The Importance of Staying Hydrated

Teachers, do not underestimate the drinking fountain in the hallway outside your classroom.

While no one will blame you for turning up your nose at fried Tater Tots and fish sticks, you shouldn't pass on water"even if it means navigating a crowd of ravenous students during your lunch hour to get that bottle of Aquafina from the cafeteria vending machine.

"Teachers suffer from dehydration more than other professionals, due to multitasking," says Jane Reinhardt-Martin, a Moline, Illinois, dietician.

Reinhardt-Martin, the author of several healthy cookbooks, recommends teachers bring water to school with them every day. If you already have a relationship with your travel coffee mug, consider forging one with a stainless steel water bottle instead. And remember fruits and veggies contain water; frozen juice bars, too.

The Institute of Medicine (http://www.iom.edu/) says the average man needs about 13 cups of water a day. The average woman needs about nine cups. To better hit these numbers, Reinhardt-Martin suggests forming an association with water by consuming it at a certain time of day or while carrying out routine tasks. Sip while you correct papers or chug during study hall periods. To make hydration even easier, substitute water for soda during the day.

"Anyone who is involved in a job or a position where they have infrequent access to water is at risk for kidney stones," says Peter Beyer, a clinical dietician and instructor at the University of Kansas School of Allied Health. "The fact that teachers are indoors and not as physically active as people in other professions might keep them from drinking enough."

Water flushes away the mineral salts that form kidney stones. To keep calcium from building up, both Beyer and Reinhardt-Martin recommend following the 8 x 8 rule: drink eight, eight-ounce glasses of water a day"an equation you don't have to be a math teacher to remember.

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