I think most people know that our bodies are 60-70% water, but did you know that our bodies also NEED water to function efficiently and effectively? While we can go three weeks without food, you cannot go more than three days without water. Did you know that the daily value for water intake is 1/2 your body w
eight in ounces? (ie 150# = 75oz/water/day).
With every new client, I am asking about what their fluid intake looks like, most importantly, water. From a pelvic floor physiotherapist perspective, this is especially important. Why? Well, did you know that having too little water in your system can have a dramatic effect on urinary urgency, frequency and leakage? Constipation? Pelvic pain?
When there is acidic urine in your bladder, the muscle around the bladder, the detrusor, begins to contract in an effort to expel the urine from the body due t
o the irritation of the bladder lining. This leads to greater urinary urgency and frequency. It seems counterintuitive to add water to an already overactive and/or leaky bladder, but in fact, the more hydrated urine will allow the bladder to stretch a lot easier without irritation leading to reduced urgency, frequency and leakage. While this is not 100% the solution to resolving these types of bladder complaints, it's most certainly a piece of the puzzle.
The less water you have in your system means harder, more compact poop. While fiber and magnesium both play a role in aiding with softer stools, water has a huge impact on one's bowel movements.
And what about pain? How could water possibly have an effect on muscle pain? Well, circling back to the first paragraph of this blog, you'll recall we talked about how much water compromises ever cell of our being: 60-70%. With reduction in water, muscle tissue becomes desiccated or dried out. This reduces how well muscles can contract and relax and simplistically, results in muscle pain.
So, how much water are you drinking? Tally it up to find out and start adding more water to your daily routine bit my bit and revel in the positive changes in your body. Water: it's so simple, who knew?