cheyenne pepper, turmeric, pepper, chili and hot peppers.
Sources:
http://www.ndr.de/ratgeber/verbraucher/Direktsaft-oft-nicht-besser-als-Konzentrat,fruchtsaft104.html
http://www.dtb-online.de/portal/gymcard/bildung-wissen/trinken/trinken-beim-sport.html
