Healthy Hydration

Host: Dr. Jennifer Hunter, Assistant Director for Family and Consumer Sciences Extension, University of Kentucky 

Guest: Natalie Jones, Extension Specialist for Family Health

Episode 20

0:00 Welcome to Talking FACS; what you need to know about family, food, finance and fitness. Hosted by the University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program, our educators share research knowledge with individuals, families and communities to improve quality of life.

0:20 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: Hello and welcome back to talking FACS. This is your host, Dr. Jennifer Hunter, Assistant Director for Family Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky.

Today, I'm pleased to have with me, Natalie Jones, our Physical Activity Coordinator and we're going to discuss the topic of healthy hydration. Thanks for joining us, Natalie.

0:36 Natalie Jones: Thanks for having me.

0:38 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: So, I think we hear so much on the news and doctor recommendations, etc. about how important it is to stay hydrated. Why is water so important?

0:48 Natalie Jones: Water is responsible for many important functions in the body. In fact, it is the most abundant substance in our body, averaging about 60 percent of our weight and essential to our body.

So, water regulates our body temperature, it cushions and protects vital organs, and aids in our digestive system. So, because water composes more than half of the human body, it is impossible to sustain life without it. That's why it's so important.

1:15 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: How much fluid or water does the average healthy adult need?

1:20 Natalie Jones: So, this is hard because every day you lose water through your breath, sweating, urine, bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you have to replenish that water supply by consuming beverages, water, food that contain water as well.

It is recommended on average that women should consume 2.7 liters or 11½ cups daily, and men to consume 3.7 liters or 15½ cups daily.

And generally, teenagers or children should drink around 6 to 8 cups of water a day as well as eating fruits and vegetables. And so, these recommendations cover the fluids. And about 20 percent of our daily fluid intake comes from food and the rest 80 percent from drink.

So, most healthy people can stay hydrated just by drinking water or other fluids when they feel thirsty. So, that is the main gauge, not necessarily measuring out 10 cups of water.

2:18 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: Okay.

2:19 Natalie Jones: But just if you feel thirsty, drink water.

2:22 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: You probably need something to drink.

2:23 Natalie Jones: Exactly.

2:24 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: What factors might influence how much water that we need?

2:28 Natalie Jones: Yeah. So, this is key. The four main reasons that you may need to modify your intake or by increasing would be exercise, of course, you want to make sure that you are being properly hydrated while you're being physically active to avoid dehydration.

The environment plays a huge role. So, if it's hot outside, as well as if it's cold outside. People forget that when it's cold outside, your body is still using water.

2:52 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: It's a good point.

2:53 Natalie Jones: Right. So, you still need to rehydrate and to consume water, any health concerns that you might have, or if you're pregnant and breastfeeding.

3:01 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: One thing that I think makes it easier to at least remember to consume water is that it's almost become trendy to make certain that you have a cute water bottle with you everywhere that you go. The more that you have it with you, the more likely that you are to drink it as well.

What are some hydration hints for people that engage in exercise?

3:21 Natalie Jones: So, if you do any activity that makes you sweat, you need to drink extra water to cover that fluid loss. So, it's important to drink water before, during, and after a workout.

So, if exercise is intense and last more than an hour, you may want to have a sports drink present or even just something with sodium, regardless of whether it's in a sports drink or not that can help replace minerals in your blood, like those electrolytes that people lose when they sweat.

In an hour of exercise, depending on type and intensity, you may lose more than a quart of water. So, that is a significant amount. So, the American Heart Association recommends for someone who is going to exercise to drink 17 to 20 ounces of water 2 hours before, and then to drink 7 to 10 ounces of fluid every 10 to 20 minutes during your exercise, and then to drink 16 to 24 ounces of fluid for every pound of body weight lost after exercise through sweat.

So, just really making sure that you are on top of that, if you're exercising, and you want to take into account your environment as well. Exactly what we said, being hot or humid, that can really influence your sweat to require additional fluids.

4:32 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: So, can we talk a little bit about the difference between water and sports drinks? I know that my kiddos often push, when they have a sporting activity, that they would much rather have a sport drink and I'm often filling their water bottles with water, because I'm looking at the sugar content, trying to keep that down, etc.

4:49 Natalie Jones: Exactly.

4:50 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: But is the sports drink really preferred if they're doing or we’re doing some form or type of heavy exercise?

4:56 Natalie Jones: So, that's a tricky question. Yes and no. So, my advice would be to encourage water first, especially for kids, because most likely they aren't going to be doing some type of huge endurance event, lasting more than an hour and a half. However, they are still sweating and going to be losing sodium. And so, it is important to replenish that.

And unfortunately, the sports drinks are huge. Everybody loves Gatorade, don't want to endorse anything, but loves their sports drinks and that's the cool thing.

And, so a lot of times, when you go, at least back in my day when I was in youth sports, they would have water as well as oranges or different pretzels available at halftime. And so, that's a great way to encourage healthy intakes of sodium as well while they're exercising to replenish that.

5:48 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: Okay.

5:49 Natalie Jones: So, really just getting back to the basics of eating healthy fruits, as well as staying hydrated with water and encouraging sodium intake.

6:00 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: So now I'm going to reference to you when we have the disagreement on if we're taking a sports drink or if we’re taking a bottle of water.

6:06 Natalie Jones: Perfect. Can't wait.

6:08 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: I'll let them follow up with you.

6:09 Natalie Jones: Great.

6:10 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: Also, thinking about that I know that there's certain times, especially in females lifetime, of when they might need to have higher levels of hydration or water intake. So, talking to your doctor, I think, is always important, including when you are expectant mother.

What should people do who are pregnant or breastfeeding regarding fluid intake?

6:33 Natalie Jones: Yeah, exactly right. You should always consult with your doctor because women who are pregnant or breastfeeding do need additional fluids to stay hydrated.

And that's something that I think people forget to stay on top of, because as an expecting mom or if you have a young child, there's so much other things.

6:49 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: So many things going on.

6:51 Natalie Jones: Exactly. But taking care of yourself and hydrating is so important. So, the Office of Women's Health recommends that pregnant women drink 10 cups of fluids daily and women who are breastfeeding consume about 13 cups, which is more than the average female who is not pregnant should be consuming.

But again, really talk to your physician, to your primary caregiver to make sure that you are being safe for your body.

7:17 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: I know that when I was pregnant, I felt like I had water with me everywhere I went, but I can also tell certainly if I had not had enough water during the day. So, it's really important to carry that around and stay hydrated.

How do you know if you are staying hydrated or not?

7:33 Natalie Jones: So, one of the main things about staying hydrated is just if your fluid intake is adequate, you won't really feel thirsty. And so, that's why I say a good gauge of knowing how much fluid you need is just dictated by if you're thirsty or not.

So, if you're worried about your fluid intake, talk to a doctor or a registered dietitian, they can help determine for your body type the amount of water you need or for your activity level. But mainly, just if you're thirsty or not, that's a good gauge. So, trying to not be thirsty is key.

8:09 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: Great. So, before you leave us today, what are some final tips that you have regarding saying safely hydrated?

8:14 Natalie Jones: So, to make sure that your body has the fluids it needs, you know, really drink a glass of water or other beverages with each meal or between each meal; drink water right before, during, and after exercise; and then again, drink water if you're feeling thirsty.

I think a lot of people forget to drink water, but like you said, it's really popular now to have that water bottle carrying around and I know that I always try to keep it one in my purse, in my car, and my backpack, so I will never be without a water bottle.

So, just really making sure that you have water available is key.

8:49 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: And it's amazing to me that as we've been having this conversation, how thirsty I have become. Every time you said, “If you're thirsty” I'm thinking, “I need to go get some water”.

8:58 Natalie Jones: Well, we can make that happen.

9:00 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: Thanks so much, Natalie.

9:01 Natalie Jones: Thanks so much.

9:04 Thank you for listening to Talking FACS. We deliver programs focusing on nutrition, health, resource management, family development and civic engagement. If you enjoy today's podcast, have a question or a show topic idea, leave a ‘Like’ and comment on Facebook @UKFCSExt. Visit us online at fcs.uky.edu or contact your local extension agent for Family and Consumer Sciences. We build strong families. It starts with us.