Hydration

How much is enough?

We all know that we should be drinking more water in order to remain hydrated, but how much is enough?
The Chek Institute guidlines recommend that for normal hydration, determine your body weight in pounds, divide it by two and drink that many ounces of water each day. (Body weight in kilos x 0.033 = how much to drink in litres). So for example, a 200 pound man would need to drink 100 ounces of water to remain in a normal state of hydration. This would obviously be more if that person was exercising or living in a hot climate.
If you are still unsure as to how much water is enough, or are unsure as to how your training affects consumption, about.com has a simple test here which take less than a minute to complete and will give an exact amount.

The Benefits of good hydration

Water and good hydration has many health benefits including being a natural skin moisturiser and aids proper cellular formation underneath layers of skin. This is what leads to that healthy glow. Water is the delivery system for nutrients around the body and many vitimins and minerals are only soluble in water. Water also transports oxygen to your cells, removes waste, and protects your joints and organs. Good hydration can prevent headaches, increase metabolism and regulate appetite. That dip that many of us have after lunch can often be due to dehydration, so a glass of water with breakfast and that mid-morning snack should become a habit.

How do you know if you are dehydrated?
Signs can include thirst, lethargy, joint and muscle pain, headaches and even constipation, dry skin and nausea, A strong odour and colouration in your urine is also a strong indicator. Note though that some b vitimins can colour the urine.
All about water.org reports the following: -

Bottled water, because it is defined as a “food” under federal regulations, is under the authority of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—under much stricter standards—regulates tap water. Thus, bottled water, depending upon the brand, may actually be less clean and safe than tap water. The EPA mandates that local water treatment plants provide city residents with a detailed account of tap water’s source and the results of any testing, including contaminant level violations. Bottled water companies are under no such directives.

Paul Chek recommends not drinking water from smokey or blue containers as they can leak chemicals (plasticides) into the water. He also recommends storing water in glass containers. if you must drink from plastic containers make sure they are clear and kept out of direct sunlight.

Bottled water is more expensive in the UK than petrol and appears to not be a better alternative to tap water, however there are worries about the chlorine which is added to tap water, as well as other contaminants. Inline water fliters offer the healthiest solution, as they remove more contaminats than other methods and they are more economically viable. Water filters by removing chlorine and other contaminants make the water smell and taste better.