Hydration?! I know you have all heard over and over again, drink 8 - 8-ounce (64 oz) glasses of water a day. Is this an old wife’s tale or the truth? Well (no pun intended), it may be true and it may not be true depending on your activity level and your body size. We need approximately 8- 10 cups of water just to replace what’s naturally lost to perspiration, exhalation and urination. A good estimate of how much water your body needs is to take your weight in pounds and divide that number in half. For example if you weigh 160 pounds, you should consume 80 ounces of water daily. Now, if you exercise, you should add another 8 ounces for every 20 minutes of intense exercise you do. Feel like you are drowning yet? Let’s take a look at a few foods that can help you meet your daily fluid intake without having it feel like such a tasteless chore. Watermelon, cucumbers and chard top the list of water packed food being approximately 97% water. A close second are tomatoes and zucchini coming in around 95% water. Peaches, apples and most berries are around 87% water. And probably the biggest surprise to most of us, is one cup of kidney beans is 77% water—that’s more than a 3/4 cup of liquid. Choosing foods high in water content not only helps you stay hydrated but also supplies your body with needed vitamins and minerals as it helps you feel full while consuming fewer calories. Purchasing your fruits and vegetables as close as you can to home and consuming them as soon as you can from the date they were picked helps maintain the most amounts of water and nutrients possible. Enjoy! Dawn Zombeck, LMT ACE Certified Personal Fitness Trainer BodyFitTherapies 603.252.2639
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 11:01:12 +0000
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