Jan 16 2014
Hydration is Important Year-Round
The importance of adequate hydration is really emphasized during the summer months because of the noticeable, increased sweating we experience. But what about the winter months? It would seem that because we don’t seem to sweat as much in the colder weather, our fluid requirements would be less, right? Well, it turns out that our fluid requirements are roughly the same no matter what the temperature is. Your body loses water in the same way all year round: through sweating, breathing, and urinating.
Have you been getting in enough fluids during these colder months?
The Dietary Reference Intakes: adequate intakes (AIs) for water are:
Adult males (>19 years): 3.7 L/day
Adult females (>19 years): 2.7 L/day
If this sounds like a lot, keep in mind that water comes from other beverages besides water and certain foods that have a high water content. Variables such as activity level, exercise, and medications can all affect individual requirements as well, so consider these estimates.
The bottom line is, you should pay attention to how much fluid you get each day, whether you feel thirsty or not. If you have never really thought about this before, you may have no idea just how much fluid you actually consume on an average day.
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