How’s Your Water Intake?
4 August 2007Three major things that are most often discussed during a massage are derivatives of the words, stretch, breath and water. Stretching for the benefit of healthy tissue, breath for the benefit of healthy tissue and water for the benefit of healthy tissue. Hum.. You would assume we Massage Therapists were in the business of keeping tissue healthy.
Do any of your clients complain about fatigue, headaches, muscle weakness, dizziness or lightheadedness? These along with mild to excessive thirst, little or no urination and dry mouth are signs that your client is dehydrated.
Methods of proper water intake depend on many factors, including where you live, your activity level and your overall health. The body on average consists of around 60% water. The most accepted water intake table is 8 cups of water per day or 64 ounces. Another I have heard is to take your body weight and divide it in half and that is the amount of ounces you should intake per day. For me that would be around 72 ounces, that converts to 9 cups.
It is true you can get part (about 20%) of your daily water dosage through your food intake but not much, and that’s through a proper diet. Your body looses water through breathing, perspiring and digestion. Water intake is necessary, every body system requires water for proper function, for example water carries nutrients to all the cells throughout the body, it provides a moist environment for the proper function of the ears, nose and throat and the MT’s favorite function- flushing toxins out of vital organs.
These facts alone have inspired me to provide a bottle of water to each client at the end of every massage. It only coast a few dollars and gives my customer care one more boost.
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