Wellness Tip of the Month
Welcome to the Oasis Spa’’s Wellness Tip of the Month. We would like to offer you information that can help you to live a healthy life. This Month, we are talking about water and how much you should drink.
Most of us grew up hearing that eight to ten glasses a day of water is what we need to keep healthy. Recently, a few studies have been released stating that our need of water is much less than that, what should we believe? Our bodies start out with more than three quarters water, as we age, that number goes down. An adult male’’s body us composed of 60% water, whereas an adult female’’s composition is 55%. Why the difference? The male body is designed to be more muscular, and lean (muscle) tissue is composed of about 75% water. A female should have more body fat, to regulate hormones among other reasons, and fatty tissue holds only 25% water. (Also a big reason that muscle weighs more than fat!)
So, with this new knowledge, how much water do we need to drink every day? Well, with typical urine and sweat output, we need to replace 2.4 liters of water daily. (That is a bit more than the big bottle of soda!) But, keep in mind, if you drink caffeine or alcohol, you will lose more water and need to replace extra. Salty foods generally make you thirsty, right? Well, if your salt intake is high, you won”t lose as much water, however you will feel bloated, and water is the best cure for that.
After a massage, it is important to take in more water. Most therapists will tell you that, but do you know why? Simply put, if you drink more water, you will excrete the waste products that your massage works out of your body. If you don”t drink enough water, you may feel sore or achy.
A healthy diet will provide about 20% of your daily water needs through food. But most of us don”t eat enough fresh fruits and vegetables to provide that amount, so we should drink a little more. As a Personal Fitness Trainer and Massage Therapist, I recommend to all of my clients drinking about half of your body weight in fluid ounces of water. (If you weigh 140 pounds, you should drink 70 ounces of water.) However, that is a lofty goal for some, and if you try to get there all at once, you may spend more time in the bathroom than you would like. Start today by adding a big glass of water to your routine. In a few days add another, and soon you will be right where you should be, feeling great!
Visit our tip page next month, we will discuss the differences between tap and bottled water. If you have any questions or topics that you would like to see explored here, e-mail me at mmilewicz@fox-hills.com.