Every day, we lose water through our breath, perspiration, urine, and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you must replenish its water supply. Only about 20% of daily fluid intake comes from the food we eat, so we need to give our bodies the other 80% through what we drink.
Good Hydration Linked to Healthy Aging
H2O makes up almost 2/3 of the brain and heart, 83% of the lungs, 64% of the skin, and about 31% of bones1. Water helps your body function well by:
- Flushing out toxins and getting rid of waste.
- Keeping your temperature normal.
- Lubricating and cushioning joints.
- Protecting sensitive tissues.
- Maintaining skin’s moisture balance.
Every cell, tissue, and organ in our bodies needs WATER. It’s involved in almost every process that keeps us alive. Replacing the water that we lose every day not only keeps our organs running, our joints limber, and our muscles fueled – it can help LOWER the risk for chronic disease.
In a recent study in the journal eBioMedicine2, results show that IF WE DON’T STAY HYDRATED, we could INCREASE our risk of diabetes, dementia, heart failure, and early death. That’s serious!
How Much Do We Need to Drink Daily?
Eight glasses a day is a good target. The “8×8 Rule” equates to drinking eight 8-ounce cups of water (64 ounces = a half gallon) every day. However, if you have a chronic illness, your requirements may be different. Also, if you’re breastfeeding you may need to adjust the amount of water you drink. So, check with your physician who will be able to come up with a recommended amount for you.
Is More H2O Better?
There have been a lot of social media ‘challenges’ lately to drink a gallon a day. While this may be good for some people, it’s important to remember that some medical conditions require restricted water intake, like renal disease and congestive heart failure. So please check with your doctor before amping up your water intake.
10 Healthy Tips for Staying Hydrated
Need to up your water game? Here are some tips to get in the habit of drinking more water every day.
1. Take it with you.
Drinking enough water when you are on-the-go can be challenging. Fill your water bottle before you leave home and bring it along on your daily travels. With most stainless steel re-usable water bottles at 32 ounces, aim to fill it up (and empty it) twice each day.
My best friend is my water bottle!
2. Sip-sip-sip all day through.
When you make your water bottle a ‘constant companion,’ it’s easy to sip throughout the day, helping keep your mouth from getting dry and helping your breath stay fresher.
3. Keep a water bottle in every room.
At home, encourage more fluid intake with a water bottle in each room3. Perhaps place one by your desk, keep one in the bathroom, put one by the kitchen sink, and another by the TV. With water within easy reach, hydration will soon become a healthy habit.
4. Give it a little flavor.
If you find water bland, try adding a splash of 100% juice to your water4. Or add slices of lemons, limes, oranges, cucumber, watermelon, or strawberries as delicious options.
5. Tie it to a daily routine.
An easy way to boost H2O intake is to just drink one glass of water when you wake up in the morning and another before bed. Other ‘routines’ you can link to your water intake include drinking a glass of water every time you brush your teeth or use the bathroom.
6. Add a ‘first course’ to every meal
When you drink a glass of water before every meal, you will feel fuller, faster. This is good for weight control as well as a great way to increase your hydration.
7. Switch it up: alternate drinks!
If you drink soda, juice, coffee, or booze, try alternating your hydration routine with H2O. After each glass you consume, take in a corresponding glass of water. This is especially important after drinking coffee or alcohol, as they are natural diuretics.5
8. Track it. Chart it. Get it on your schedule.
Setting an alarm as a reminder on your phone may help you increase your intake. Some high-tech bottles can connect to smartphones to record how much you drink.
9. Challenge a friend.
Start a healthy competition with your kids, co-workers, or neighbor to see who can meet and stick with their daily goal. It often helps to have others to help us reach our goals, sharing tips, hurdles, achievements, and encouragement.
10. Eat more water-rich foods.
You can get more water by eating foods high in water6. The following are water-rich and packed with vitamins and antioxidants to promote health:
- Lettuce: 96% water
- Celery: 95% water
- Zucchini: 95% water
- Cabbage: 92% water
- Watermelon: 91% water
- Cantaloupe: 90% water
- Honeydew melon: 90% water
Let us know which tips work best for you. Or contact us with your own suggestions!
Footnotes
NW Regen
We offer regenerative and interventional medicine – tailored to empower you with a more vibrant, active lifestyle.
