Day Sixteen - Nutrition
Today's challenge is to hydrate optimally. We lose water throughout the day through respiration, sweat, and other bodily movements, and we need to replenish the body's water supply.
Balance is critical as over-hydration can lead to hyponatremia, which can be life-threatening, or even mild dehydration can cause symptoms such as thirst, headache, dizziness, and fatigue.
Although there is a lot of discussion around the definition of optimal hydration, the reality is that it is different for every person and depends on many factors: current health, physical activity levels, temperature, work type, etc.
However, science can guide us. According to the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, adequate daily fluid intake is approximate: 3.7 litres for men and 2.7 litres for women, which covers fluids from liquids & food. About one-fifth of daily fluid intake comes from food and the rest from drinks consumed.
Some simple ideas to ensure you are adequately hydrated include:
Drink enough liquids and check the urine-colour-chart
Drink when you are thirsty, although you may already be dehydrated.
During high heat and strenuous exercise, drink enough to compensate for the lost or extra needed fluids.
Consume fruit and vegetable which have high water percentages by weight, such as cucumber (96%), tomatoes (95%), spinach (93%), watermelon (91%) or Oranges (86%).
Make drinking water a habit. Add drinking water to an existing habit or routine, for example, a glass of water to your morning latte or after you brush your teeth in the morning.
Track your consumption. Measure your water intake with a water bottle or water diary.
So are you replenishing your body's water supply each day?
Reference
Drinking water and your health healthdirect.gov.au
Water rich foods bupa.co.uk
Further reading
Read: Mayo clinic water www.mayoclinic.org
Watch: What would happen if you did not drink water www.ted.com
** Disclaimer – Part of the Build Your Ideal Day Program – 30 Day challenge by Duncan Young. All content and media on the Build Your Ideal Day Website is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.
