You May Make Yourself Dehydrated Without Knowing
By Sara Butler
Your body needs a lot of water each day to stay hydrated. If you consume less than half your body weight in ounces of water per day, then you're running the risk of being dehydrated but you may also be doing things that are making the hydration situation worse. Here are just a few of the things you could be doing are making you dehydrated.
Not Looking at the Weather
The weather has a huge impact on your hydration levels. Humid weather can make your sweat, which depletes your hydration levels. Check the weather and make sure to drink extra water if the weather looks very hot and humid.
Not Caring for Your Skin
Many people don't consider their skin an organ but it's really the largest one you have -- and it works really hard for you. It provides a barrier to the loss of fluid and if it's compromised because you get sunburned or some other injury, then keeping your hydration levels where they should be can be a real struggle. To ensure that your skin can do its job the right way, you should make sure it's always protected from the sun and properly moisturized.
You Don't Eat Right
You need to eat a balanced, healthy diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. If you're not getting what you need, then it can impact your hydration levels. Try incorporating some super hydrating foods into your diet such as cucumbers, watermelon, and zucchini.
You Fly a Lot
Flying on a plane can be very dehydrating. That's because the moisture in the air once you hit flying altitude, there is very little humidity in the air. This can dry you out easily, which is why you should make sure to hit the water when you're flying, both before, during, and after you fly.
You Drink a Lot of Caffeine
Caffeine may help you to stay energized, but it can really have an impact on your hydration levels. Having too much caffeine will cause you to become dehydrated, so try to keep your caffeine consumption to one or two servings per day. If you don't like plain water, then think about adding fresh fruit to your water to kick it up a notch.
Staying hydrated can be challenging, so don't make it more difficult by doing these things.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Katy, Tex.