Some negative effects of not enough water in a person’s diet include developing of excess body fat, loss of muscle tone, gastrointestinal difficulties, issues with kidney function, increased blood pressure, joint discomfort, and cramping of muscles.

Many researchers believe that despite the well-known effects of dehydration, a great many of us go about our lives not taking in a sufficient amount of water to prevent the ill effects of dehydration.

• Water helps flush out waste products that if left in the human body would certainly poison a person.
   
• Water aids in digestion by helping to dissolve much needed nutrients so they can get carried throughout the body and delivered to locations where the body needs them.
   
• Lack of water in the body means the body has a reduction in its ability to cool itself via perspiration.
   
• Water acts as a lubricant in the body and allows joints to glide freely during motion.
   
• Replacing one’s normal mealtime beverages with water can have a pronounced effect on the waistline by knocking the calories associated with one’s normal mealtime beverages off his or her daily tally of calories consumed.
   
• Though not proven, necessarily, by any scientific study (that we know of), water consumed with a meal can also act as an appetite suppressant by providing ‘filler’ for a person’s stomach, making a person feel full sooner, and causing them to therefore stop eating sooner than if they had drank nothing with their meal.

Unsure if you consume enough water? If you find yourself experiencing low urine quantities, darker or more highly colored urine, pungent smelling urine, or not having to urinate all that often during the day you may suffer from some level of dehydration.

Other dehydration symptoms may include becoming fatigued easily, headaches starting out of the blue and apparently for no reason, faster than normal heart rate, an unusually dry mouth, difficulty concentrating on tasks at hand, trouble remembering things, and/or dizziness spells.

Tips for staying hydrated?

• DRINK WATER.
   
• Rather than keeping a soda or other beverage handy, replace that beverage with a container of water.
   
• Substitute water for your usual at-meal beverage.
   
• Sports drinks serve as an excellent way of replacing electrolytes after a good workout (or weekend of heavy alcohol consumption…) but for everyday hydration needs water may work far better since the body really should not need extra electrolytes on a daily basis and would therefore attempt to flush them out — thus defeating the purpose of drinking a sports drink simply for hydration purposes.
   
• Keep containers of clean drinking water in your fridge instead of sodas or other beverages. If it will take longer to prepare a non-water beverage than simply grabbing a glass of cold, refreshing water… then most of us will opt for the water.
   
• And finally, DRINK WATER.

Moral of the story?

Some say an ounce of prevention goes a long way… so just IMAGINE how far 64 ounces of water a day can take you!

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Austin Springs™ Glass Water Bottles

]]> http://watertestingblog.com/2013/10/31/are-you-drinking-enough-water/feed/ 0 http://watertestingblog.com/2013/07/15/benefits-of-drinking-water/ http://watertestingblog.com/2013/07/15/benefits-of-drinking-water/#respond Mon, 15 Jul 2013 13:03:55 +0000 http://watertestingblog.com/?p=7235 Every once in a while we like to remind people that water does a lot more for us than help us wash our food down…

1. Studies have shown that people who drink ample amounts of clean water using a filtered reusable water bottle, on a regular basis have a higher metabolism and therefore have the ability to burn off calories and fat at a better rate than those who drink less water.
    
2. Studies have shown that people who drink water on a regular basis tend to have fewer heart attacks than people who do not drink water.
    
3. Researchers have seen correlations between water consumption and a person’s risk of certain types of cancer. Needless to say the evidence points in favor drinking more water.
    
4. Scientists have drawn positive links between the consumption of water and the reduction of headache symptoms and headache frequency.
    
5. The brain needs water to work. Actually it needs oxygen to function properly and since water has two oxygen molecules in it its molecular structure, well, you do the math. Studies have shown that a well hydrated brain functions better than a brain containing an average amount of water and also that a dehydrated brain functions worse than a properly hydrated brain.
    
6. Since the slightest amount of dehydration can result in diminished brain function, keeping well hydrated after lunch can help alleviate what experts call the ‘afternoon slump’.
    
7. Sodas, energy drinks and fancy coffee drinks all cost money… but water from the office water cooler or tap costs nothing. Therefore we estimate that if you skip just ONE beverage that costs $2 each day of the work week you could save nearly $500 in a year.

   Keep that math in mind the next time you find yourself in line for a Double Mocha Latte Whatever Whatever… that costs $6 and contains enough calories and other junk to kill a small farm animal.

You can find more detailed information on the benefits of drinking a healthy amount of water here.

Moral of the story?

All throughout my childhood I heard the phrase “Milk. It does a body good!” repeated over and over again on the radio and on television. Therefore I drank a lot of milk and grew up relatively healthy.

I’ve since added water to my daily diet and can personally attest to its benefits — primarily because I have taken the time to make sure the water I drink contains no unwanted and potentially dangerous contaminants.

Practicing what I preach by testing my water on a regular basis helps to keep not only me as healthy as possible, but it also means my family stays as healthy as possible, too.

We had an ‘issue’ with dehydration one hot Summer afternoon in 2011 while digging out the area for what would eventually become a recessed fire pit. Despite drinking a lot of water before and during the afternoon’s outdoor activity the Summer heat in South Carolina coupled with the tremendous amount of sweating resulted in the onset of heat exhaustion and dehydration.

What did it feel like? In a word, HORRIBLE. Lightheaded, dizzy, exhausted, shaky, weak, headache, nausea, and a few other symptoms. It took three days of steadily drinking liquids (electrolyte-rich sports drinks and plenty of water) in small amounts before all the ill effects of dehydration went away.

How much water does a person really need?

As a basic rule of thumb most average-sized people leading average lives (i.e. not being stupid and digging a pit in the middle of Summer in Sough Carolina!) require an estimated 64 ounces of water a day. That may sound like a lot of fluids to drink in a single day, but in actuality some of that amount we take in through the foods we consume and in other beverages like coffee, tea, milk, juices, etc.

Obviously smaller framed folks could require a bit less water on a daily basis and larger framed folks could require a bit more water on a daily basis. Additionally, other factors such as temperature, personal health conditions, and activity level change a person’s daily water requirement.

What does water do for the body?

According to the Mayo Clinic web site, the human body contains approximately 60 percent (by weight) water… so it definitely behooves us to keep our water content correct!

Water…

• Regulates body temperature
   
• Moistens key areas of the body such as the nose, ears, mouth and throat
   
• Lubricates joints to make movement easier
   
• Aids in keeping bodily organs and tissue functioning properly
   
• Helps keep the kidney functioning correctly by flushing out toxins
   
• Dissolves mineral and nutrients to make them usable by the body
   
• Helps in the transport of oxygen and nutrients to all areas of the body

With all of the useful benefits that water offers us it makes total sense that the human body WILL SHUT DOWN if it does not stay properly hydrated.

Does chugging water or sports drinks help?

Unfortunately, NO. The human body processes (passes through and excretes) liquids at a faster rate than it can absorb them for actual use so continuously sipping liquids tends to work much more better and efficiently than taking huge gulps every once in a while.

The ‘frequent sipping’ method should also help to keep you from having to use the bathroom as often, too! 😉

Ways to keep water handy

Obviously the answer of ‘bottled water’ springs to mind… but what if you, like more and more people each day, dislike the idea of having to throw away (or better yet recycle! Please!) plastic bottles all the time, then products such as the Austin Springs 18-ounce Drinking Water Bottle may work quite well for you.

Simply fill a batch of the bottles (they come in a pack of six) with fresh, clean drinking water and refill as needed. Better for the environment and definitely better on your wallet/purse in the long run!