Many people are aware that a healthy diet is important for maintaining good health. Less attention is paid to healthy drinking. Most adults drink too little. Only a feeling of thirst leads to fluid intake. At this point, the body has already lost 5% of its weight and urgently needs water to maintain its metabolism. A fluid deficit impairs performance. The first consequences are headaches, a feeling of thirst and dry mouth.
The right amount to drink
Fluid is also absorbed with food. However, this intake of fluid is not nearly enough to cover the body’s needs. You should also drink two liters of water per day. This figure applies to women, but is slightly higher for men.
Fluid regulates many processes in the body. Two thirds of the human body consists of water, which not only serves as a means of transportation for urine, sweat or blood, but is also essential for keeping cells healthy.
Regular fluid intake
provides the body with more fluid than less frequent fluid intake of the same amount. In order to control its metabolic processes optimally, the body requires a regular supply of fluids. In order not to forget the required water intake, it makes sense to place drinks in visible proximity. If you get into the habit of drinking fluids regularly, you will train your body and over time you will integrate the drinking process into your daily routine as a matter of course.
Sport and water intake
Sporting activities increase the need for fluid intake. During intensive sport, the body loses around 1 ½ liters of fluid per hour through sweating alone. The extent of the loss during exercise depends on the intensity of the training, environmental factors such as temperature and your own constitution. The more intensive the training, the more likely it is that short breaks should be taken during which fluids are absorbed.
Fluid requirements during hot spells
During heat waves in summer, a lack of fluids can have extreme effects such as heat cramps or even heat stroke. It is not thirst that should determine how much you drink, but the knowledge that you need to drink regularly. Mineral water with or without carbon dioxide must be consumed abundantly and regularly. As hydration is not about providing the body with energy, but solely with water, the ideal drink is water, whether carbonated or not. Fruit juices are less suitable due to their sugar content. They place further strain on the body, which is already struggling with the effects of the heat.
However, it is also possible to drink too much. If you drink four, five or more liters of fluid a day to compensate for the supposed loss of fluids due to the heat, you are flushing important minerals out of your body that are urgently needed. A balance between the feeling of thirst and the maximum amount should be observed.
