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EnglishWater
Water makes up about 60% of an adult’s body and even greater percentage of a child’s body. About 70% of lean body tissue is actually water. Therefore, men have slightly more water than women and younger people have more water than the elderly. And since 75% of our brain consists of water, a slight dehydration can reduce our performance and let us feel tired. So follow the golden rule of “Eight Cups of Water a Day” instead of relying on our thirst mechanism as an indicator, as this mechanism won't kick in until there's a fluid loss of 1 ½ to 2 L.
Eight Cups of Water a Day:
Our water balance relies on water input and output. Our body can lose water thru urine, stool, sweat and breathing. Under normal temperature, a person loses about 2,300 ml water a day. Under hot weather or after exercises, we lose much more. So it’s essential to replenish appropriate amount of water to maintain a proper balance.
|
|
Normal Temperature正常溫度 |
High Temperature 炎熱天氣 |
|
Urine尿液 |
1400ml(毫升) |
1200ml(毫升) |
|
Stool糞便 |
100ml(毫升) |
100ml(毫升) |
|
Breathing呼吸 |
350ml(毫升) |
250ml(毫升) |
|
Sweat流汗 |
350ml(毫升) |
1400ml(毫升) |
|
Evaporation 皮膚揮發 |
100ml(毫升) |
350ml(毫升) |
|
Total總計 |
2300ml(毫升) |
3300ml(毫升) |
What actually the water does to our body? Mainly, it helps transport nutrients such as glucose, electrolytes, oxygen and other minerals to different organs. And thru sweat and urine, the water also helps excrete wastes and toxics. Water serves as a solvent to allow nutrients to be easily absorbed by the body; dilutes toxic compounds; acts as lubricant around joints; serves as shock absorber inside the eye and spinal cord; regulates body temperature; maintains blood volume; and helps digestion. In conclusion, water is the constituent of every cell in the body yet it does not contain any nutrients like calories, protein.
What can happen if we don’t drink enough water? Prolonged water deficiency increases urine density (dark colored urine), and it can cause dehydration, muscle cramping, constipation, increase risk of having kidney stones and cancer of bladder, bad breath, dry skin.
Since appropriate water replenishment is so VITAL to our human body, at next coffee break, take a water break instead and keep a bottle of water handy at your purse, backpack, or on your desk. Replace the bottled water with calorie loaded beverages will surely keep you in FIT shape.
