We\u2019ve all heard the saying: \u201ctoo much of a good thing\u2026\u201d but how much is too much water and is that bad for you?<\/p>\n
Water is life and about half of your body consists of water. Water does many important functions in the body. It forms a large component of our blood, urine, sweat, and stomach juices. Our brains are mostly made of water. In addition, fat and all nerve impulses travel with the help of water.<\/p>\n
Our bodies lose water every day through normal bodily functions like sweating, breathing and urinating. When you exercise, you sweat more and breathe harder. Believe it or not, you can lose up to a litre of water<\/a> during an hour of running! We lose even more water when things go wrong in the body, like when we have a fever, or during a bout of diarrhoea or vomiting.<\/p>\n Our bodies tell us when we need to replenish our water supply by creating thirst. However, sometimes we do our bodies a disservice by drinking fluids that are not necessarily the best option to rehydrate, like: coffee, cola and other fizzy cold drinks.<\/p>\n If we vomit or have diarrhoea we cannot just take in water alone to replenish the fluids we have lost. We also need to put back the electrolytes and glucose. The easiest way to do this at home is to take a glass of clean, safe water and then add a teaspoon of sugar to it and a pinch of salt. Mix well and take small sips of this mixture over an extended period of time. You can also make this drink when you\u2019ve run out of sports drinks (like Energade or Powerade) during or after an exercise<\/a> session. Flavour it with sugar-free flavouring or add some lemon juice.<\/p>\n