Drinking Too Much Water

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Drinking Too Much Water
October 03, 2005

If Not Now, When?

Fitness-After-50 - Thomas D. Manfredi, Publisher
tom@fitness-after-50.com
http://www.fitness-after-50.com
OCTOBER 3, 2005; Vol. I, Issue 10
Published the first Monday of every month

THIS ISSUE: Drinking Too Much Water

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Editor's Note

Hi,

Fall has arrived around the US. For many areas that means cool crisp days and beautiful falling leaves. Here in the desert southwest it means daytime temperatures that won’t be going above 100 F!

And in our small town it also means that the “snow birds” will be starting to show up. For those of you not familiar with the term “snow bird”, it is a term used in warmer climates here in the US to refer to the folks from colder areas that come down to the warmer areas for the winter.

Our town has about 5,500 permanent, year round residents. But, in the winter, our population explodes to over 25,000! Some of the "snow birds" have homes here, but most come down in huge motor homes that we refer to as “prairie schooners”. They stay in motor home parks that are virtual ghost towns from April until October that fill up to full capacity by December.

All of these extra people put a bit of a strain on our small town. It takes longer to go through the line at the grocery store, and now we have to start making reservations at some of the more popular restaurants. Oh well, I guess that’s the price we pay to live in a climate that’s so nice and warm in the winter.

Best Wishes,

Tom Manfredi
tom@fitness-after-50.com
http://www.fitness-after-50.com

Food for Thought

Live life to the fullest . . . this is not a dress rehersal.

Feature Article - Drinking Too Much Water

by Thomas D. Manfredi, MS

We are constantly reading articles and hearing in the news about drinking plenty of water to stay healthy. In fact, many of us don’t drink enough water. It is recommended that the average person drink at least eight - 8 ounce glasses of water (64 ounces) per day to stay properly hydrated. One of the easiest ways to make sure you do this is to fill a large container (like an empty one gallon milk jug) with the amount of water you want to drink for the day and make sure you finish it by day’s end. Half a gallon equals 64 ounces, so filling a one gallon jug at least ½ way will help you meet your minimum daily goal.

But remember, you can get too much of a good thing. Believe it or not, there is actually such a thing as drinking too much water. When you drink too much water, it can reduce the level of sodium in your body. This condition is called hyponatremia. This situation usually arises when people drink too much water during heavy, prolonged exercise like a marathon or long, extremely strenuous hike. This phenomenon has been found in Grand Canyon hikers and Boston marathon racers.

What happens is that an exerciser takes in large amounts of plain water and sweats out a lot of fluid that contains sodium and other electrolytes needed in the body. In extreme cases this can cause a dangerous electrolyte imbalance. When that happens, water enters the body’s cells, which causes them to swell. If swollen, brain cells start pressing against the skull. The result can be brain damage, paralysis, coma, and sometimes death.

This problem can also happen in people who are taking medications for hypertension (high blood pressure) or in people who suffer from hypothyroidism (under active thyroid). This happens because both of these situations can increase sodium loss.

So, make sure you drink plenty of water, but keep in mind that too much of a good thing can sometimes cause problems.

©2005 Thomas D. Manfredi, MS

Teleclasses

I will be announcing upcoming teleclasses in this section in the future.

If you have a topic that you would be interested in hearing about in a teleclass, send an e-mail to mailto:teleclasses@fitness-after-50.com

Questions and Answers

Q: Why is it possible to lose weight so quickly on many fad diets?

A: Many so called fad diets severely restrict your intake of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are stored in the body with water. When you reduce the amount of carbohydrates that you eat, you have a tendency to lose extra water weight. This will make it seem like you’re losing a lot more weight. But, as soon as you start taking in more carbohydrates and/or water, the weight will come back on.

A sensible weight loss program will have you losing no more than an average of 2 pounds per week. If you lose substantially more than that, it is probably water weight that will come back quickly.

To get more information on various fitness and health issues, please go to my site – fitness-after-50.com

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If you have a fitness or nutrition question you would like me to consider answering here in the newsletter, just send your question, along with your first name and city, in an e-mail to mailto:quesandansw@fitness-after-50.com
Obviously, I can't answer every question submitted. I will choose one question each month to answer here.

About Our Services

Online fitness coach Tom Manfredi is the creator of the site "fitness-after-50". This site is designed with the mature adult in mind. There is a lot of information available on the site for anyone looking to start or restart a sensible exercise program. Learn more by going to fitness-after-50.com

To help anyone struggling with the confussion and uncertainty of how to get started on a balanced, sensible exercise program, Tom offers individualized online coaching services at OnLine Coach.

Tom Manfredi, 1218 Easy St., Ste 101, Wickenburg, AZ 85390

Your feedback is always welcome and appreciated! Write me at tom@fitness-after-50.com.

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Copyright © 2005 Thomas D. Manfredi, MS. All rights reserved.