As the weather gets hotter, one thing every person needs to keep in mind is staying hydrated. For Clean Eaters...this is usually not a problem. A core "tenet" of Clean Eating is water consumption. We drink a LOT of water. It is the "oil" your body's machinery needs. It is essential for the very fiber of your body's machine to function - on a cellular level. If you are new to Clean Eating, get yourself a water bottle. Now. If you aren't new to Clean Eating...it is always good for a reminder. Lately, I've found my daily consumption to be lower than I intend. I need to be more mindful of water!
This post first appeared on my blog just before Christmas last year - but not only does it bear repeating for my new readers...it is one of the biggest stumbling blocks new Clean Eaters face : consuming enough water. It is very, very important!
I was reading a small article in the December 2010 issue of Women's Journal of MD ( one of those freebie newspapers ) and spotted an interesting article on water consumption by Courtney Carpenter, who is a professional nutritionist.
She advises clients to use this calculation to determine how much water to consume every day: 80-100% of half of your body weight in ounces every day.
So for some easy math, a 200 pound person /2 = 100. 80% of 100 is 80 ounces. So, a 200 lb person should drink 80-100 ounces every day. Easy, no?
Well, in real life, drinking that much can be a challenge. She has an interesting way around it - Drink water like it is medicine. Take a "dose" of water every 2 hours - 8 am, 10 am, Noon, 2 pm, 4pm, 6 pm.
12 ounces at 6 "doses" per day is 72 ounces right there!