Water Is Important!

HELLOOOOO!! HAPPY Monday :D
How are you doing?! How was your weekend?! The weather has been AWESOME and I LUV to play outside with my family, so the weekend just wasn't long enough to get in a lot of fun...lol! I wish there's more hours in a day :D However, I LUV Mondays too...lol! It's a great time to adjust or set new goal(s) for the week...so are you ready to break a sweat AND make healthy choices?! BRING IT ON baby!! My favorite saying this week is: If it doesn't CHALLENGE you, it doesn't CHANGE you! Lets make this a FITastic week!! 

I've posted on the importance of WATER in the past. Are you getting enough? As the warmer sunshine approaches, focusing on staying hydrated can be the key to your fitness success! The following is some good information about why water is important and how much you should drink ;)

Water is crucial to our health and plays many important roles within our body. Water acts as the solvent in chemical reactions that occur inside the body, helps maintain heart and blood volume, allows the absorption of many vitamins and minerals, helps remove bodily waste, is critical to metabolism, and helps regulate our body temperature. Without sufficient hydration, all of these functions can be negatively impacted.
The body has a complex water regulation system to maintain the balance and the volumes and concentrations of the fluids within our bodies. The system helps maintain an average total body water of about 60%. That means a 154-pound person is made up of a little more than  11 gallons of water. All of our body tissues contain water. Fat-free mass is made up of 70-80% water and fat tissue is about 10% water. Because our muscles contain so much water, hydration becomes a key component of athletic performance and proper muscle functioning. Proper hydration is critical to tissue repair and rebuilding. A dehydrated athlete can't perform, train, or recover optimally.

How much water should we drink each day? It's a simple question with different opinions on how much water we should be drinking. Studies have produced varying recommendations over the years, but in truth, your water needs depend on many factors, including your health, how active you are, and where you live. Although no single formula fits everyone, knowing more about your body's need for fluids will help you estimate how much water to drink each day.
How much fluid does the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate need? The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake for men is roughly about 13 cups (3 liters) of total beverages a day. The adequate intake for women is about 9 cups (2.2 liters) of total beverages a day.
You may be surprised at how much water is actually needed to maintain optimal hydration levels for hard-training athletes. The recommendations are 16 cups a day or 1 gallon a day for men, and 12 cups a day for women. According to these hydration guidelines, moderately active adults in warmer climates may require a minimum of 1.5 gallons of water a day. Therefore, a hard-training bodybuilder or endurance athlete will likely need even more than the 1.5 gallons a day recommendation.

Caffeinated beverages, such as coffee, tea, or energy drinks, DON'T count toward your hydration goals. Caffeine has a diuretic (fluid-draining) effect on the body ;)
Summer's just around the corner! WOOO WHOOO!! As we continue to crush it during a workout, prepping our beach body for the warmer sunshine...keep your body running on all cylinders! Stay HYDRATED!!

If you have ANY comments about this post...don't be shy...lol :D
Have a HEALTHY couple of days!
SEE YOU right back here on Wednesday!!