HEALTHY LIVING: THE HYDRATION EQUATION Writer / Meredith Iacocca
It’s a warm summer afternoon and you’re outside on the patio enjoying a good book. The sun is glaring down on you and thirst begins to set in. The thought of a refreshing drink makes your mouth tingle. What’s the first drink you’ll reach for? A sugary, sweetened iced tea? A good old PBR? A fizzy soda? What about just a glass of water? So simple and so, well, plain! However, you’re better off sticking to some water compared to the latter options. Odds are, you’re probably under consuming it, too. Water is an essential part of our overall well-being, and a vital aspect to maintaining a functioning body. It makes up 55-60% of our total body mass. It is an important part of nearly everything in our body — flushing out toxins, delivering oxygen to our
cells, transporting nutrients, maintaining a homeostatic blood pressure, regulating body temperature and contributing to our body’s natural healing properties. There are two facts to consider which set the foundation for why consuming water is so important: 1. The body can only produce about 8% of its daily water needs. 2. Water distribution is regulated but cannot be stored within the body for a long period of time. This means our body is almost entirely dependent on us to obtain its daily hydration needs. Talk about responsibility. How much water should you be consuming? The easiest way to calculate an approximation of water consumption is to take your weight in pounds and divide 6 / AVON MAGAZINE / AUGUST 2020 / AvonMagazine.com
by 2. That is the number of ounces at minimum you should be consuming. For example, a 150-pound person should be consuming at least 75 ounces of water. However, there are many factors that effect this equation. Activity levels, age, sweating and overall health. The more water you are releasing from the body, the more you will need to replace, like during a workout. In addition, older people are proven to have decreased thirst signals and can face issues maintaining appropriate water homeostasis with the onset of certain diseases such as dementia, medication side effects or decreased mobility. I would say the most common factor for this water consumption is the addition of diuretics. A diuretic causes urinary excretion as opposed to absorption within the body. This means the body doesn’t use what it’s consuming to filter back through itself for necessary functions. Common diuretics include soda, alcohol, processed
