Hydrate your Life: Kick off Summer Right!

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How much water would you say you drink per day? I know that I consume at or around 72 ozs. per day on the days that I am not exercising. Add a workout, and I am looking at over 100 ozs. It is common knowledge that we should be consuming 64 ozs. (or 8 glasses) of water per day, but I am reading more and more that the number for women should be around 91 ozs! A great way to kick off summer is to be aware of all of the ways we can add value and quantity to our daily fluid intake.

I find it to sometimes be a burden to drink just water. I am one of those girls who prefers juice, and loves an ice cold Coca-Cola. Does this even count towards my total? Yes, it sure does.

The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies indicates that the recommended 91 ozs. be from all beverages and foods. This is good news for us this summer. Here in the southern states, we enjoy fresh, seasonal watermelon and citrus at our picnics and cookouts. These can all be great sources of hydration, but also contain essential nutrients to preserve energy. Having fresh fruit as part of the meal makes it convenient to manage hydration levels, and it is delicious.

Additionally, those flavored drinks that are high in sugar and low in nutrition are just that! Though they do not directly impact hydration levels, they may not provide the essential nutrients needed to maintain ideal body function. Try adding mint, lemon, berries or even frozen fruit to add value to your beverage–they also go great with water to create a natural “super drink” that looks beautiful and tastes good too!

It is always a good idea to increase your intake of fluids during exertion or even when you are not sweating during activities in the pool or shade. Lack of sweat is not a lone indicator of hydration level. Some signs of dehydration to pay attention to are listed below:

• headache
• change in mood or lack of energy
• muscle cramps
• concentrated urine

Be sure to observe your family or friends as well. Everyone’s body won’t hydrate the same, so some people need more or less attention than others.

I have linked some great information sites to the bottom of this post so that you can obtain additional information that I felt would be useful from the same places that I read from. As always…

Live on Purpose and Live Sigma Kappa.

References: Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, WebMD, Urinecolors.com