Shiatsu and Acupuncture Clinic
Hydrating your body…..are you drinking enough water ?
Are you hydrating effectively ? Are you dehydrated ? How do you know if you are drinking enough water ?
These are common questions which are often asked these days. But is there an easy answer ?
We need water to survive and water is the foundation of our blood. These are two basic points from which to start.
Water is cooling for our body and as a lot of our bodily functions create heat we need water to cool our system down and preventing it from drying out. This is easy to understand. But how much water intake do we need ? This is where it becomes complicated as everyones situation is different. A person doing hard manual labour will generate more heat, will sweat more and so will need a greater fluid intake than a person who is involved in less strenuous activities.
So what are the indicators for our own individual needs ?
The first is thirst. When we have a thirst we drink. But is it just a dryness in our mouth or is it a strong need for water ?
The second point is urination. Our urine lets us know the condition of our body. If our urine is darker than a light straw colour or has a noticable odour then we are overheating and drying out…..the first stages of being dehydrated. (When dehydration has set in there will be scanty dark urine, often with mild discomfort. We will feel flushed, an abscence of sweating and often a feeling of lightheadedness and disorientation.)
Sufficient water / fluid intake will also depend on the kinds of foods we eat. Concentrated foods such as meats, cheeses, nuts etc will need more water to remove the residues left from their being metabolised. A person eating salads and fruits will require less water as they are getting a lot of fluid from the food they are eating.
Also some people are constitutionally “hotter”than others. They often have a reddish complexion and generate more heat. So they need more water to maintain their balance.
Let us look at an important point. The capacity for us to absorb the water / fluids that our body needs.
Often when we are thirsty we have a drink of water and we feel satisfied that our thirst has been satiated. But if you have been exercising your thirst will not be so easily quenched. So next time you want to quench your thirst try adding a little juice to the water you are drinking. Any juice like apple, pear, cranberry, ribena etc is ok (preferably not citrus juices). Add 1 or 2 parts of juice to 10 parts of water. This ratio will enable the body to get the water that it needs and with the added fruit sugar acting as a transporter (vehicle) into the body the absorption of the water is greatly increased. So you will be able to hydrate more efficently without the need to consume huge amounts of water which will often upset the electrolyte balance in our bodies. People have been known to die from excessive water intake as they have severely depleted the electrolytes which are cruicial for basic bodily functions like heart rhythm.
The other point related here is water being the foundation of our blood. If we hydrate effeciently our blood will be provided with enough “fluid”to keep it moving freely. In every disease state the blood becomes thicker and stickier, creating stagnant blood systemically. It is crucial for our health that our blood be as thin as possible. This will enable the heart to function more efficiently. If the blood is thick and sticky there is a lot more friction which not only creates heat but places a lot of strain on the heart as it attempts to move the blood around the body and also on the kidneys as it filters the blood.
So be careful of foods which dehydrate you ! And if you drink coffee and alcohol you need to drink more water, preferably soon after your treat to ensure you don’t let your system become overheated and dry.
So the next time you drink some water be aware of what your body needs and take care not to ingest too many liquids which are icy cold as they create an internal shoch to your system and are not so readily absorbed.
Posted by Warren
Shiatsu and Acupuncture Clinic
Gordon. Sydney.
One Comment
Hi Warren.
Love your web site! – very clean and easy to follow.
The articles are topical and informative.
Thanks.
Stedley.