Health Benefits of Drinking Water
Water is the Most Important Beverage You Can Drink
There are so many reasons why your body needs plenty of water to stay healthy. Are you really drinking enough water this summer?
Now that the heat of summer is upon us, we all need to be even more aware of how much water we're drinking. More specifically, we need to make sure we're drinking enough to stay healthy and hydrated.
Our bodies are around ¾ water by volume, and its needed for the proper functioning of most biological processes. Toxins and waste products are flushed out of the kidneys with water, our joints are kept lubricated by water, water aids in digestion and metabolism, and our bodies are kept cool through perspiration.
Some possibly misinterpreted signs of dehydration:
- Heartburn
- Back pain
- Depression
- Moodiness
- Headaches
By the time your mouth is getting dry and you actually feel thirsty, you're already well on your way to dehydration. Drink frequently through the day so that you don't actually ever get noticeably thirsty.
Drinking too little water can actually make our bodies retain fluid, because the lack of water can trigger a survival mechanism that "hoards" water within the tissues. There is nothing worse in the summer heat than bloating from excess water.
Now that you're convinced about how important water is, do you know how much you're supposed to drink each day? Well, you've likely heard the standard of eight 8-oz glasses each day. That's actually pretty accurate, though you should increase that by a few extra glasses each day if you are active or the weather is hot.
Yes, that's a lot of water if you're not used to it (and most people aren't). One handy way to keep track of what you've had, and to motivate you to keep drinking, is to take a large pop bottle (the 2 litre size) and fill it with water in the morning. Leave it in the fridge, and aim to finish it before the end of the day.
It's best to drink plain water, rather than pop, coffee or other sweetened drinks. Coffee or alcohol will actually make you lose more water, and pop and juice will start to pad on the calories if you drink them all day long.
Take a bottle of water with you when you go out, for easy rehydrating. I'd suggest getting a good quality water bottle that you can refill yourself, instead of buying water in single serve bottles. All that plastic is bad for the environment. But if you do need to buy water, you should know what all those different kinds of water really are.
I've often added a few drops of liquid stevia to a glass of water to sweeten it, when I'm just not in the mood for plain water. It's an herbal sweetener that is very powerful, only a couple drops will do. No calories either.
