by Molly Rausch L1 Personal Trainer and Certified Athletic Trainer
Hello everyone! This week’s “Fitness Tip of the Week” is about hydration. Our bodies are about 60% water, which is why it’s so vital for survival. You need to hydrate throughout your entire day, regardless of your activities. Without adding in sweat loss from hot temperatures or exercise, you should be drinking at least half your body weight in ounces. When you start sweating, you need to drink even more. For every pound lost from sweat, you need to be drinking 16 oz of water to replace it. This is why it’s so important to stay on top of hydration. If you go into your workout behind, it is very hard to catch up. You can’t go based on whether you feel thirsty either. If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.
Benefits of hydration
Because we are composed of a majority water, it should be no shock hearing how beneficial water is for our bodies. Every system needs it to function optimally. Here is a list of some of great things water does for our body:
- Helps maintains temperature
- Removes wastes
- Lubricants joints
- Prevents constipation
- Carries nutrients to cells
- Helps the heart pumps blood more easily
- Helps muscle function
- Improves brain function and concentration
Signs of dehydration
As important as knowing how much water you need to be drinking on a daily basis is, it’s just as important to know when you body is telling you it doesn’t have enough water. Some signs you may be dehydrated are little to no urination, dark colored urine, dry skin, feeling thirsty, dry mouth, feeling dizzy, rapid heartbeat, fainting, rapid breathing, fatigue, or headache.
Tips on staying hydrated
- Keep a water bottle with you all day
- If you feel hungry, drink some water
- Add fruit for flavor or mix in some seltzer water for variety
- Set a timer, schedule, reminder to drink throughout your day
- Drink a glass every time you use the restroom
If you have any questions on this topic, please feel free to contact me at mrausch@healthworksfitness.com
Molly’s Fitness Tip of the Week 