Enjoy Your Cheerios: Thirsty Thursday: Water, Water, Everywhere

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Thirsty Thursday: Water, Water, Everywhere

Today’s post is inspired by the current weather conditions:

Water, water, everywhere. Sigh.

However, this Thirsty Thursday post will not be looking at the water drops that pelted my umbrella and soaked through my shoes on the way to class today. Instead, it will take a dive into the water that should fill up your glass!

With so many beverages available—sodas, juices, energy drinks, milk, coffee—we sometimes forget about one of the simplest drinks of them all: good ol’ water. (Or as you’d say in Boston, “watah.”) As an on-the-go student, it’s even more important that we remember to keep hydrated.

On average, the human body is made up of 60% water. Note that I said water, not Diet Coke or Red Bull or Starbucks Double Mocha Frappucino with Extra Whip. This number changes based on body type because muscle retains more water than fat.

Water really should be marketed as a miracle beverage. It helps the proper functioning of your circulatory, excretory, nervous, and respiratory systems. Check out some of the wonderful things water does for the human body:

maintains healthy skin complexions
flushes out toxins
reduces post-workout cramping
prevents kidney infections
regulates body temperature
aids weight loss
reduces risk of heart disease
improves concentration

We constantly need to replenish this amount of water. Dehydration is a serious yet common health complication, and can be indicated by excessive thirst, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, and lightheadedness.

There is debate over how much water you should drink. The common advice of “8 glasses a day” is not necessarily perfect, since we also get water from food intake. A good guide to follow is to drink a glass first thing in the morning, a glass with each meal, and a glass in between meals (plus more if you exercise!). Every time you want to complement a meal with a sugary soda, try drinking a glass of water first and then see if you still are craving the soda. Drink when you’re thirsty! Drink when you think you might be thirsty! It’s unlikely you’ll overdo it (although if you start hearing swishing noises when you walk, you might want to cut back a bit…).

I’ll admit, I often forget to drink an adequate amount of water during the day. Luckily, there are some tricks to getting enough water, such as adding a little flavor with lemon or orange slices, eating water-rich veggies like tomatoes, and constantly filling up a reusable water bottle. You can even turn your water into an accessory and buy a snazzy-looking bottle, such as these ones:

“I Heart Water” by Perpetual Kid, $17.99