Lena Cano, Certified Personal Trainer, shares helpful information with our clients and the community at large on the importance of “Hydration for Optimal Performance.” Austin Body Contouring believes that a healthier lifestyle brings about better living, as an Austin, TX leader in non-invasive body contouring we seek to provide our clients with information that will enable them to live their best lives. We hope you find her insights below valuable as you seek to Be Your Best You!
Water is one of the six essential nutrients for life (water, fat, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and minerals). Water is life and your body depends on it in order to survive and for overall good health. Your body’s need for water is greater than food, sleep, or exercise.
While the body can last up to six weeks without food, it can only last about a week without water. The human body is about 50-75% water. Everything from your bones to your brain consists of water. Without adequate hydration, your body’s cells, tissues, and organs would not function properly.
Water’s Role in the Body
Water is an important component of every bodily function and is a major portion of our digestion and elimination systems. Your body uses water to regulate body temperature, control heart rate, and blood pressure, eliminate waste, maintain a healthy metabolism, and to lubricate your joints. The more hydrated you are, the more easily your heart can pump blood through blood vessels to your muscles, thereby helping your muscles work more efficiently. Water is also instrumental in helping our senses work properly. Hearing waves are transmitted through fluids in the ear, light is reflected through fluids in the eye, and food and odors must be dissolved in water in order to taste and smell. Hydration is also important for clear thinking. If you are dehydrated, your productivity may suffer. It’s easy to see why hydration and water play such a critical role in a healthy lifestyle.
Here are a few other evidence-based health benefits of drinking plenty of water.
- Regulate Energy Levels and Brain: Your brain and energy levels are strongly influenced by your hydration status. Studies ranging from children to the elderly have shown that mild dehydration can impair mood, memory, and brain performance.
- Relieve Constipation: Increasing fluid intake is often recommended as part of the treatment protocol for infrequent bowel movements.
- Maximize Physical Performance: Optimal hydration has been shown to prevent fatigue both physically and mentally, aid in body temperature control, and may even reduce the oxidative stress that occurs during high-intensity exercise.
- Help with Weight Loss: Drinking plenty of water has been shown to aid in weight loss due to the fact that water can increase satiety and boost your metabolic rate.
Ways to Stay Hydrated
By the time you experience thirst, you are already dehydrated. In order to remain hydrated, you must consume at least about half of your body weight (pounds) in ounces of pure water or water-based liquids on a normal day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should aim to drink 75 ounces of liquid each day. Additional water intake is recommended during intense exercise or in high heat and high humidity environments. If you find yourself having trouble staying hydrated give the following a try.
- Drink on a schedule if you have trouble remembering to hydrate. Consider drinking when you wake up, with meals, and before you go to bed. Or, you can also drink at the beginning of every hour of your day.
- Drink water before, during, and after a workout.
- If you don’t like the taste of water, try adding a slice of lemon or fruit to your drink.
- Use the color of your urine as a guide to show you how hydrated you are. If your urine is light yellow to clear, you are drinking enough. If it is dark yellow, increase your fluid intake.
- Drink before you feel thirsty!
While water is best for hydration, there are also other sources you can try if you still find yourself not meeting your fluid intake. Such sources include herbal teas, sparkling water, broth, and high water-content vegetables and fruits (watermelon, cucumber, tomatoes).
Bottom Line
You lose water each day through your body’s systems and functions including when you urinate, sweat, breathe, and even sleep! Don’t wait until you feel symptoms of dehydration (little or no urine, extreme thirst, headache, dizziness, confusion). Be proactive and drink plenty of water throughout your day to keep yourself and your body performing at their best!
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Lena Cano holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Chemistry and is a Certified Personal Trainer, Running Coach, and holds Level 1 Nutrition Certification through Precision Nutrition. Lena strives to be the best version of herself when it comes to stability in health and relationships. For more information on her services, you can connect with her at cano.lenac@gmail.com
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Austin Body Contouring has been providing Austin Texas area clients with FDA Approved, 100% Non-Invasive Body Contouring successfully for more than nine years. We offer a painless way to eliminate stubborn body fat and achieve your body contouring goals. Our lipo-laser weight loss is proven to remove stubborn body fat and excess inches. To schedule a complimentary consultation, call 512.660.2810 or email us at info@austinbodycontouring.com
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