Drinking enough water

[evertoolate?]

It is really hard for me to drink 8 glasses of water a day, but I keep hearing how important it is to do so. If a person doesn't get enough water, will that actually show on the appearance of their skin or hair or is it more important for the function of their internal organs. I have been asking quite a few questions, things I should have paid much more attention to over the years. It is good to see that there are a lot of younger women on here who are very aware of the importance of keeping fit and active and trying to eat right. Wish I had not taken my younger years and good health for granted! Thanks everyone for all your help.

[stikfigure]

Originally Posted by evertoolate?

It is really hard for me to drink 8 glasses of water a day, but I keep hearing how important it is to do so. If a person doesn't get enough water, will that actually show on the appearance of their skin or hair or is it more important for the function of their internal organs. I have been asking quite a few questions, things I should have paid much more attention to over the years. It is good to see that there are a lot of younger women on here who are very aware of the importance of keeping fit and active and trying to eat right. Wish I had not taken my younger years and good health for granted! Thanks everyone for all your help.

water is needed to help deliver nutrients to the muscle tissues and to help the muscles get rid of waste. Muscles will be tighter and twitchy if they're severely dehydrated.

the added protein that we need for fueling muscle growth during exercise can be quite an additional stress on the kidneys and the water will help decrease that stress a little bit.

so, yes, keep trying to get more water

[5kgLifter]

Water is important because it also keeps the blood cells volumised etc, but the 8 glasses a day is a myth, because it was misquoted from an old source. 2 litres a day, of water, is also present in the foods we consume, consider oranges, cucumber, potatoes which are all high in water content, all of which needs to be taken into account, not just the fluids you are drinking. It is a common misconception because we are led to believe we must drink 2 litres/8 glasses, which is not accurate. Smaller people actually need less water than bigger people; my rule of thumb is to make sure I don't lose any weight after cardio because it will be water weight, so I replace any weight loss immediately after cardio with fluids. I also make sure I keep an eye on the colour/smell of the urine which is a good indicator, clear with almost no noticeable smell means the body is hydrated enough. Extra protein will require extra fluid intake, but you should be able to gauge it by the above 'rules'. If it's hot, I drink, or if I feel thirsty, I drink a bit more than I normally would because thirst indicates that a person is already dehydrated by about 1 -2 %. Basically if you are thirsty you need fluid; if it's hot, make sure you get fluid, actually even if it's cold and you're in a wind/breeze because that wicks sweat away from the body and you can still get dehydrated even though you don't feel like you're sweating etc; if you exercise, replace the fluid that you sweated out; and most importantly of all check the urine to know whether you need more fluid intake during the day.

I also saw a programme which tracked 2 twins who only ever drank around 500ml of water a day. So, for one month they had one twin drink her normal amount and the other one had to consume 2 litres of water in addition to any food they ate. Before the test they measured hydration in body, skin/hair etc, and then again at the end of the month. There was actually no difference in the two at the end of the month, the person who drank more did not have skin/hair that was more hydrated, and the twin who drank her normal 500ml of water was not dehydrated. So the water intake made no difference, but as the specialist said, people consume water in the foods that they eat and probably get plenty there.

Hope that helped.

[flight_of_fancy]

Water therapy is always a must for me. I drink min of 18 glasses a day. I believe water is really really good for us.