About Helen Moon:
Helen Moon, is a CIM qualified events and marketing director with an eclectic mix of experience in the events industry that spans 21 years and includes event production, venue operations, proactive sales and digital marketing. Helen is known for her role as CEO and Founder of EWL Club, Editor of the Diary of an #Eventprof blog, and now Managing Director of EventWell Ltd and co-founder of #EventWell17 and UK Event Wellbeing Week.
Water, l’eau, wasser, acqua, mizu, ma’an, it doesn’t matter what language you speak or where you live in the world, everyone needs water and it’s as essential to our survival as the air that we breath.
But even when it’s something that we probably take for granted in western civilisations, are we really drinking enough of the clear stuff?
Water is essential to ensure that our body and minds stay healthy and work for us as they should.
According to health organisations around the world around 60% of the human adult body is water, the brain and heart are composed of 73% water, the lungs are about 83%, skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys are 79%, and even bones are watery: 31%. so just from this figures alone it’s very clear why it’s so important.
You’ll have heard lots of guidelines; 8 glasses of water a day, 2 litres being the most common out of all that circulate.
The truth is it can be different for different people and not everyone needs to drink this much to stay healthy, and there are even some people who may need to drink more.
Age, gender, lifestyle, weather and climate, like with other things such as diet and sleep can affect how much you should be drinking individually and daily.
NHS guidelines in the UK actually state 1.2 litres a day or 6-8 glasses for a climate like ours to stop us getting dehydrated.
There are others that advise that you should aim to drink between half an ounce and an ounce of water for each pound you weigh, and with 8-ounce glass being equal in size to a 1 cup measure it’s not a scary amount.
If you’re an active person increase this slightly, maybe you’re a breast-feeding mum, again you’ll need to increase this. When I was breastfeeding in the early days I was needing 2.5 litres a day to keep myself and my little one hydrated.
A key sign that you‘re drinking enough water is that you’ll get through the day without feeling thirsty or even noticing that you need a drink, your skin will look clear and bright, and you’ll generally feel healthier for it too. Drinking enough water has also been associated with maintaining a healthy weight as you’ll feel less hunger if you’ve drank the amount your body needs.
Signs that you’re not? First off you’ll feel overly thirsty, probably suffer from headaches, feel lethargic and tired, your skin will be dry, you may even start to experience joint pain and even sickness.
Another key indicator of your hydration level is the colour of your urine, the lighter in colour, clear or pale yellow the more hydrated you are, darker in colour you could do with a top up. This is a really easy and visible way to keep a check.
So how much are you drinking? Truthfully?
By depriving yourself of the world’s most natural resource you’re continually at risk of damaging your body and mind, so I recommend you treat yourself and reach for a glass of the H2O right now.
EWL Club are hosting an Industry Meetup in the VIP Rockstar Bar at CHS18. If you want to join in and meet 200+ venues, hotels and event suppliers then you best get yourself to CHS18 on the 24th of April!
Best of all? Tickets are complimentary. That’s right – you don’t have to pay a single penny to get in on all of the exciting action. It’s a good idea to register ASAP so you don’t miss out.