Water & Dehydration
| 29 June 2010
During those hot summer days, it is important to remember to hydrate often. Your body is made up of about 45%-75% water, depending on how much fat you have; therefore, water should be part of your daily routine. Lack of water can cause dehydration which can lead to thirst, dry skin, loss of appetite, fatigue/weakness, and much more1. The recommended amount of water needed by CNN Health is a little more than 8 cups2, though for men and women it varies a bit. According to the Institute of Medicine, men need roughly 13 cups and women need about 9 cups3.
In order to achieve the daily recommend water intake amount, try to:
Ø Drink a glass of water before meals, during meals, and in between meals.
Ø Drink a glass of water before exercising, during exercising, and after exercising.
Just drinking water with each meal, if you eat 3 meals on average, would account for 9 cups a day! Make sure you are drinking enough water, especially during those hot summer days!
Conversion between ounces, cups, quarts and gallons:
1 cup = 8 ounces
1 quart = 32 ounces = 4 cups
1 gallon = 4 quarts = 128 ounces = 16 cups
References:
3http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/water/NU00283.html
