Summer is here and it’s finally getting hot. (Yes, finally… if you live in Portland) So it’s more important than ever to remember to keep hydrated. I find myself glued to my water glass, and here’s why.
Our bodies are mostly water. So it would make sense that we need it to survive. Lots of it! Often times we suffer from a lack of water and don’t realize it’s related. For example, headaches, acne, tiredness, poor athletic performance. And there are countless more. Point being, we are made of water, and these are [just a few reasons] why we need it:
- Weight loss
Water is one of the best tools for weight loss, first of all because it often replaces high-calorie drinks like soda and juice and alcohol with a drink that doesn’t have any calories. But it’s also a great appetite suppressant, and often when we think we’re hungry, we’re actually just thirsty. Water has no fat, no calories, no carbs, no sugar. Drink plenty to help your weight-loss regimen.
- Heart healthy
Drinking a good amount of water could lower your risks of a heart attack. A six-year study published in the May 1, 2002 American Journal of Epidemiology found that those who drink more than 5 glasses of water a day were 41% less likely to die from a heart attack during the study period than those who drank less than two glasses.
Being dehydrated can sap your energy and make you feel tired — even mild dehydration of as little as 1 or 2 percent of your body weight. If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated — and this can lead to fatigue, muscle weakness, dizziness and other symptoms.
- Headache cure
Another symptom of dehydration is headaches. In fact, often when we have headaches it’s simply a matter of not drinking enough water. There are lots of other causes of headaches of course, but dehydration is a common one.
- Healthy skin
Drinking water can clear up your skin and people often report a healthy glow after drinking water. It won’t happen overnight, of course, but just a week of drinking a healthy amount of water can have good effects on your skin.
- Digestive problems
Our digestive systems need a good amount of water to digest food properly. Often water can help cure stomach acid problems, and water along with fiber can cure constipation (often a result of dehydration).
Water is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products from the body.
- Cancer risk
Related to the digestive system item above, drinking a healthy amount of water has also been found to reduce the risk of colon cancer by 45%. Drinking lots of water can also reduce the risk of bladder cancer by 50% and potentially reduce the risk of breast cancer.
- Better exercise
Being dehydrated can severely hamper your athletic activities, slowing you down and making it harder to lift weights. Exercise requires additional water, so be sure to hydrate before, during and after exercise.
- And last but not least
(This is mine, not from the article) You’ll burn extra calories running back and forth to the water cooler and bathroom more often. You can maximize this by taking the longest rout possible. A few months ago I started going down a back hallway, up a flight of stairs, across the building and back. Across the day, my more frequent water and restroom trips added up to almost 100 calories burned! That’s 500 extra calories in a work week! No joke!
I, for one, notice a huge difference in many things when I keep properly hydrated. It can be a task but the many many many benefits are well worth it! So grab your water jug and drink up!
Do you get your 8 glasses a day? More/less? Do you notice a difference? How do you remember to keep hydrated?
Read more about drinking water and how to make it a habit, here.
- How to Drink More Water (and Why You Should) (lifehack.org)
- 11 reason why we should drink water (some are surpising) (couponingwithkimberly.wordpress.com)
- How Much Water Should You Drink During Your Workout? (self.com)
- For Best Results Add Water (cmbratcher.wordpress.com)