Why
Your body is made of mostly water.
Drink Water?
Water adds shape to your cells, to the
flow of minerals and nutrients, and
helps control hunger. We need water.
Water and Your Body
• Your blood is approximately 92 percent water, bones are 22 percent water, the
brain is 75 percent water, and muscles are 75 percent water.
• Water comprises the majority of every cell in your body.
• Water is the biggest part of your blood and lymph systems, which carry food and
oxygen to the cells and carry away the body’s waste.
• Water helps flush your kidneys of toxic substances.
• Water assists in balancing your electrolytes, which help control blood pressure.
• Water helps moisten your eyes, mouth and nasal passages.
• Water keeps your body cool when it is hot and insulates your body from cold.
• Water acts as a shock absorber to cushion your body’s organs.
• Water helps lubricate joints.
• Water can provide many of the trace minerals your body needs.
Water Improves Your
Overall Health
and Well-Being
• By maintaining blood volume, water helps maintain your energy.
• Proper hydration improves your concentration and reaction time.
• Water increases the number of calories you burn during regular daily activities.
• Water helps rid your body of excess sodium that can cause fluid retention.
• Water increases energy when you exercise.
Water’s Potential Role
in Weight Loss
• Because we often mistake thirst for hunger pangs, we tend to eat snacks, when
in reality, our bodies might just need hydration.
• Water helps your body reduce fat deposits.
© 2012 Viridian Health Management, LLC
Water’s Role in Illness
and Disease Prevention
Studies show there may be links between high water
consumption and a reduction in the risk of:
• Colds
• Constipation
• Urinary tract infections
• Kidney stones
• Bladder cancer
Water’s Role
in How You Look
Because water reaches the skin last, if your body’s organs are not
well hydrated, your skin will feel and show the effects more than
any other organ. Enough water delivered to your skin means skin
is:
• Smoother
• Softer
• More supple
• More wrinkle-free
How your environment effects hydration
The environment you live and work in can place added stress on your body. Physical activity
and temperature combine to effect your internal thermostat, changing the amount of energy
needed to complete any task.
When your internal body temperature is raised by your environment and activity, the following
symptoms may result:
• Heat rash
• Dehydration
• Heat exhaustion
• Heat stroke
When your internal body temperature is lowered you may experience:
• Frostbite
• Hypothermia (extremely low body temperature)
• Exercise induced asthma
• Dehydration
The best ways to avoid these symptoms and help your body control its temperature is to dress
appropriately and to hydrate. Remember to drink a minimum of eight 8-ounce glasses of water
a day.
Sources used to compile this list include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Cancer
Society, the American Dietetic Association, the American Heart Association, and the Water Quality Association.
Your Drink Choice Matters!
What do you drink with your meals? If it’s usually soda, Kool-Aid, sweetened
iced tea, lemonade, fruit juice or fruit punch, you may be getting a lot of extra
calories your body doesn’t need.
Many of these drinks are loaded with sugar, which can add unwanted pounds and
make blood sugar go up. Although it is okay for most people to drink one 4-6 ounce
glass of juice a day, it’s better to eat your fruit instead of drinking it!
Drink
Amount
Calories
Apple Juice
12 oz.
180
Teaspoons of
Added Sugar 0
Grams of
Carbohydrate
45
Lemonade
12 oz.
155
10
41
PowerAde/Gatorade
16 oz.
144
9.5
38
Soda (Coke®)
12 oz.
140
9
39
Kool-Aid®
12 oz.
140
9
39
Sweetened Iced Tea
12 oz.
125
8
33
1% Milk
8 oz.
110
0
12
Capri Sun
9.6 oz.
105
7
28
Propel (by Gatorade)
8 oz.
10
2
3
Crystal Light
12 oz.
8
0
0
Sugar-free Kool-Aid®
8 oz.
3
0
1
Diet Coke®
12 oz.
1
0
1
Unsweetened Iced Tea
12 oz.
1
0
1
Water
12 oz.
0
0
0
Sparkling Water
12 oz.
0
0
0
• Serving sizes are usually 12 ounces. If you are consuming
larger drinks, watch out! A 32-ounce Coke® has 400 calories!
• Explore healthier drinking options. There are many
high-flavor, low-calorie, low-sugar drinks to choose from.
• Aim for eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day to stay well
hydrated.
• Remember, what you drink is as important as what you eat.
© 2012 Viridian Health Management, LLC
Tips for Meeting Your
Challenge Goal
If drinking a minimum of eight
8-ounce glasses of water a day seems
overwhelming, here are some tips
to help you become better hydrated
while meeting your challenge goal!
Making water a part of your day is easy if you add
drinking water to every activity.
Carry a water bottle with you throughout your day whenever
possible, especially when participating in outdoor activities.
Use a water bottle holder across your waist for convenience
when exercising or walking; it is less cumbersome than
holding a water bottle, especially when participating in
outdoor activities.
Two hours before taking a walk or hike, drink at least 16
ounces of water to allow the hydration to pass through your
body. Keep in mind that higher elevations cause your body
to lose even more water. At higher altitudes, drink a cup of
water for every 20 minutes of hiking.
Add flavor to your water. Squirt some lemon juice into your
bottle and keep it cool. It will taste so good, you’ll want more.
Drink water right before a meeting to stay alert. Water
can actually wake your body up and activate your brain,
especially cold water.
If weight loss is your aim, add two liters of water per day
(about four water bottles per day) and you will burn an extra
100 calories per day!
© 2012 Viridian Health Management, LLC
The best advice
for meeting your
challenge goals and
staying hydrated is
simply:
Drink when thirsty! By keeping water available,
you will meet your goals and keep your body
healthy!
Grab your water bottle; Keep it filled up during
the day and drink up!
Keep in mind...
If you drink a lot of soda, now is the time to
trade soda for a refreshing drink of water.
You’ll save many calories. One sweetened soda
serving is 250 calories! If you drink four sodas
a day, that’s 1000 calories you can trade in for
zero calories in water!
Log Your Ounces
Your Challenge Details
Name:________________________________________________
Record Your Total Ounces
Week 4
Week 1 Total:______________ Week 2 Total:______________
Week 3
Date:_____________________ Team:_______________________
Week 2
Week 3 Total:______________ Week 4 Total:______________
Ounces per Day
Week 1
Copyright © 2012 Viridian Health Management, LLC
Using the table below, keep track of the ounces you consume each
day. At the end of the week, log your total for the week.
Quench Your Thirst Log
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Total Ounces
Drink to your health and Quench Your Thirst with Water!
Why do you need water? It’s necessary for digestion and the absorption
of vitamins and nutrients. Water also detoxifies the liver and kidneys,
carrying away wastes. When it comes to digestion, it’s just not
happening without water.
If you are dehydrated, your blood thickens, causing your body to
work harder to circulate your blood. As a result, your brain
becomes less active, you have difficulty concentrating, and you
feel tired.
Many of us are chronically dehydrated because we drink
coffee, tea, soda and other beverages containing caffeine,
which prompts the body to release water. Even worse, when
we are dehydrated, we may not know what to drink.
The answer is simple... drink water!
Set a Goal
to
drink at least eight
f water each da
8-ounce glasses o
y!
Why drink more water?
Without chemicals, additives, or anything unnatural, a steady dose of
eight glasses of water a day will:
• Improve your energy
• Help you lose weight
• Remove toxins and waste products
• Improve your mental state
• Keep skin healthy and glowing
• Reduce headaches and dizziness
• Allow for proper digestion
• Increase physical performance
Studies show there may be
Sweetened beverages have
a link between high water
contributed significantly to the
consumption and a reduction
obesity epidemic in the United
in the risk of:*
States. Drinking an average of one
• Urinary tract infections
• Colds
• Constipation
• Kidney stones
• Bladder cancer
sweetened beverage or cola per day,
with no other dietary or physical
activity changes, will lead to a 10
pound weight gain over one year!
So Choose Water!
*Sources include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Cancer Society, the
American Dietetic Association, and the Water Quality Association.
Tips for
Meeting Your Goal
to Quench Your Thirst
When you have a junk food craving, down a glass of water immediately. You will feel
full quickly and avoid excess calories while allowing time to pass and the craving to
fade.
Make it convenient; fill a big, plastic, insulated water bottle and keep it on your desk.
Reach for it all day. Use a straw and you’ll drink more!
When you have juice (apple, grape or orange), fill half the glass with water.
Have one glass every hour on the hour while at work. When the workday is done,
you’ve met your water quota.
Substitute a cup of hot water with a drop of honey for tea or coffee.
After each trip to the restroom, guzzle an eight-ounce glass to replenish your system.
Don’t allow yourself a diet soda until you’ve had two to four glasses of water. You will
find you won’t want the soda anymore, or half a can will be enough.
Drink two full glasses at each meal, one before and one after. Also, drink one glass
before each snack so you don’t eat as much.
Carry a small refillable water bottle at all times and drink during downtime: while
waiting in a bank line, sitting on the train, in traffic, etc.
Bring a two-liter bottle of water to work and try to drink it all before you leave work.
If you don’t finish, drink it in traffic on the way home - it’s a race.
Always keep a 24-ounce bottle of water handy while watching TV, doing laundry,
working in the yard, making dinner, etc.