Hydration is important any time of the year, but it is even more so with the rising temperatures.

Lean tissue, muscles and organs consist of more than 70 percent water. Water helps to carry important nutrients to our cells and carries the waste products out of our cells. It regulates your body’s temperature, and water even lubricates the joints. In other words, you body has to have fluids to function well and stay alive. Your urine gives you great feedback. A Y member and friend went to a meeting and noticed urine hydration charts in their bathrooms. He came back and showed me a picture. I think its an excellent idea, so I followed suit and put up some charts near our fitness and aerobic center bathrooms. You can check out the website below and print the poster if you like for the urine color chart and water consumption table. Interesting stuff! www.nwccweb.us/content/…/DOD_Urine%20Color%20Test_Poster.pdf

The best way not to get dehydrated is to prevent it. An easy way to make sure you are hydrated is to take half of your body weight, and those are the ounces of fluid (preferably water) you need to consume. So at 139 pounds, my consumption should be almost 70 ounces a day. When your body does not get the appropriate intake of fluids (preferably water), you get dehydrated.

Dehydration occurs when the amount of water leaving the body is greater than the amount taken in. You lose water by sweating (to cool the body) or simply by breathing (you can really see it during cold weather).

ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) recommends the following to meet your fluid needs while exercising:

• Drink as much as needed to match sweat loss. Approximately 20 ounces of fluids should be consumed for every pound of body weight lost during exercise.

• Do not rely on your thirst as a reason to drink. The thirst sensation will only occur after 1 to 2 liters already are lost.

• Sweat rates are often 1-2 liters per hour which is difficult to consume enough fluids to match the losses. You should learn to drink water on a fixed time interval.

• Fluids should be cool and readily available.

Most people are all about weight loss. “Great! I lost 2 pounds during my workout!” That means you need to consume 40 ounces of fluids. Water weight loss is not true weight loss. By exercising, eating correctly and hydrating as needed, the true (fat) weight loss will come.

Signs of dehydration and what to do:

• Of course being thirsty, you are already 40 ounces behind. Drink cool non-carbonated, non-caffeinated fluids in intervals. Gulping it down at once will increase gastrointestinal distress.

• Dehydration with loss of energy and performance — drink carbohydrate- and electrolyte-containing sports drinks.

• Dehydration with muscle cramps — Immediately stop exercising and massage the cramping muscle while consuming a sports drink that contains sodium which may relieve the cramp.

The majority of fluids to keep your body hydrated should come from plain water. Unless you exercise excessively for over an hour and sweat heavily, you do not need many (or any) sports drinks.

Staying hydrated during exercise has multiple benefits:

• Less pronounced increase in heart rate

• Less pronounced increase in core body temperature.

• Improved cardiac stroke volume and cardiac output (heart is pumping stronger and in greater volumes with one beat)

• Improve skin blood flow, enabling better sweat rates and improved cooling.

• Maintenance of better blood volume

• A reduction of net muscle glycogen usage which improves endurance.

Happy Memorial Day! Make sure you stay hydrated with the correct fluids today!

Ester H Marsh Associate Executive Director JF Hurley YMCA