Water Week Recap

We just finished Water Week in my Facebook Group, Fired Up Healthy Living, and I had so much fun I just cannot wait to run another challenge!

We figured out how much water we need to drink in a day and why it is so important for our bodies. I also shared how water can give you energy, different ways to track your water intake and the part everyone loved ... How something as simple as water can help you lose weight!

I wanted to send out a little recap for those of you who either missed the live videos, or would rather read than watch. If you want to get the full benefit, then I really suggest heading over to the FB group and watching the videos.

Day 1 - Why is water important and how much do we need?

We need water to live. All our cells that make up our body soak in it so it's pretty important! and along with our drinks we also get water from our food. Our body regulates our thirst so that we drink more when we need it this means we get thirsty when it gets warmer, the air is dry, we've eaten something salty, we've drunk alcohol or we've been sweating. You will notice that you aren't as thirsty when the weather is cooler or humid.

Most of the time there is a bit of a delay in between losing fluid and feeling thirsty, did you know that even slight dehydration can cause our performance to drop. It can mean that we think, focus and perform worse. We can also mistake thirst for hunger, so next time you think your feeling a little hungry go and have a glass of water, wait about 10 minutes or so and then decide if you were actually hungry or if you were just thirsty.

So how much should we drink to keep hydrated?

Most adults need around 3 L or 12 cups of fluid each day as a baseline and since 1 L or 4 cups comes from our food, this means that we need to get the other 2 L or 8 cups from drinking

Day 2 - Ways to make water exciting

Pretty much try adding different things to your water until you find a combination that you like, also you don't always need to stick to plain water, why not try sparkling instead? Here are some of the things you can add to your water to start off with:

Lemon Juice

Lime Juice

Berries - either sliced or smashed

Cucumber

Frozen orange slices

Mint leaves

Basil leaves

Leftover water from boiling veggies such as carrots

Cold Tea

Water flavor drops

Day 3 - Water and Exercise

This ended up being about both exercise and dehydration,

So what happens without water?

If you don't drink enough water, you dehydrate and most of us know that already but did you know that dehydration can lead to a decrease in physical activity performance and may badly affect your health along with many other things

So what are the signs of dehydration?

When your dehydrated you may experience Thirst, which is usually the first sign for most of us. You may also get Chills, Clammy skin Elevated heart rate Nausea Headache Dizziness Shortness of breath and a dry mouth.

What can dehydration lead to?

Heat exhaustion, Heat stroke, Muscle cramping/fatigue and for really bad cases it can Breakdown of skeletal muscle, we need to remember it is important to drink water before, during, and after exercise.

Exact amounts of water needed will vary from person to person, gender, exercise environment, type of exercise, and intensity of exercise are all factors that will make a big difference but as a baseline we should aim for about 500mls before a workout, 200mls during exercise for every 20 minutes that you do and about another 500mls when we are done exercising, also depending on how much you have sweat during that workout will mean you may need a little more water as well.

Day 4 - Water for Energy

Water itself doesn't actually give you energy directly because it doesn't have any calories and we use calories for energy, but you need to drink water to stay hydrated, which will indirectly give you energy So in a way water boosts your energy.

Dehydration leads to fatigue because it impacts the flow of oxygen to the brain and causes your heart to work harder to pump oxygen to all your bodily organs, making you more tired and less alert. By staying hydrated you stay energized. If you are dehydrated, then drinking water can improve your energy levels. Research shows that as little as 2% dehydration will have an effect on your energy

Here's an experiment you can do to find out if drinking water can boost your energy levels. The next time you feel that 3 O'clock crash coming on, have a glass of water. If that drowsy feeling dissipates, you may be chronically dehydrated, and drinking more water would likely boost your energy levels.

Day 5 & 6 - These two days were merged because I didn't plan out my day very well ... Opps So day 5 & 6 were about ways to track your water and what happens when you drink too much water.

There are sooo many apps and gadgets available to help. If you have a apple or android watch or any other fancy digital watch you should be able to connect an app to it to send you notifications which will remind you to drink or you can simply go to the app store on your phone and search for an app. When choosing an app make sure to look at the comments and the rating it has and all the features to make sure that is the one you want.

Or you can get a drink bottle that has markings on it that shows how much you should have drank by 9am, 10am,12 noon ect Some other bottles you can get like the thermos smart lid bottle, can connect straight to an app so you don't even need to worry about measuring or guessing how much water you have had to drink

some of the signs you have had too much water may be nausea or vomiting, headaches, swollen hands and feet, confusion or restlessness. You may notice that some of these are also the same signs as dehydration and this mix up can lead to drinking more or giving people more water when what they actually need is less.

Athletes are more at risk than the average person because of the intensity of their exercise they may tend to drink too much by mistake and may drink too much plain water instead of an electrolyte mix. So even though water is important there are a few things you need to make sure to remember... Don't over-drink or guzzle down a lot of water all at once. Plain water is usually find for normal people under normal conditions and when exercise is short or not very intense. And when replacing a lot of fluid, consider an electrolyte solution instead of plain water.

Day 7 - Water for Weight-loss

water is a natural appetite suppressant. Research shows that drinking a glass of water before meals curbs appetite, helping you eat less and become more satisfied. Water speeds up metabolism. Research has shown that an increase in drinking water leads to an increase in the rate in which people burn calories as opposed to storing them as fat and Eating fewer calories than you need causes weight loss; mostly fat but some lean body mass too.

It has been shown to increase your resting metabolism by up to 30% in as little as 10 minutes after having a glass or 2 of water, but remember what I spoke about yesterday, so don't go drinking a whole litre in one go hoping it will boost your metabolism even more because that will most likely land you in hospital instead. So if you do want to use this method to help you lose weight try drinking water about 500 mL or 2 cups before your three mean meals of the day, this has been shown to help overweight and obese individuals to lose weight

Want to find out how you can get some extra support & guidance on your journey to healthy living? Here are some ways to connect with me ...

Follow on Instagram @fireduphealthfitness (make sure to share your nametag so I can follow you back)

Facebook - Page https://www.facebook.com/fireduphealthfitness/

Healthy Living Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/fireduphealthyliving

The Fired Up Meal Planner with 6 Life Changing Steps to make the overwhelming task of healthy meal planning simple to fit into busy everyday life

https://mailchi.mp/88106812ced8/meal-planner