Drink More Water During the Hottest Season
Ask a little kid what’s inside their body and you’ll get some basics — bones, heart, stomach. But kids need a few more years and science classes behind them before they understand the vast geography underneath a person’s exterior.
Even some adults could use a refresher course about their personal interior and how to care for it. Here’s one timely reminder from all of us at Foot & Ankle Associates of Cleveland: you’ve got a lot of water in your body. All of the systems you learned about in school – digestive, circulatory, skeletal, nervous, respiratory, reproductive, etc. — they all depend on water to function.
Every single cell in our body needs water in order to do its job!
- Chemical reactions within cells depend on water
- Water provides the system of transportation within our bodies, carrying nutrients where they need to go
- Without enough water in our systems, blood becomes too thick and viscous to move properly
- Water helps flush toxins out of our cells, keeps skin soft and supple, lubricates joints, supplies tears – and so much more!
Best ways to stay hydrated
It’s important to know that we’re always losing water, through sweating (which can be excessive in this wicked July heat), normal breathing, and through the elimination of urine and feces. This summer, keep all of your insides – every single working cell – flowing smoothly and feeling fine by
- keeping alcohol consumption to a minimum
- drinking more water when the weather’s really hot
- adding high water-content foods to your diet, like watermelon, peaches, strawberries, cucumbers, raw zucchini, cantaloupe, spinach, and lettuce.
Be alert to signs of dehydration. If you feel sluggish, have a headache, notice your pee is dark in color, or feel grumpy or spaced-out, try drinking more water.
Your feet love all this liquid! Water helps keep all the structures in your feet in tip-top shape, too. If you have pain or problems with your feet, no matter what the cause, make an appointment online with our expert foot doctors, podiatrists Megan L. Oltmann, DPM or Craig B. Frey, DPM. Or, give us a call at our office in the beautiful Cleveland suburb of Solon, OH at (440) 903-1041.