Sunday, July 27, 2025

IT’S HOT! Keep Hydrated©

 


Author’s note -- I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

IT’S HOT!  The ‘Dog Days Of Summer’ are here, so keep hydrated.  Whether you’re working outdoors or sitting in your car, it’s HOT!  When it’s hot , you sweat, and when you sweat you get dehydrated.  So what should you do to keep the fluid levels up?

 



But how much water do you need to keep your motor running cool?  Activity level dramatically changes the volume of fluids that you need.  In a temperate climate when at rest, the average adult weighing 154 pounds (70 kg) will need about 3 quarts or liters of water each day.  Of this half, or 1½ quarts (liters) of water, is needed each day just for normal body processes, not including losses through sweating and respiration.  Doing moderately heavy work, like hiking over rough ground for several hours, the average adult will need approximately four to six quarts (liters) of water each day.  The same person performing very heavy work, like hiking on rough ground, carrying a heavy load for several hours, will need about six to fifteen quarts (liters) of water per day!


 

Your body size and gender also play an important part in determining your daily water requirements, since in general the larger you are the more energy is required for any activity and the more waste heat you will generate.  On average men are larger and heavier than women and therefore need more water each day. 

 



According to Karthik Kumar, a writer for MedicineNet, the minimum you should drink daily is half an ounce to an ounce of water per day for each pound you weigh.  For the mythical average 154 lb. (70 kg) person, this means that they need between 77 to 154 ounces ( 2,277 to 4,454 ml) or between 2 to 4 quarts (liters) of fluid daily.

 

Plain water is often the best choice for general hydration, and in most cases, drinking plain water is sufficient to rehydrate you, when you are only mildly dehydrated.  Other alternatives like oral rehydration solutions (ORS) may be better under certain specific conditions.  Gatorade is also, often used for rehydration, it is designed to replenish fluids, electrolytes (like sodium and potassium), and carbohydrates (in the form of sugar) lost during strenuous physical activity.  The sugar in Gatorade will not dehydrate you, however if you want a drink with less sugar, dilute your Gatorade with water, on a 1:1 basis.

 

If you are going to get physical during the ‘dog days’ of summer heat, remember to hydrate, hydrate, HYDRATE!

 

I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Sources

 

Conover, Keith, M.D.; “Crevice Entrapment: Medical Aspects”, Wilderness Medicine Newsletter, March/April 1995, pages 5 to 7, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED398001.pdf, accessed July 26, 2025

 

Conover, Keith, M.D.; “Oral Fluids and Cave Rescue”, Wilderness Medicine Newsletter, March/April 2000, pages 4 to 5, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED448991.pdf, accessed July 26, 2025

 

Kumar, Karthik, MBBS; “How Much Water Should You Drink Based on Your Weight?”, [© 1996-2025 WebMD, LLC], https://www.medicinenet.com/how_much_water_to_drink_based_on_your_weight/article.htm, accessed July 26, 2025

 

Mitchell ,Major Glenn W., M.D. and Wein, Captain Robert W., M.D.; “Dehydration, Heat Illness and Army Aviation”, United States Army Aviation Digest, Issue 7, July 1985, pages 28 to 29, https://books.google.com/books?id=VFyZUcPZS3QC&pg=PA29&dq=hydration+aviation&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiIxu6nwNqOAxUiSjABHXRTB4AQ6AF6BAgJEAM#v=onepage&q=hydration%20aviation&f=false, accessed July 26, 2025

 

Rance, Harry, M.D., “The Heat is On”, FAA Aviation News: A DOT/FAA Flight Standards Safety Publication, Volumes 27-29, July-August, 1988, https://books.google.com/books?id=WHi7YSZZ_aQC&pg=RA3-PA13&dq=dehydration+aviation&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj1-6T6x9qOAxWyGVkFHTO1JZcQ6AF6BAgOEAM#v=onepage&q=dehydration%20aviation&f=false, accessed July, 26, 2025


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