Thank you, Hillarie for taking this on! Hillarie was a swim coach and a lacrosse coach for decades! Today and tomorrow she is our water coach! Let's see what Coach Hillarie has to say...
To LISTEN to the following on SOUND CLOUD go HERE
When Sarah asked if I would coach this week my mind starting spinning and I started thinking about all the ways of water. Emotional. Physical. Mental. Spiritual. Personal. Sanitation. Conservation. There is SO much to discuss and I had to narrow it down. Water is Essential. (Astronauts look for signs of life in far away places- yes Water!).
“Total wellness is defined as physical, mental and social wellbeing” (definition from the WHO - World Health Organization) and wow water is it!
So I decided to do a 2 part series starting with the physical. Fun facts- Did you know 60% of our bodies is water? Brain and heart 73%Lungs 83%Skin 64%Muscles and kidneys 79%Even bones are 30%
To keep things working, water must be constantly replaced through foods, beverages and plain ol' water consumption!It took me a bit to find recommended amounts in a way that made sense and here is what I found- on average, a 1/2 gal is needed daily. Here is what this looks like - (the measuring cup is for reference). Try it at home so you know!
“You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make em drink”.
And that brings us to dehydration. Dehydration is sneaky and often hard to detect- so get ready for some info (it’s personal and tricky to talk about). Here goes. First- how do we know we need to drink?
I have found these 2 easy quick ways to determine if I need to drink more- 1 is the skin test (I do this on the top of my hand in the meaty part near my thumb). The second is the urine color test.
Some tips to remember to drink water-* Drink a glass before meals - aids in digestion and absorption of essentials. * Drink sips a LOT* Become accustomed to “no taste”* Match your water intake with whatever else you are drinking* Drink a glass a couple hours before bed* Drink BEFORE you are thirsty* Change how you think about water- it is a gift you give yourself!
(More to come for part 2 tomorrow)