Can I Have One More Glass Of Water, Please?

MAINTAIN HYDRATION TO AVOID DEHYDRATION

We all know that water is good for us, but often the reasons are a little fuzzy. And even if we know why we should drink water, it's not a habit that many people form.

But there are some very powerful reasons to drink lots of water every day, and forming the habit isn't hard, with a little focus. Inshaa-Allah.

The thing about it is, we don’t often focus on this habit. We end up drinking coffee, and lots of soda, not to mention fruit juices and teas and milk and a bunch of other possibilities. Or just as often, we don’t drink enough fluids, and we become dehydrated – and that isn’t good for our health.

Our body needs water to function
Many parts of the body contain water, including the brain, blood and lean muscle. Briefly, let’s see what water can do to our body:


Mashaa-Allah! These are just few benefits of water – and yet, they are amazingly doing it for our body!



Water does not contain any calories. The body absorbs water through the stomach and gut.
Water leaves the body through urine, sweat, and stool and at times, vomiting and diarrhoea.

It is important to balance the amount of water going in to the body with the amount of water being lost by the body. This is especially important for persons who are:
• very young
• elderly
• ill with fever, vomiting or diarrhoea
• taking medications that cause the body to lose water
• exercising
• living in hot, humid, dry or high altitude climates and
• travelling on a long airplane trip


That depends on your age, what you eat, your level of activity, the weather, your health, whether you are a man or woman and what medications you take. Elderly persons may have a decreased sense of thirst.

Solid food contains water, so it is important to eat a balanced diet. Other beverages, such as milk, juice and soup, also contain some water. Drink 6 to 8 eight-ounce glasses of water, or other fluids, or half of the body weight in ounces each day as part of a healthy diet.

It is important to limit how much soda, caffeine and alcohol you drink. Soda contains sugar and empty calories. Caffeine and alcohol can cause the body to lose water. You may need to increase your fluids if you are exercising or spending time in hot or humid weather.

Men usually require more water than women do because they have more lean muscle. Persons taking certain medications or with some chronic diseases may have to restrict their water intake.

A quick way to check if you are drinking enough water
Look at the color of your urine. The urine should be pale yellow. If your urine is dark yellow and has a strong odor or if you go to the bathroom less than 4 times a day, you probably need to drink more fluids.



Here are some tips that worked on some people, and Inshaa-Allah, on us too.

1. Carry a bottle
A lot of people find it useful to get a big plastic drinking bottle, fill it with water, and carry it around with them all day. Some people keep a glass of water at their desk, and drink from it all day long. When it's empty, fill it up again, and keep drinking.

2. Set a reminder

Set your watch to beep at the top of each hour, or set a periodic computer reminder, so that you don't forget to drink water.

3. Substitute water

If you would normally get a soda, get a glass of water instead.

4. Filter

Instead of spending a fortune on bottled water, invest in a filter for your home faucet. It'll make tap water taste like bottled, at a fraction of the price.

5. Exercise

Exercising can help make you want to drink water more. It's not necessary to drink sports drinks like Gatorade when you exercise, unless you are doing it for more than an hour. Just drink water. If you're going to exercise, be sure to drink water a couple hours ahead of time, so that it will get through your system in time, and again, drink during and after exercise as well.

6. Track it

It often helps, when forming a new habit, to keep track of it - it increases awareness and helps you ensure that you're staying on track. Keep a little log (it can be done on an index card or a notebook), which can be as simple as a tick mark for each glass of water you drink.


Zayan Hadi,
mediaPERUBATAN Mansurah.

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