Water, Water Everywhere ~ Why Does Hydration Matter?

A 2 min Read

Lets Talk About Water & What it Does

Water accounts for approx. 60% of your body weight. It exists nearly everywhere in your body, from your bones to your kidneys, from your muscles to even your lungs!
The water we drink is absorbed by the intestines, and circulated throughout the body in the form of body fluids such as blood. These perform various functions that keep us alive. They deliver oxygen and nutrients to the cells and helps remove waste materials, which are then eliminated with urination. When your body temperature rises, blood circulation to the skin increases, enabling heat dissipation through sweating, helping to keep your body at a constant temperature. 

My PLT coach asks me to so much water - why?

Thirst (first lol) and foremost, health, at PLT we focus on health being primary. In addition to the transportation of nutrients & minerals, removal of wastes, mentioned previously water will help you:

• Burn fat/raise metabolism

• Reduce constipation 
• Increase physical performance
• Increase energy and brain function 

OK, so it's good for my health, how with weight-loss?

How water benefits weight-loss is a little less obvious. When we increase our water consumption it aids with:

• Feeling fuller - consuming less calories!

• Reduces consumption in other calorie drinks, i.e. juice, soda, etc
• Increase energy / increased metabolism - utilizing more calories!

So, how much should I consume?

Generally, at PLT like to encourage each client to drink around 0.75 oz per pound of body weight. So someone who weighs 150 lb should consume
150 x 0.75= 114 oz. For metric client's this would be approx. 3.25 liters 
***We also have to consider each person's location and profession/sport/exercise. Someone living in a hot climate and/or working outside and/or being very active would need extra hydration.

What if I don't drink enough and become dehydrated?
When we sweat and don't replace our lost fluids we can become dehydrated; dehydration is when the level of water in your body reduces increasing the sodium concentration in your blood. The side effects of dehydration can be:

• Increased thirst / dry mouth
• Reduced urination
• Headache 
• Dizziness
• Increased heart rate from decreased blood volume/pressure

Always the simple advice is to drink to your thirst, thirst is triggered by the increased sodium concentration mentioned above and is your body's way of telling you to consume water. We want to avoid this situation at PLT which is why we set our clients daily water targets

Tks for taking the time to read this and drink your water pls!
Paul Leonard