As the weather is heating up, it's important to be sure you are drinking plenty of water. In the warmer summer months, you may even need to drink more than what you are used to the rest of the year. We all know that drinking plenty of water is important- when you get a massage at A Therapeutic Effect, your massage therapist will always offer you a cup of water after your massage and encourage you to drink plenty. But why is it so important, and how much should you be drinking?
According to the Mayo Clinic, Your body is made up of about 60% water, and every system in your body depends on water for it to function properly. Water flushes toxins out of your body- when you get a massage, your muscles are loosened and toxins are released, so that is why it is especially important to drink plenty of water after your massage. Not drinking enough water can also result in dehydration. When you're dehydrated, you might feel sick, tired and fatigued and your body may not be able to carry out normal functions.
So how much water should you be drinking? Like most things, there is not a "one size fits all" answer to this question. You've heard to drink 8 cups of water a day, but that is not enough for many people. The Mayo Clinic has a recommendation for the "average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate." They recommend that the average woman drinks 9 cups of water a day and the average man drinks 13 cups of water a day. There are lots of things to consider with this, however. We're not all the same size. If you are taller or heavier than the "average" man or woman, you will probably need to drink more. Also, if you are in a hot climate, you exercise, you are sick or have certain heath conditions, or are pregnant or breast feeding, you will need more water than the "average" adult.. Generally speaking, if you drink enough so you do not feel thirsty throughout the day and your urine is clear or light yellow, you are probably staying properly hydrated.
Another good thing to think about is to take your weight and divide it by 2. That's how many ounces of water you should drink each day. Divide the ounce by 8, and that's how many cups of water you should drink each day.
We found another fun hydration calculator that CamelBak put together that factors in other considerations such as age and exercise. You can find this calculator here.
Again, neither of these calculations are "one size fits all" and you need to consider individual factors when figuring out how much water you should be consuming.
As the temperature continues to rise and you are out in the sun having summer fun, make sure you are drinking plenty of water to keep your body functioning properly and to keep yourself healthy and active!
