In our neck of the woods, school will be out tomorrow, May 27. What about your area? I can still remember my feelings on the last day of school when I was a kid. It seemed as though an endless summer of fun and freedom stretched in front of me. It was a great feeling as many of our kids know.
With more outdoor time, though, it's easy for kids and adults to get dehydrated. Children will keep playing and ignore the symptoms if parents don't keep a watchful eye, so educate your kids on this important subject. Here are six clues that water is needed now, now, now.
Six Signs Of Body Dehydration
During the summer time, most people really do enjoy the sun as they swim, camp, hike or participate in other outdoor activities. The problem during the summer time is that the temperature may soar into the high 90s which is not good for our body. Too much heat may cause dehydration of the body if we're not careful.
As we all know, the body consists mostly of water. In fact, our body is at least 70% water (more, when we're younger) which is essential to keep our body functioning at its best. For that reason, if the water content of our body drops drastically, it may pose a serious danger to our health so it is very important for us to keep our body hydrated.
Here are six signs that you need more water:
* Thirst is the most obvious sign of dehydration but we often mistake thirst for hunger. In addition, if your mouth or tongue is dry that's a signal of dehydration.
* Urine that is dark yellow: when the body is being dehydrated, our kidneys try to conserve water, thus our urine becomes dark yellow color. There can be other reasons for this color. For instance, you might be taking a vitamin supplement that is a yellow-brown but if there is no obvious reason for this darkness, drink a lot of water for the next few days and observe what happens.
* Constipation: when your bowel movements become too hard and dry, dehydration is the leading possibility. This is because the large intestine also knows how to conserve water so it limits the amount of water it uses to make the feces soft and easy to move.
* Less elastic skin: the elasticity of the skin may not be the best indication of dehydration, but many doctors still pinch the skin and observe how quickly it regains its original form. If the skin snaps back in place immediately after pinching, then it is normal. However, if it takes time before the skin manages to return to normal condition, then it is often a sign of dehydration.
* Dizziness: dizziness – even fainting – are common indicators of dehydration. It typically happens when you stand up quickly from a sitting, sleeping or lying position and you feel that your body is floating.
* Tears that are dried: we all know that a tear is made up of water, but when we have dried tears, then it is a sign of dehydration because if the body has an insufficient amount of water then the production of water in the eyes also stops.
How Much Water Is Enough?
How much water do we need? Of course, every body is different but a good rule of thumb is one ounce of water for every two pounds. So a 150 pound adult needs 75 ounces or 9 1/3 eight ounce glasses per day.
Coca Cola Is Not Hydrating!
It's important to point out that soft drinks and coffee do not replace water. Instead, they are dehydrating, rather than hydrating. In fact, some nutritionists insist that we need two cups of water to replace one cup of these beverages. That's in addition to our ideal amount of water mentioned above.
Other Articles of Interest For The Good Old Summertime
3 Easy Healthy Smoothie Recipes
https://www.blissplan.com/recipes/smoothies/healthy-smoothie-recipes/
Miniature Roses Or The Joy Of A Miniature Rose Garden
https://www.blissplan.com/mixed-bag/gardening-mixed-bag/miniature-roses-miniature-rose-garden/
Red Bull Drink: Do Energy Drink Ingredients Cause Heart Problems?
https://www.blissplan.com/wellness/red-bull-drink-energy-drink/
Until next time,
Sydney, your empowerment coach
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