Why I Should Hydrate, and Can I Hydrate With Soda?
Keeping your body hydrated is crucial to staying healthy and maintaining the function of every system in your body, including your heart, brain, and muscles. Your body uses fluids to flush out toxins, protect sensitive tissues, and transport nutrients throughout your body. If you have become dehydrated, it’s important to restore your body’s water balance as soon as possible.
Just drinking water, however, is not usually sufficient. The water in your body also contains electrolytes, which are important minerals that allow your body to carry out critical chemical reactions. Re-hydrating after dehydration must restore these electrolytes because they tend to be lost when water is lost. Failure to do so can cause headache, fatigue, muscle cramps and stomach upset.
How to Hydrate Your Body
To start, and this may disappoint some, do not drink alcohol or excessive amounts of caffeine such as beer or soda. Both of these contribute to increased urine production, making it more difficult for your body to retain fluids. In addition, soda is packed full of sugar which contributes to inflammation, weight gain and diseases like diabetes.
For most activities, good old-fashioned water does the trick. If your activity lasts an hour or more, either fruit juice diluted with water or a sports drink will provide carbohydrates for energy plus minerals to replace lost electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium) in your sweat.
Hydrating your body with water.
Sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade can give you a needed energy boost during your activity. They are designed to rapidly replace fluids and to increase the sugar (glucose) circulating in your blood.
Most sports beverages are well-diluted and contain relatively few calories. If the flavor of a sports drink helps you drink up and maintain hydration, by all means enjoy. If you’re worried about the added calories, try diluting your sports drink with water or pouring it into a thermos packed with ice.
Best Foods for Hydration
Besides fluids, water-rich foods are an excellent way to hydrate your body. Here are several foods that can quench your thirst and replace important electrolytes:
- Celery: 96 percent water
- Watermelon: 95 percent water
- Bell Peppers: 92 percent water
- Cucumbers: 95 percent water
- Strawberries: 92 percent water
- Cantaloupe: 90 percent water
You can find 30 more hydrating foods here.
When to Hydrate
Paying special attention to hydration before exercise or during hot weather is key. Here’s a good guideline to use when exercising:
Before an activity: Drink about two cups of fluid two hours beforehand
During an activity: Try to drink 4-6 ounces every 15-20 minutes to keep your muscles well-hydrated. If you are planning an hour-long walk or gym workout, fill a water bottle with about 16 ounces (2 cups) and take it with you.
After an activity: Keep hydrating after you finish exercising. If you want to be precise, weigh yourself before you start exercising and again when you are finished. For each pound of water weight you lose, drink 20 ounces of fluid.
5 Reasons to Keep Your Body Hydrated
Besides the need to replace lost fluids from exercise, there are many other lesser-known reasons to keep your body fully hydrated:
- Improves Skin Complexion – Water is the best anti-aging treatment around! It moisturizes your skin, keeps it fresh, soft, glowing and smooth. Gets rid of wrinkles.
- Increases Energy & Relieves Fatigue – Since your brain is mostly water, drinking it helps you think, focus and concentrate better and be more alert. As an added bonus, your energy levels are also boosted!
- Promotes Weight Loss – Removes by-products of fat, reduces eating since water fills tummy, reduces hunger, raises your metabolism and has zero calories!
- Boosts Immune System – Drinking plenty of water helps fight against flu, cancer and other ailments like heart attacks.
- Maintains Regularity – Aids in digestion as water is essential to digest your food and prevents constipation.
Want to learn more about the importance of hydration? Talk to an OT Fitness trainer today.