It doesn’t take long in the hot sun in San Antonio, TX, to become dehydrated. It’s why staying focused on hydration is so important, especially if you’re working out. Sipping water throughout your workout can help you attain peak performance. A cold bottle of water can also be a quick picker-upper when you’re mentally dragging.
The human body is approximately 65% water.
Your muscles, bones, tendons, skin, and organs contain high amounts of fluid. The brain and heart are 73% water. If you’re dehydrated, they don’t function properly. Even though young children have a higher percentage of fluid, they are smaller, so depleting even a small amount is dangerous. The percentage of fluid in the body of a senior is far less than it is in younger people. They are at higher risk of dehydration.
Hydration can help prevent aching joints and muscle pain.
After you workout, you may experience joint and muscle pain due to the workout, but it’s not always the reason. Dehydration can cause it. The joints require synovial fluid to cushion the bones and facilitate the delivery of nutrients. It helps reduce friction. Dehydration reduces the fluid available, so there’s friction and pain. Dehydration causes fluid to divert from other areas to ensure an adequate amount for the brain, lungs, heart, and other vital organs. It takes the fluid from appendages, the stomach, and non-essential areas causing stomach and muscle cramps.
Staying hydrated can help prevent headaches.
Your brain is composed mostly of water, so it’s easy to understand how dehydration can dramatically affect it. It can cause brain fog or present itself as mental confusion in seniors and be mistaken for dementia. Water conducts electricity and is necessary for the electrical energy in the brain. It helps carry nutrients. If you’ve ever had brain fog, it might be caused by mild dehydration. If your body fluid drops just 2% it can cause cognitive issues and brain fog. It also affects the heart. The disruption of fluid levels can create blood pressure issues and cause tachycardia.
- You can prevent dehydration by continuously sipping on water, herbal tea, tea, and fruit juice. When you work out or are out in the sun, carry a bottle of water and sip on it frequently.
- Drinking more water can help you lose weight. Studies show that drinking water before a meal can cut your appetite. Thirst can be mistaken for hunger, too. If you sip water, you’ll eat less.
- The easiest way to identify dehydration is by checking the color of your urine. If it’s dark, you may be dehydrated. Light yellow urine shows adequate hydration. A skin turgor test is also another way. Pinch the skin and if it doesn’t snap back to normal, dehydration may be a problem.
- Dehydration can cause blood pressure to increase or decrease. For some, low blood volume causes low blood pressure. In others, it causes the blood vessels to constrict and increase blood pressure.
For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio