Matthew Fogle
NASM CPT FNS BCS
The body is 60%-70% water. Blood is 90% water. Muscles are 70% water. Bones are 20% water.
Need any more reasons why proper hydration is important for the body? Especially when doing workouts like you experience in “1 Workout 4 Life”? Good, because here is a list of them. This article is moving faster than the Mississippi…
Ways that consuming adequate amounts of water benefits the body:
Helps build bodily tissues
Endocrine gland function improves
Fluid and sodium retention are alleviated
Helps lubricate joints
Brain functions improve
Digestion improves
Natural thirst returns
Metabolic functions improve
Blood volume and circulation is improved/maintained
Nutrients are better distributed throughout the body (due to the higher blood volume)
Liver functions improve, increasing the percentage of fat used for energy
Helps remove waste from cells
Helps bodily excretion
Body temperature regulation improves
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There you go. Feel free to read that list every day for motivation to drink more H20.
Opinions will differ on how much aqua you need to drink per day, but the general consensus is that most people don’t hydrate enough. On top of that, many people also consume drinks that go to promote dehydration in the body (teas, coffee, alcohol, etc.). So drinking water is even more of a concern for those who consume these drinks.
There are several complex calculations on how much water is optimal for you to drink each day, but let’s go simple. Simple is good. Simple works.
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Minimum Hydration: Your bodyweight x 50% in ounces.
Optimal Suggestion: Your bodyweight x 70% in ounces. Meaning that if you weigh 150 pounds, you should aim for 105 ounces of water intake per day. This is the calculation I recommend for you.
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A deeper question may be this: how can you implement proper hydration into your day?
Because what works for someone else may not work for you… but it may. Everyone who eventually succeeds at drinking optimal amounts of water usually has some stories of failure before they found what worked for them. Some people have found success by filling a gallon with water each morning and marking on the outside correlating times of the day where the water should be at on the inside. Some people have found success by setting alarms “drink more water, fool!” on their phones.
Candidly, neither of those potential solutions worked for me.
What has worked for me is somewhat of a silly solution, to be quite honest. I’m a huge University of Kentucky football fan. 🏈 (For some years over the course of my life, that has meant being a masochist, but times are a’ changin’. Citrus Bowl champs 2x!) Anyways, someone at a church that I led worship at gifted me a nice 24 oz. drinking cup with the UK logo embroidered. I love drinking out of it. It’s a silly solution, but it works, and I’ve been getting optimal daily hydration since. And it’s definitely worth the $25 I didn’t pay to have it.
[Check out the 1W4L Lifestyle article on “Prayer for Calming Stress Relief”]
Find out what works for you. If something doesn’t work, keep trying. Buy your favorite team’s cup. Squeeze the handle of a garden hose and open your mouth. Don’t give up. Water is literally the most important fuel for your body.
To your best health,
~ Matthew