Do you pay attention to body hydration? Proper body hydration is essential. Being properly hydrated helps deliver oxygen throughout the body, keeps your skin looking healthy, prevents premature wrinkling, and helps your body flush out waste. Just by drinking enough water, you do your body a world of good.
While you’re probably aware of all these benefits of drinking enough water, however, surprisingly not everyone can drink the recommended amount of water per day. Despite how simple the old adage of “8 glasses of water a day” sounds, a lot of people have a hard time consuming the recommended amount. So how do you boost your body’s hydration levels?
The Amount of Water You Should Drink Per Day
There are several factors that determine the amount of water that you should drink per day, things such as your age, activity level, diet, climate, and what medications you’re taking.
When it comes to age, older adults tend to need less water. For activity levels, if you frequently do challenging, sweat-inducing workouts, then your body will need more water. A high-protein diet also requires more water, as well as diets that are high in sodium and fibre.
Another thing to consider is the climate in the area you live in. Hotter and drier climates will make you feel thirstier, so therefore, you’ll need more water.
Most health experts recommend drinking at least two litres of water per day, which is about eight glasses of water every day. However, this is not only limited to water — it can also include other beverages and water-dense food.
How to Know If You’re Drinking Enough Water
There are several ways to tell if you’re drinking enough water. Here are some indicators to know if you are properly-hydrated:
Urine Colour
The colour of your urine says a lot about your water consumption. If you have urine the colour of dark amber, this means you’re dehydrated. You’ll know you’re properly hydrated if your urine is light yellow or clear.
Urine Frequency
How often you pee every day also says a lot about your body’s hydration levels. Urinating every 90 minutes to two hours is normal, and this is an indicator that you have enough water coursing through your body. However, if you urinate every six hours or longer, that just means you’re not hydrated enough. On the flip side, if you urinate every 30 minutes and have clear, water-like urine, then this could mean that you’re getting too much water. Too much water isn’t bad per se, but it doesn’t have any benefit on your health or your body.
Skin Elasticity
Pinch the skin on the back of your hand for a few seconds, if it snaps back into place quickly, then you’re hydrated enough. However, if it takes some time for the skin to get back to its normal position, then you may be dehydrated.
Conclusion
It’s vital that you consume at least eight glasses of water per day. With the many health benefits that proper hydration provides, it is only right that you be more responsible when it comes to your daily water consumption.
To make it more enjoyable for you, you can infuse it with fruits or get seltzer water instead. You may also want to eat more food with high-water content, such as fruits and vegetables.
You can also boost your body hydration by getting clean water from Ecobud! Get in touch with us to see how we can help.