H20

Q: How important is drinking water to my healing process?

A: Drinking water is vital to every process in your body - including healing. Your body is estimated to be 60 to 70 percent water. Blood is mostly water, and your muscles, lungs, and brain all contain a lot of water.  Because such a large percentage of your body is composed of water, it is critical for regulating body temperature and providing the means for nutrients to travel to all your muscular system.  A well hydrated muscle or organ system is a healthy system.  Water also transports oxygen to your cells, removes waste products produced from injuries, and protects your joints and organs.

Q: How much water do I need to drink?

A: A good method of estimating the right amount of water to drink in a day is to take your body weight in pounds and divide that number in half.  That gives you the number of ounces of water per day that you need to drink.  For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink at least 80 ounces of water per day.  If you exercise you should drink another eight ounce glass of water for every 20 minutes you are active.  If you drink alcohol, you should drink at least an equal amount of water.  When you are traveling on an airplane, drink eight ounces of water for every hour you are on board the plane.  During the hot summer months you should add another two servings per day.  As you can see, your daily need for water can add up to quite a lot. Twenty percent of your daily water requirements should come from food.  The rest should come from the beverages you drink. Water is the best choice.  Soda contains large quantities of sugar, so if you drink soda, you may take in more calories than your body needs. Juices are good because they have vitamins and nutrients. Caffeinated beverages will also add to your daily water need.  Even though caffeine is a diuretic, if you regularly consume caffeine, your body will regulate itself to that diuretic effect.

Q: How do I know if I’m dehydrated?

A: Symptoms of mild dehydration include joint and muscle pain, lower back pain, headaches and constipation. A strong odor to your urine, along with a yellow or amber color indicates that you may not be getting enough water.  Thirst is an obvious sign of dehydration and in fact, you need water long before you feel thirsty.