Healthy Diet for December 20 – Check Fluids – Have You Winterized?

As you perspire in the summer heat, drinking to quench your thirst is usually automatic. Now that it’s winter, remember that cold weather can be risky for dehydration, too, and not just for those who sweat from rigorous outdoor winter activities.

Water is part of your body’s cooling system. In very cold weather, as in hot, your body uses water to maintain its normal temperature. Heated, recirculated indoor air dries moisture from your skin. Dry winter air also promotes dehydration. And bundled in layers of clothes, you may perspire a lot, even outside in the cold.

To keep your fluid levels normal any time of year:

• Take regular water breaks. Make that a habit at home, work, or play.
• Keep bottled water handy—at your desk, in your car (if it won’t freeze), when you work out, in your briefcase.
• Drink before, during, and after rigorous activity. Shoveling snow? Skiing or winter hiking? Carry bottled water along.