Posts Tagged ‘hydration’

Good Hydration Is a Key to Good Health

Chiropractors, like your Santa Barbara Chiropractor, are real “fanatics” when it comes to making our patients aware of the importance of drinking enough water daily. The mantra is “Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!” Water, second only to air, is fundamental for human survival. Survival instincts, then, would presumably guarantee that we would drink enough water as instinctively as we breathe in air. (Most individuals are not breathing enough either, but let’s talk about why staying well-hydrated is so important.) You you cannot maintain or regain good health without drinking a sufficient quantity of water. Drinking plenty of water helps every cell, tissue, and organ in your body and maintains the proper function of every system. Your saliva, and the fluids surrounding your joints, are fundamentally water. Water regulates the temperature and metabolism of the body, and keeps the blood circulating. The improvement of nutrient absorption and toxin removal, as well as the reduction of heartburn, hypertension, exhaustion, and headaches have been attributed to consistent hydration.

Athletes are distinctly at risk when it comes to problems produced by dehydration. “Physiologically, their core body temperature could be higher than it should have been if they were hydrated. Their heart rate will be higher, and they’re going to perceive that they’re working harder than they actually are,” said Susan Yeargin, assistant professor of athletic training in Indiana State’s College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services. A high percentage of collegiate and professional athletes begin the season dehydrated, putting their health at risk even before they begin strenuous workouts, according to researchers at Indiana State University. In fact, Pre-season physical examinations, in fact, found that 80 percent of football players exhibited dehydration.

Wondering how much water is enough water? Chiropractors, like the majority of other health care professionals, advise at least eight, 8-ounce glasses of water per day for quite a few of our patients, though for our patients who are athletes, or for those who carry around excess weight or exercise or work in a hot environment, we propose even more. How can you tell if you, personally, are drinking an adequate amount of water? Your urine color is a good gauge. You’re well-hydrated if it comes out a light, pale yellow!

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