Think You Know How to Drink Water?
nutrition: article
Take a look around. Right this very second there's a water bottle within a 10-foot radius of where you're sitting. How did it get there? A drop of physiological need mixed with an ocean of marketing savvy. Water used to fuel the office water cooler; now it's practically become an anytime-anywhere fashion accessory. Fashionistas — not to mention the mailman, the grocery clerk, your yoga instructor, and the school nurse — can all be seen carrying their bottles and Camelbacks of purified, fortified, and natural spring. And whether you're staying hydrated during a marathon shoe-shopping session or drinking from your home water purifier, there is no doubt about it: Water, water — it's everywhere. But as with any mainstream megatrend, you have to stop and ask yourself, "What's really going on here?" When water bottles become must-have equipment on a planet that's 70 percent liquid, some of the reasoning is bound to be bunk.
Myth: You need to drink eight glasses of water every day.
Fact: No one's sure where the so-called 8-by-8 rule came from, says Heinz Valtin, M.D., a Dartmouth College medical professor and author of two studies on the origin of the theory that the human body works best on eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. The truth is, your daily requirement depends on your diet, size, and unique body chemistry. To determine how much water you should drink, weigh yourself each morning for 3 to 4 days in a row — pick a time other than your period to rule out hormone-induced water retention. If you lose a whole pound in a day, it means you came up short on liquids the day before. Drink a pint of water or juice first thing in the morning for every pound you've lost and adjust your daily intake until your weight is steady.
Myth: Drink only when you're thirsty and you'll get all of the fluids you need.
Fact: Sedentary folks might do fine using this mantra, but anyone who occasionally feels the urge to be active need not subscribe. "Exercise blunts your thirst mechanism," says Leslie Bonci, R.D., director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "You lose fluid so rapidly that the brain can't respond in time." In fact, a recent study from Maastricht University in the Netherlands found that women lose more water during exercise than men. An hour before you hit the gym, grab an extra 20 ounces to hydrate before you dehydrate. "It takes 60 minutes for the liquid to travel from your gut to your muscles," Bonci says.
Myth: Tea and coffee dehydrate you.
Fact: Down two venti house blends and you'll visit the ladies room often enough to earn a VIP pass. But despite its speedy exit, the liquid in your favorite morning caffeine boost still counts toward your hydration goal. After all, it's basically water, unless you muck it up with flavored syrups or dairy. "Caffeinated beverages do not dehydrate you when consumed in moderation, that is, five cups or less per day of coffee, tea, or cola," says Lawrence Armstrong, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut and author of Performing in Extreme Environments. In fact, Dr. Armstrong says that any fluids you ingest will help keep your cells saturated, including juice, iced tea, or soda. (Just keep an eye on the calorie count in order to wet your whistle without widening your waistline.)
More from Women's Health:
Last updated: November 18, 2010 Issue date: July/August 2005
posted by Unknown @ 6:11 AM
0 Comments
