Staying hydrated...

Keeping hydrated is vital to our life for all of our cells and systems to function; we ARE mostly made up of water. Weather you're sweating just from living in the heat or created by exercising, remember that we all need approximately HALF our Body Weight (lbs.) of water in ounces, just for daily function.

For example, a 150 lbs. person should be consuming 75 ounces of water a day or almost 9.5 cups. MORE water is needed daily when adding exercise or other activities that make you sweat.

One can also check their hydration status by their urine; the clearer it is the better hydrated your body is at that time. Also, when we suffer from dehydration, not only is our urine darker, we can also be tired and weak, have a headache, have dizziness and nausea, muscle cramps, dry skin and more.

If you're bored by drinking so much water daily, here are some simple tips:

• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, many of which have 55-85% water content
• Add a lemon/lime/cucumber/etc. to your water
• Dilute an electrolyte drink with water (and cut the sugar)
  
• Add a few drops or a teaspoon of syrup (I love raspberry!)