Simple Health Secret: Hidden Dehydration

	Your Weekly "Simple Health Secrets" by Asia Moore
For Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Compliments of SolvingTheHealthPuzzle.com

TOPIC: "Hidden Dehydration"

Everyone knows that the body is composed of more than 65% water. But did you know that water is the medium for every chemical reaction in your body, including fat-burning?

Conclusion: drinking water helps to burn fat.

And did you know that when you don't drink enough water, your body will secrete aldosterone (the hormone that causes tissues to hold on to every molecule of liquid.)

Some researchers have suggested that not drinking enough water may also cause your fat deposits to increase.

Sometimes we're so busy with life that we forget to drink water and ignore the many subtle signals that our body is sending out telling us that we're becoming dehydrated.

What are some of the signals?

Here's a few:

Fatigue
Headaches
Lack of concentration
Dizziness
Mistaken hungriness

There is one easy, simple way to make sure you're not verging on dehydration. Get yourself a water bottle and carry it with you all day, everywhere you go, all the time.

With hidden dehydration, out of sight can be truly out of mind. Too little water can lower your energy and weaken your health.

When you carry that bottle around with you, you actually see how much water you're drinking and it's a constant reminder to drink more.

"Even a tiny shortage of water disrupts your biochemistry," says Michael Colgan, Ph.D., nutritional researcher at Rockefeller University.

An easy self-test to determine if you're dehydrated is to breath slowly in through your nose. Is there a sensation of dryness or tightness? If there is, you're probably dehydrated and don't even know it.

Can You Drink Too Much Water?

You decide. Your lungs expel the equivalent of between two and four cups of water a day, another two to four cups are expelled each day through perspiration - not including exercise-induced perspiration - and if you go to the toilet on average six times a day that's another six cups - total 10-14 cups minimum. All this lost water needs to be replaced somehow.

On the whole, experts encourage people to avoid drinks such as tea and coffee because they act as diuretics, leading to an increased need for water. When you drink a cup of coffee, you should also drink a glass of water.

It seems nutritionists agree that two litres a day will help us perform at our best, so keep that glass topped up.

A good rule of thumb for how much water to drink - take your weight and divide it in two. This is the amount of water (in ounces) that you should drink every day for lifelong good health and maximum performance. Or, if you don't want to do the math, just drink about 2-litres (3.5 pints) a day.

Get healthy - kick the soft drink and all day long coffee habit and replace it with water. Help your office detoxify and get healthy by suggesting they get a water cooler installed.

You are what you eat, therefore you are what you drink, too.

I hope you have enjoyed this simple health "secret", compliments of SolvingTheHealthPuzzle.com where you will learn simple "secrets" for a healthier life.

For other recommended reading, please visit our website for the latest health related information!

Thanks for visiting and remember that being healthy is really a simple matter once you know the "Simple Health Secrets".

Sincerely,

Asia Moore,
Publisher