For the people in the back....

 Let’s talk hydration!  Drinking enough water daily plays a huge role in maintaining good health, and even more so in the hot summer months.

Let’s start with body composition.  Our body composition is composed of 4 different things: water, protein, minerals and fat. 

The main component of the human body is water.  We drink water.  It’s everywhere in the human body, from simply flowing through the human body, to being found in muscles, fat, blood, and other body fluids, like saliva.  Water can be expelled from the body in the form of sweat, urine, feces, and more.

Next up, protein.  Often, when we think of protein, our brains automatically then think muscle.  But, protein can also be found in our bones and organ.  Protein plays a major role in the make-up of our bodies.

Minerals comprise the next element in our body composition.  Minerals can be found in our bloodstream and in our bones.  Calcium is just one mineral and it can found in bones.  The most important mineral in our blood is iron.  If there is not enough iron in your blood, it cannot produce enough healthy oxygen-carrying red blood cells which could result in anemia.  So eat your broccoli and drink your water!  Low iron can equal anemia, which can lead to low oxygen circulation which can result in fatigue and becoming winded going up and down a flight of stairs. 

Finally, let’s consider fat.  The key thing to remember about fat is like The 3 Bears, you don’t need too much.  You don’t need too little.  Fat composition needs to be “just right” for optimal health.

Fats are our energy store.  That’s where we get our energy from to move throughout our day and do all the things we need to do.  Fats are really the key to living.

Remember:

è Water is involved in our protein stores, our muscles, essentially every part of our bodies.

è Water is a key to survival and living well. 

è Our organ systems, organs, are all composed primarily of water.

 

What does water do?  Water:

 

1.     Keeps things moving.  If you don’t drink enough water, your body will just continue recycling the old water.  It’s incredibly important to cleanse ourselves with water.  Would you cook your food with the same water, repeatedly, or would you get clean water with every new dish?  Would you continue to bathe in the everyone in the same water, day after day? Water is the bath or shower for our insides.  Make sure you drink enough water!

2.     Aids in formation of saliva and digestion.

3.     Keeps our muscular membranes and allows our cells to grow, reproduce and survive.

4.     Allows our bodies to heal as it flushes out waste. 

5.     Helps to lubricate our joints.

6.     Is the major component of our bodies.  We need adequate water intake for our brains to function optimally.  For example, if an orange dries out and shrivels up, it doesn’t perform optimally, as in it will taste awful, we won’t get as many of the nutrients as it should be providing when it’s in a good condition.

7.     Assists in regulating our body temperatures, through sweating.  Water also helps body temp regulation via our respirations when we’re sick.

8.     Acts as a shock absorber for the brain and spinal cord.  If you jostled around, water acts as a protective barrier to shield you from that movement.

9.     Converts food to components needed for our survival and digestion.

10. Helps deliver oxygen throughout our bodies and keeps our blood flowing. 

 

So water is really, really the key to keeping your body working properly.

è You wouldn’t run a car without gas or with the bare minimum level of gas, so make sure you get plenty of fresh water each day! How many ounces did you get in today?