Dehydration is often the culprit when you’re feeling weak and tired. Your body is more water than anything else. Keep yourself fresh, healthy and energetic. Drink plenty of water! Like a plant, you wilt when you’re dehydrated. When you are 1% dehydrated, you lose 10% of your strength and energy. Your muscles are 70% fluid. No wonder their performance suffers when you are dehydrated! Flacid muscles leave you feeling weak. When you lose weight by losing water, you’re not losing fat, you’re losing lean body mass! When you don’t drink enough, you can become weaker and may suffer memory loss. Your brain floats in liquid. It is 85% water. You will be mentally sharper when you are well hydrated. Water is the great detoxifier. Drinking plenty of liquids keeps your body free of toxins and running smoother.

The best liquid to drink is pure, distilled or filtered (reverse osmosis) water. Spring and sparkling waters, herbal tea and decaffeinated coffee also count in your good liquid count. Focus on drinking 1 ounce of water for every 2 pounds of total body weight (spread out throughout the day). Another easy rule of thumb is to drink 1 8-ounce glass of liquid for each hour that you are awake. You can gauge your level of hydration by the color of your urine. Your urine should reach almost clear coloration once every 24 hours, even if you take supplements.

Avoid liquids that dehydrate you: coffee and anything with caffeine; alcohol; fruit juices; sodas and diet sodas; and commercial sports drinks that are high in sugar.

It’s easy to be dehydrated and not know it. In the winter, you are in dry, heated air more often. In the summer, you may not feel yourself sweat or notice your thirst. Next time you are hungry, grab a glass of something liquid and refreshing. You may find that you are just thirsty, not hungry and can’t tell the difference. Keep water around you at all times – in your house, car and office. Make it easy to drink all the water you need.