blood and water
(and how they depend on each other)
DID YOU KNOW …
• Blood transports oxygen from your lungs to the cells in your body.
• Blood supplies nutrients like glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids to your body.
• Blood removes lactic acid, carbon dioxide, and urea from your body.
• Blood regulates your body’s pH (acid levels in the body).
• Blood regulates your core body temperature.
• Blood transports hormones throughout your body. Hormones are chemicals that coordinate different bodily functions.
• Blood carries carbon dioxide, lactic acid, and urea to your lungs, liver, kidneys, and digestive system for removal from your body.
BUT DID YOU ALSO KNOW THAT BLOOD IS 90% WATER, AND IF YOUR BODY BECOMES DEHYDRATED THROUGHOUT THE DAY, YOUR BLOOD GETS THICKER?
The problem with thicker blood is that it makes it harder for your heart to pump blood throughout your body, and so the “blood benefits: are reduced. It also increases your heart rate, causing it to work harder than it should. To keep your body well hydrated, you should drink half of your body weight in ounces of water per day. For example, if you weigh 140 pounds, you should drink 70 ounces of water daily. Spread your consumption out over the day, making sure to have a big glass of water with every meal and snack. And make sure that you constantly sip at all dry-land and pool training sessions.
Signs of Dehydration
• Extreme thirst.
• You urinate less than usual.
• Headache.
• Dark-colored urine.
• You feel sluggish and tired.
• Bad breath.
• Dry mouth.
• Sugar cravings,
• Feeling dizzy, weak, and light-headed.
• Confusion