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It might not
seem like it, but water is the most
needed nutrient of all. In fact,
people can't survive for more than
a few days without it. Most of your
body is water. If you weigh 100
pounds, only about 37 of those pounds
are bones and squishy insides -
the rest is water!
What Water
Does for You
Water has many important jobs. It
is the main ingredient in all the
fluids (like blood) that are inside
your body. These fluids travel through
your body, carrying nutrients into
and waste out from all your cells
and organs. Water is a big part
of the fluid that lubricates your
joints and helps your intestines
do their job better.
When you’re
hot, water cools you down by helping
you sweat. When your body gets hot,
water comes up through your skin
as sweat and evaporates into the
air. As the sweat evaporates, it
takes your body heat with it. This
cools down your skin, which cools
down your blood. When your blood
is cooler, your whole body cools
down.
Replace That
Water!
On a regular day, your body loses
two to three quarts of water, and
on a day that you're exercising
and sweating hard, your body loses
even more.
Many foods have lots
of water in them, especially fruits
and vegetables. If you like grapes,
watermelon, oranges or cantaloupe,
you're in luck! These fruits taste
great and are full of water. So
are veggies like lettuce, cucumbers
and celery. But you can't rely on
food alone to get all the water
you need. That's why you need to
drink water and other fluids every
day.
You sometimes hear
that people should drink six to
eight cups of water each day. You
might not need that much, depending
on how much water you get from other
fluids and from food. If you drink
milk and fruit juice and eat lots
of fruits and veggies, you'll get
some of the water your body needs,
but drinking water is a healthy
thing to do because it doesn’t
have any calories.
Drink Extra
When You Exercise
If you're exercising and sweating,
drinking water is doubly important.
The more you exercise and the more
you sweat, the more water you need
to drink. When it's hot or humid,
it's even more important that you
drink enough water.
Here is how much water you should
drink before, during and after exercising:
1-2 hours before you exercise:
10-14 ounces of cold water (about
a cup and a half)
10-15 minutes before you
exercise: 10 ounces of
cold water (about a cup and a quarter)
While you exercise:
3-4 ounces of cold water every 15
minutes (about a half-cup)
After you exercise: 2
cups of cold water for every pound
of weight loss through sweat (This
means about a cup or two for most
kids; if it's a hot day you may
feel thirsty enough to drink even
more.)
When you exercise,
don't wait until you're thirsty
to drink up. If you suddenly feel
very thirsty, it’s because
your body already needed water and
is taking water from your salivary
glands. It's much better for you
to drink before you even get thirsty–you'll
feel better and have more energy.
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