Water Intake For Overall Health

If you’re tuned in at all to health and fitness, then you know the cardinal rule is to drink water. We hear it everywhere, drink water after a tough workout, drink it steadily throughout the day, drink it after being outside in the heat and the cold, and the list goes on. I think it’s safe to say that water is one of the most important nutrients for us, especially since humans are made up of about 60% water. With that being said, we are constantly needing to replace and replenish our water supply, especially since we lose it in so many ways from sweating, breathing, urination, diet, environment, and several other factors. Water intake for overall health is important to more than just your kidneys, it’s vital to survival, and even your mental health.

While it has often been suggested that we drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day, these needs actually vary by individual, and it can be difficult to know the exact amount of water for each person, as this is not a one-size-fits-all issue. Unfortunately, the signs of dehydration are not always so clear-cut, so you could be dehydrated and not even realize it. To help with water intake for overall health, you’ll have to not only drink water, but drink other fluids, and eat other foods that contain water. Now, for some people, they don’t need to drink as much water, because they eat foods that have higher water contents or don’t lose water as quickly as others.

There are several factors that help affect water intake for overall health. Your exercise levels are one. If you are working out or doing any activity that makes you sweat, you need to drink extra water to cover the fluid loss. Same thing with being in hot or humid weather, you will need to drink more water, because you are most likely sweating more. If you are sick, with a fever or vomiting, you need to drink more water because your body may be sweating or you may be losing it in another way. If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, you also need to be drinking more water because you are helping to hydrate two people, yourself and your child. There are other factors that can affect your overall health, but the fact remains you need to focus on drinking your water.

Your water intake for overall health isn’t limited just to your physical health. Mental health can also be affected by dehydration, and you may find yourself more groggy, as well as potentially more anxious or having feelings of depression merely because you didn’t drink enough water. With all the benefits, there’s no reason for you not to be drinking enough water and improving your overall health.