A recent viral song by Patrice Roberts has a catchy chorus that says – ‘I go drink water and mind my business’. If everyone actually focusses on doing just this, world may be a better place with lesser problems plus we would all lead a healthy life.
We are all aware, how important it is to consume water on a daily basis yet most of us tend to ignore this basic requirement that our bodies demand. Not that we do not drink water at all but we do it only when we feel like and it may not be adequate for the body to stay fully hydrated all throughout the day. Especially in summers, it becomes all the more important to ensure that you drink sufficient water and not invite complications associated with dehydration.
It is worth understating certain elements and the functioning of our body here. Our body is made up of 70% water and it uses water for almost everything – for our brain to work or think properly, to extract the energy from the food we eat, and to discard what we do not need, among other functions. This is why doctors to fitness instructors emphasize on staying hydrated, as it is important for our body to function right.
There arises a question how much water should we consume to stay perfectly hydrated. There is no one-size-fits-all approach here or any sort of golden rule though there are certain recommendations you might have heard from your doctors or trainers. Some say it is good to drink at least 3 litres of water every day. Some doctors still encourage the old adage of drinking minimum ‘eight glasses a day’.
However, you should know that water intake mainly depends on your body. You know your body well, its requirements and the way it reacts to certain things. In addition, there are many factors such as your body mass, level of activity and weather conditions that will affect exactly how much water you need to consume. Make sure to evenly distribute your water consumption throughout the day and on the days, you are more active you might need more water than on the days you are staying indoors without much movement. You should also remember that too much of anything is bad. So do not consume water excessively. Your body can only absorb a certain amount at a time and you need to be mindful of that.
Now, you might wonder how to assess if you are hydrated enough or dehydrated. There may be many obvious signs of dehydration like fatigue, less energy, dry mouth, dizziness or light-headedness, urinary infections or issues and so on. One of the simple and proven ways to gauge your level of hydration is to pay attention to the color of your urine. If your urine is very dark and has a strong odour, you are certainly dehydrated and should increase your water intake. If your urine is completely clear, you are likely drinking too much and you may want to reduce your water intake a bit. Your urine colour should be pale yellow, which means you are drinking just enough to keep your body hydrated and getting rid of all the waste that your body eliminates through urine.
One more point to remember here is you do not really have to wait until you are thirsty to drink water. By the time you feel thirsty, you may be already slightly dehydrated. As mentioned earlier, sip water steadily throughout the day and drink more fluids than usual when the weather is hot and if you are active.
Many health issues are linked to not drinking enough water. Right from your skin to hair and your energy levels drastically improves if you stay properly hydrated. So for our own sake, let’s ensure to drink water and mind our business.