Importance of Hydration

While the majority of the general public understands that water plays many key roles in our day-to-day activities, many may not realize that our bodies are composed of nearly seventy percent water!  It may not seem necessary to always be aware of how much water we put into our bodies, but even a two percent decrease in water mass can begin to have detrimental effects on the human body’s performance capabilities.

It is be especially important in the blistering Arizona sun to keep yourself well-hydrated, as your body needs a continuous source of water to keep its core temperature down.  Heat is shuttled form the core and brain to the capillaries of the arms ands legs which are located closer to the surface of the body, allowing the blood to cool. This helps regulate the amount of heat that that our vital organs must endure during exercise, or even just daily living in over 100-degree weather. The well-know “rule” of drinking eight glasses of water per day actually only accounts for the amount needed to maintain the water content of a normally functioning body. Water is constantly being excreted form the body whether through regular urination, sweat, or even saliva being expelled from the mouth. So, although eight 8-ounce cups of water a day is a perfect baseline, if you are exercising or live in an extreme environment, it is always beneficial (if not necessary) to ingest a few extra cups of water.

Some simple signs of dehydration include thirst, decreased sweat accumulation, slight to severe light-headedness, and it is usually accepted that if you feel the need for a drink you are already slightly dehydrated!  Maintaining ample water intake helps the body run more efficiently just as oil in a cars engine helps the car run more smoothly. Proper hydration can also assist your metabolism immensely, as water is required in order to break down fat and glucose molecules during exercise. While everyone is prone to dehydration, children are especially susceptible when they are exercising. Although their bodies do not produce the same amount of sweat as an adult, they are already working at a higher capacity of their maximal effort. So, a child that is even slightly dehydrated is adding a great deal more stress to their body than an adult at the same level of hydration. Most of the time children do not know the importance of ingesting water, and are not conscious of their need for it even while exercising. The trainers at the H.I.T Center in Mesa can help explain the importance of hydration to children and anyone who is looking to become more knowledgeable in these hot summer months.

Basic guidelines for water intake:

http://www.thebeverageinstitute.com/hydration/hydration_guidelines.shtml

Jacob R