Water, the most important thing for your health.  You could make the case that its oxygen or blood and you wouldn’t be wrong. But I want to encourage anyone who reads this blog to find something that me and my husband have recently found in our lives. We were not drinking enough water.

Water is the largest substance on earth covering approximately 71% of the earth’s surface. It is the largest component of the body comprising anywhere from 55-78% of your body depending on your size. Every person who ever lived has been completely dependent upon water for life.

The standard idea popular today is that each individual should drink 8 glasses of water a day to remain hydrated. This actually might fluctuate depending on your size and activity level. Everyday the body will lose water through bodily movements, perspiration, and even water vapor in our breathing. Making sure that your body remains hydrated is quite possibly the most important and proactive action you could make towards your good health.

Recently Teddy and I visited the doctor and both of us had very minor symptoms of not having enough hydration. Nothing serious and quite easy to fix. Drink more water. Dr. Frieder told Teddy for a guy his size and activity level he should drink near a gallon of water a day to remain hydrated. This threw the 8 glasses a day idea out the window.

A medium to large glass of water would be approximately 8 oz. (or the popular 8oz. water bottle). If you drink eight 8oz. glasses a day this would be a total of 64 fluid ounces a day. To drink a gallon a day would literally double that amount, 128 ounces a day. That’s a lot of water, but both of us have adjusted our water intake and feel better for it.

Of course it’s not just water that hydrates the body, approximately 20 % of the body’s hydration comes from food, and the other sources would include teas, juices, etc. Most experts agree there is nothing better than water for your body.

While Teddy might not drink a gallon a day, and I probably don’t consume the 64 ounces every day we do drink a lot more than we were. We both laugh at how many trips we now make to the restroom, as some of you know who have had me excuse myself during class. To be blunt we follow the “clear” rule. If our urine is clear it’s enough water, if it’s yellow it’s not. Just a note if you are on a vitamin program that can influence the color of your urine, but other than that it should be clear.

We have wonderful water from a local source inside the studio and in our home. The Carlsbad water company we use comes from a 1700 foot deep aquaifer welled in Carlsbad and fed by the water in Cleveland National Forest. This artesian water goes through a nine step filtration purification process and I find it tastes as good as any I’ve tried. Every time you come into our Pilates studio please drink at least a glass of water to hydrate yourself after your workout. We have provided it for you. Bring in your sports bottle, which is more environmentally friendly and fill it up.

So all of this as a word of encouragement. Think about the amount of water you consume. Is it enough? Do you pass (pun intended) the “clear” test? The most positive step you can make for your health is to make sure your body is properly hydrated. It’s  easy, it’s relativity inexpensive, it’s the most important thing. Then comes Pilates.