FootNotes
Drinking 8 Glasses of Water may be too much. Or too little.
August 24, 2010
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I like to give my reflexology clients a glass of water when the session is over. No ice…just plain, filtered tap water. Because water plays a vital role in nearly every bodily function and lack of water is the #1 trigger for daytime fatigue. According to Clark Bartram, Bodybuilding.com, a 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, give us trouble with basic math, and make it difficult to focus on the computer screen or a printed page. So how much water is the real question? We often hear about drinking 8, 8-ounce glasses of water per day. But what about if I’m 120 lbs and you’re 210? Do we really need the same amount of water? The answer is NO. Here is the new yardstick for water. Drink half your body weight in ounces every day for minimum water replacement. A 120 lbs person needs 60 ounces of water a day…that’s almost 8, 8-ounce glasses. And a 240 lb person needs 120 ounces a day…that’s 15, 8-ounce glasses. Says Bartram, we must constantly be adding fresh water to our bodies in order to keep them properly hydrated. Water can be a miracle cure for many common ailments such as headaches, fatigue, joint pain, and much more. We can go for weeks without food, but only three days without water! Here are more points from www.bodybuilding.com: • It is difficult for the body to get water from any other source than water itself. Soft drinks and alcohol steal tremendous amounts of water from the body. Other beverages such as coffee and tea are diuretics, which steal precious water from the body. • Water is essential for proper digestion, nutrient absorption and chemical reactions. The carbohydrates and proteins that our bodies use as food are metabolized and transported by water in the bloodstream. No less important is the ability of water to transport waste material out of our bodies. • Water helps remove toxins from the body, in particular from the digestive tract. Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits. • In 37% of people, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger. One glass of water shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study. • Water is essential for proper circulation in the body. The levels of oxygen in the bloodstream are greater when the body is well hydrated. The more oxygen the body has readily available, the more fat it will burn for energy without the presence of oxygen; the body cannot utilize stored fat for energy efficiently. Not only will the body burn fatter when well hydrated, but because there are increased oxygen levels, you will also have more energy. • Water helps remove toxins from the body, in particular from the digestive tract. Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits. |
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Nancie Hines, MA
OR LMT 18833
ARCB
Oregon Reflexology Network
Oregon Reflexology Network
National Certified Reflexologist
(1 of 2 Nationally Certified in Portland)
