Water and Dehydration

Water & Dehydration

During those hot summer days, it is important to remember to hydrate often.Your body is made up of about 45%-75% water, depending on how much fat you have; therefore, water should be part of your daily routine.Lack of water can cause dehydration which can lead to thirst, dry skin, loss of appetite, fatigue/weakness, and much more1. The recommended amount of water needed by CNN Health is a little more than 8 cups2, though for men and women it varies a bit. According to the Institute of Medicine, men need roughly 13 cups and women need about 9 cups3.

In order to achieve the daily recommend water intake amount, try to:

Ø Drink a glass of water before meals, during meals, and in between meals.

Ø Drink a glass of water before exercising, during exercising, and after exercising.

Just drinking water with each meal, if you eat 3 meals on average, would account for 9 cups a day!Make sure you are drinking enough water, especially during those hot summer days!

Conversion between ounces, cups, quarts and gallons:

1 cup = 8 ounces

1 quart = 32 ounces = 4 cups

1 gallon = 4 quarts = 128 ounces = 16 cups

References:

1http://www.symptomsofdehydration.com/

2http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/water/NU00283.html

3http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/water/NU00283.html