You probably don’t feel much like drinking cold water when the weather is below zero, but it’s just as important as when it was 90 degrees and toasty. That makes it harder to stay hydrated during winter, since you feel less like drinking water. We focus on hydration all times of the year at Upfit Academy in New York, NY, because it’s so important for your body.
You may not notice you’re losing fluid.
During the winter, sweat evaporates easier, since the air is often dryer and not nearly as humid. That causes it to evaporate quicker. You also lose fluid when you breathe. That cloud of water vapor when you can see your breath outside is also water vapor and the drier the air—which happens in cold weather—the more you lose. Your body reacts to cold weather by restricting blood flow and constricting surface vessels to save heat. That makes the body feel like you’re adequately hydrated, but your not. Even the choice of drinks is different and often highly caffeinated, such as coffee, which means they’re natural diuretics, causing you to lose more fluid.
Water is only second to air in the list of importance.
You can live three minutes without air, three days without water and three weeks without food. You need water for your joints to lubricate. Every organ in your body requires water. The body contains approximately 55-65 % water. The heart and brain contain 73 % water, the lungs have 83% and muscles and kidneys contain 79%. Dehydration affects how well they work. Seniors have a harder time staying hydrated and signs of dehydration can often be the same as dementia and senility. Water helps rid the body of toxins and acts as a shock absorber for the brain.
You can create a goal to drink more water.
Just like your fitness goal, setting a goal to drink more water and tracking it can help. In fact, there are apps to remind you to take a drink of water, if you have a problem remembering. Carry a bottle of water with you at all times and sip on it throughout the day. If nothing else, it will remind you to take a sip when you have a minute. If you have a problem with plain water, hot green tea, cinnamon tea, ginger tea and other herbal teas can help. While green tea does contain caffeine, which is a diuretic, it doesn’t have as much as coffee. Cut out alcohol consumption, it dehydrates you.
- If you’re feeling a little tired and find it difficult to focus, try a bottle or glass of water before grabbing a cup of coffee. You’ll find it is often just what you need to get energized and far better than coffee.
- Certain foods can add to your hydration. Fruit like oranges, cantaloupe, strawberries and celery are good. Soup made with broth, rather than cream soups, are also hydrating, plus they’re warm, often lower in calories, filling and delicious.
- There’s no adequate way to determine exactly how much water you need. One estimate for a sedentary person is to cut the number of pounds you weigh in half and drink that many ounces of water. If you weigh 140 pounds, 70 ounces of water is your baseline. Add more if you are active.
- When you’re exercising, it’s even more important to drink extra water. Sip the water, don’t guzzle it. It’s suggested that during a tough workout you lose a cup of water every fifteen minutes. Replenish it with one and a half times that during and after your workout.
For more information, contact us today at UpFit Training Academy
