By David Smith
Feeling a hangover? Your headache is most likely caused by
dehydration and now your feeling the consequences. In fact the majority (if not
all) headaches are symptoms of dehydration and lack of water intake. You’ll see
lots of products and hear lots of people who all of a sudden turn into
“experts” but in the end you need to drink more water!
There are a variety of factors that will lead to dehydration
such as hot/ cold environments; high sodium intake (pretzels, get it?), high
caffeine/ high alcohol intake, exercise and well … the reasons are endless.
Headaches aren’t the only symptom of dehydration either,
fatigue, lack of energy, bad breath, dry mouth, thirst, poor circulation,
headaches, poor coordination, fainting, lack of sweat/ urine, sluggishness.
Your body consists mostly of water so it’s important that you are constantly
keeping yourself hydrated throughout the day.
“But how much water should I drink?”
The old rule of thumb “drink 8 glasses of water a day” is as
old and out of date as a washed up music group from the 70s. Especially because
it doesn’t adapt to different types of people and different lifestyles. The
best and most basic way is to keep track of your pee! You should be peeing
consistently throughout the day and should be clear with a slight yellow tint.
If it is clearer than water you may be over hydrated, if it’s significantly
yellow or dark, you need to drink more! The only exception is for those who
take a multi-vitamin, which tends to turn pee into a fluorescent color.
There are times in your day where it is beneficial to drink
more water, particularly right when you wake up to help encourage blood flow
and because you are dehydrated from your sleep. During meals to help with
digestion and circulation as well to encourage slower eating and discourage
binge eating. During a workout/ exercise due to the increased workload and to
due to increase sweat loss. As well in the Gay community drinking alcohol is
very commonplace so it is important to balance your alcohol intake with water
as well. Alcohol can quickly contribute to dehydration as well as intoxication.
Balancing your intake with water will help you not feel as drunk and will
significantly reduce, if not completely eliminate your hangover.
Benefits of drinking water:
-Increased energy
-Keeps you looking and feeling young
-Contributes to weight loss
-Contributes to muscle/ strength gains
-Promotes brain function
-Strengthens joints
+ So much more!
Bottle vs Tap Water?
No matter what your source is, drinking
straight H2O with no extra flavors or additives is much cheaper and more
beneficial than those high fat/ high sugar drinks from the coffee shop.
Drinking it right out of the tap also helps you get important vitamins and
minerals that otherwise might be filtered out in bottle water, as well it is
much cheaper and more accessible. Drinking from the tap also helps to boost
your immune system. In the end, there really isn’t much water can’t help you
with, so drink up!
David Smith is
the owner of Stonewall Fitness, holds a degree in exercise
science from Metropolitan State University of Denver and holds several
fitness certifications including ACSM Personal Trainer and Group
Fitness.
Visit me: www.stonewallfitness.com Like me: www.facebook.com/stonewallfit Follow me: http://stonewallfit.tumblr.com
Visit me: www.stonewallfitness.com Like me: www.facebook.com/stonewallfit Follow me: http://stonewallfit.tumblr.com