Wednesday

MOTHER WATER

The other day, I was squeezing bread loaves to test their freshness. I was in a discount store, so I wanted to be sure the bakery items hadn't been sitting as long as their neighboring AA batteries. As my thumb pressed into a hardened bagel, I overheard the two cashiers arguing. It sounded playful, but the fellow was adamant. He was feisty in his sparring and not about to entertain a second opinion. The female cashier, in her gentler but equally insistent way, restated her belief, but was fumbling with her substantiating evidence. He felt victorious. She knew he was just dehydrated. You see, they were disagreeing about the importance of drinking water.

Sure, we all know that drinking water is vital to our survival. We repeatedly hear and read the mantra about consuming at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily. Most of us try because - well - we're told we should. We don't want to become dehydrated, we tell ourselves. But how many of us - like the woman cashier - could really explain WHY we need so much water? Why specifically is water life-sustaining?

I admit I had to refresh my facts. I was tempted to "drop" into their conversation with my personal training cape on and hold up the dried out bagel as an example. I wanted to defend the whys and wherefores of water consumption. Turns out, I wasn't exactly sure myself!

So, here is what my research revealed, starting with some staggering statistics. The human body is composed of roughly 60-70 percent water. It varies depending upon your age, and your muscle and body fat quotas. Muscle contains about 75 percent water, while fat is a mere 20 percent. Typically, the average man has more muscle and less body fat than the average woman, so he has more water. Similarly, older people have less muscle (unless they train with me), so they have less water. The following are some other amazing percentages of water content within the body:

Blood - 83%
Bones - 20%
Heart - 80-90%
Lungs - 80-90%
Brain - 75%

More shocking to me was how a minimal 2 percent water loss can trigger signs of dehydration - one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue. When that water loss creeps up to 20 percent of your body weight, you're a goner. To quote Walter C.Willett, M.D., author of Eat, Drink and Be Healthy, Harvard Medical School's guide to healthy eating, "You dry, you die."

Water should be synonymous with "mother." It bathes, cushions, lubricates, regulates, communicates, and transports. Need I say more? Its function ranges from sending electrical messages between cells so that your muscles will move, your eyes can see, and your brain can think, to helping flush your body of waste products and toxins. Almost no function within the body occurs without mother's help.

So, why the number EIGHT requirement of 8-ounce glasses of water per day? Well, you don't store water, so you need to replenish the supply lost daily through breathing, perspiring, urinating, and defecating. Typically, that's about 6 - 12.5 cups per day. Hot environments, increased activity, and menopausal night sweats (that's my addition) accelerate moisture evaporation, so increasing your water intake is recommended. Here, more is ALWAYS better.

Can your water intake include beverages other than water? In my research, I found the answer to be yes. Pure water is preferable, but juices, teas - even coffee - can contribute to some of your fluid intake. With each alternative though, you need to consider the sugar and caffeine content. Sugar adds unwanted calories, and caffeine's diuretic properties can increase elimination. So, moderation and balance are key here.

I used to think people who carried a water bottle everywhere they went were trying to make a fashion statement - kind of like tucking a Bichon puppy into your handbag. Now, I know better. Most of them are trying to sustain life. I, too, carry my water bottle everywhere (with my cup of coffee). Before, I knew that drinking water was vital. Now, I have the specifics in my head. And if my memory deceives me, I still know that a stale bagel is a dehydrated one, no matter what the discount.

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