With summer around the corner and the sun making its appearance again, the hot days coming up can put you at more risk for dehydration. However, regardless of the season, it is crucial to stay hydrated to make sure your body functions normally! Some important benefits of staying hydrated include maintaining homeostasis, promoting cardiovascular health, and filtering waste out of your body.

When you’re well-hydrated, your heart can pump blood more easily throughout the vessels to the muscles of your body and “if you’re well hydrated, your heart doesn’t have to work as hard,” says John Batson, M.D.  Being dehydrated puts a strain on your heart because the amount of blood circulating through your body (also known as your blood volume) significantly decreases when you are dehydrated. To compensate for the lack of water in your body, your heart starts to beat faster, ultimately increasing your heart rate and causing palpitations. In addition, your blood starts to retain more sodium, making it tougher for blood to circulate through your body. All of these factors increase your risk for developing serious cardiovascular issues.

How much water do you need?

Everyone is different and has different bodily requirements; however, we generally recommend our clients here at Enara to at least 2 liters of water a day, which is about 8-10 glasses. Drinking this amount of water on a daily basis helps your body maintain the balance of all your bodily fluids and function regularly. Our bodies are about 60% water, and this water aids in the digestion of our food, lubrication of joints, and the transportation of nutrients around our body. Water leaves your body through sweat, urine, and bowel movements, which is why you also need to replenish water in your system to have healthy stools and avoid constipation, especially during your Enara journey.

Water is the best thing to drink to stay hydrated. You can also stay hydrated from eating fruits and vegetables which contain sources of water. Sports drinks with electrolytes may be useful for people doing high intensity, vigorous exercise in very hot weather; however, they tend to be high in added sugars and calories, so we suggest refraining from these sugary sports drinks. For all those coffee and tea lovers out there, it is important to note that the caffeine in these beverages are diuretics (which cause increased passing of urine) and can actually cause you to become dehydrated, so caffeinated drinks should not be counted towards your fluids per day!

While on your journey at Enara, “preloading” with water before meals can help prevent overeating by creating a sense of fullness and can even keep you fuller longer in between meals. If you struggle with remembering to drink enough water or wish that you had some healthy alternatives to your usual sugary beverages, we invite you to sign up for one of our Healthy Beverage classes at Enara! This class shows you new ways to step up your water game, offers sample tastings, and goes more in depth about the types of drinks you should avoid. Sign up here for our Sugar & Healthy Beverage class!

Sources: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/staying-hydrated-staying-healthy https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/why-is-water-important#toxins https://share.upmc.com/2014/09/importance-hydration-heart/