When we think about healthy eating and living we often think about our exercise plan, our diet, even cutting or counting calories. What we often forget is the importance of what we drink. Fluids are vital to the body on a daily basis. When we think of keeping ourselves hydrated we must think beyond our bottle of water. 

The key to keeping hydrated has three parts. 

Fluid: First is the amount of fluid we take in. When we think of fluid we are not limited to just the actual water we drink. Our body gets fluid from juices, coffee, tea, even the foods that we eat like fruits and vegetables . Most people do well meeting their fluid needs by letting their thirst guide them. 

Sodium and Potassium: The second part of the hydration balance is the amount of sodium and potassium that is in our diet. These two minerals directly affect the hearts function. Sodium tends to increase blood pressure. While potassium will tend to moderate the effect of sodium on blood pressure. How these affect hydration is that our diets tend to be higher in sodium and lower in potassium. As we exercise we eliminate both sodium and potassium in our sweat. We need to be mindful that we replace not just fluid but the correct amount of sodium and potassium on a daily basis. 

Exercise: Which brings us to the third part of the hydration balance. When we exercise we increase our fluid losses through sweating. But what is the best source of fluid. The answer actually depends on what type and how long you exercise. The general rule of thumb is that if you are exercising for less than an hour water is fluid of choice. If you are exercising for longer than an hour or are doing a high intensity workout then either diluted fruit juice (half juice half water) would be a good choice. Full strength juice can cause cramping or diarrhea. Sport drinks are popular, but we must remember that sports drinks were designed for athletes participating in intense endurance events ( think Olympics). Most of our exercise programs do not fit in to that category. For the majority of people water remains the best fluid replacement choice. 

So whether we are daily walkers, an aerobic class groupie, or a runner we must all remember to keep up with our fluid intake. The best way to make sure we get enough fluid is to have a good variety of beverages throughout the day and monitor the amount of salt in our diet.