“Water is the driving force of all nature” -Leonardo Da Vinci
Water, liquid life. It makes up 60% of your body, 75% of your muscles and 85% of your brain. It is the lubricant that intervenes in almost all the chemical processes that take place inside the cells.
Water is clearly the most important nutrient for the human body, yet we often take it for granted. Opt for soft drinks, fruit juices, alcohol, coffee or tea instead of boring old water. That is probably the reason why 75% of Americans suffer from chronic dehydration. There are so many other options!
Interestingly, although water is so important to the body, there isn’t a lot of scientific research devoted to learning more about water and how it affects human health. That’s because water is very cheap for most developed countries. The health benefits of water do not increase the bottom line of the giant pharmaceutical companies that normally fund health research. The few research articles I found were actually done by bottled water companies like Evian, which means even this research can be slightly skewed.
However, water is a necessary and fundamental part of being healthy and its importance should not be underestimated. Making sure you drink the right kind of water and plenty of it is crucial to achieving your health goals. Here are the top 7 reasons to drink more water. let’s dive in
Top 7 reasons to drink more water
#1 – Water helps you lose weight
Everyone wants to look good and be in shape. The EASIEST way to do this is to drink more water. These are the two main ways that water can help you lose weight or maintain optimal weight.
Water reduces cravings
In the center of your brain, there is an area called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is responsible for regulating hormones in the body, controlling body temperature and feelings of hunger and thirst. Since your feelings of hunger and thirst come from the same area of your brain, you can sometimes mistake your thirst for wanting to eat something. That’s why if you have a craving for food, you should try drinking a glass of water and waiting 15 minutes. Most of the time, the craving should go away and you reduce your calorie intake, thus helping you lose weight.
Water Stimulates Your Metabolism (Calorie Burn)
Did you know that drinking water stimulates your metabolism and increases the burning of calories? Especially if you drink cold water. Drinking cold water forces your body to burn calories to warm the water to body temperature. Actually any water you drink needs to be processed and transported to the rest of your body.
Research showed that in 14 healthy and fit people, drinking 500ml of water increased their metabolism by 30% in just 10 minutes. Another study showed that drinking 2 liters of water a day could increase calorie burn by up to 400 calories. A short-term study of overweight women showed that women who drank more than 1 liter of water per day for 12 months lost an additional 4 pounds of weight without any other lifestyle changes.
Water needs to be processed and transported to be used by the body, which requires energy. More energy demand causes an increase in metabolic rate. Just by drinking more water you will burn more fat and become leaner. It’s like the best natural fat loss product. A Zero Calorie food!
#2 – Water increases your mental and physical performance
Fatigue is one of the first signs of dehydration. Even if you lose just 1-2% of your body weight in water, it can affect physical and mental performance. That’s because everything that happens in your body and brain requires water.
physical performance
If you exercise regularly, you need to hydrate even more than the normal sedentary human. You lose water rapidly through sweat and breathing when you exercise. It has been shown that athletes often lose 6-10% of their body weight in water during competition and intense training. Dehydration during training results in reduced stamina, increased fatigue, reduced motivation, and increased perceived exertion. All of which negatively impact performance.
The good news is that proper rehydration reverses all these negative effects and even reduces oxidative stress caused by exercise and dehydration. Be sure to hydrate before, during, and after exercise to aid recovery and maximize performance. A solid workout at max effort also means more calories burned, resulting in a leaner, better you.
mental performance
Even mild dehydration slows cognitive functions such as concentration, alertness, and short-term memory in everyone, including children (10-12 years), young adults (18-25 years), and (50-82 years). ). The brain is 85% water, so staying adequately hydrated is important to ensure the proper functioning of your brain. In the morning, instead of going straight for coffee, try to drink 500 ml of water as soon as you wake up. It will help you start the day with energy and help you move faster. When the afternoon nap starts to creep in, try drowning it out with water. Water, not coffee, is the key to staying energized throughout the day.
#3 – Water improves the health of your skin
The skin is the largest organ in your body and contains 30% water, which contributes to the smoothness and elasticity of the skin. Drinking more water can improve skin thickness and density, helping your skin look younger, smoother, and firmer. Choosing water over inflammatory drinks like sugary sodas, processed fruit juices, caramel macchiatos, and even milk will help you achieve clearer skin. These inflammatory drinks cause spikes in blood sugar that disrupt hormones and lead to unwanted breakouts. Be mindful of what you drink, especially for the sake of your skin.
#4 – Water helps detoxify your body
There are so many toxins that you come into contact with every day from processed foods, household chemicals, environmental pollutants, etc. Your kidney’s job is to filter your blood and remove toxic waste. The kidneys rely on a large amount of fluid available in your body so that even if you lose fluid through your urine, your body can function optimally. Give your kidneys adequate water, they can work efficiently and remove all toxins from your blood. The more dehydrated you are, the harder your kidneys have to work to accommodate all the toxins in a small amount of urine. Which leads to the increasingly darker shades of yellow in the urine. The easiest way to ensure that you are drinking enough water is to drink enough water until your urine is crystal clear. This will help your kidneys to remove toxins from your body efficiently, and you will feel great!
#5 – Water helps minimize joint and muscle pain
Your joints are the hinges where two bones meet. Between the bones is a layer of cartilage that provides a cushion between the bones to prevent friction.
Joints are like sponges. Wet sponges move easily against each other, while hard sponges can rub against each other and break. Drinking plenty of water ensures that your sponges (cartilage) are hydrated and soft, minimizing joint discomfort. That’s what glucosamine and other joint supplements are designed to do: retain more moisture in the cartilage. You can do this naturally by drinking more water.
Muscle pain is a slightly different problem. If you exercise or lift weights, there is a buildup of lactic acid and microtears in the muscle fibers that cause pain. Drinking plenty of water flushes out lactic acid and transports nutrients to your muscles (assuming you’re eating a nutritious diet) that will help repair muscles faster and reduce muscle soreness. Drinking more water means faster and more efficient recovery.
#6 – Water makes you happier
The more water you drink, the better your mood will be. If your body works efficiently with plenty of water, you’ll have more energy and a better mood. A study of 120 healthy college students showed that girls who drank more water on average had less stress, depression, and confusion.
Another study on 30 people who drank five glasses of water a day showed that when the same people were asked to increase their water intake to ten glasses a day, their mood, energy, and satisfaction improved. DRINK MORE WATER, it will make you happy.
#7 – Water helps you digest and defecate
Your digestive tract is where everything goes to enter your body, including water. Keeping this area nice and moist is good for digestion.
Water helps digestion
Everything you eat lands in your stomach first and waits there to be broken down by stomach acid and digestive enzymes. The rate at which digested food passes into the intestines from the stomach is primarily determined by the volume of food and fluid in the stomach at that time. After the stomach breaks down the food, it empties into the small intestine, where most of the nutrients and water are absorbed. The more water that is available, the better the absorption.
However, there is an ongoing debate among health professionals as to whether drinking water with meals positively or negatively affects digestion. For one, it’s theorized that drinking water during meals dilutes stomach acid and enzymes, leading to poor nutrient breakdown and causing limited absorption. On the other hand, drinking water is said to help move food through the digestive tract quickly and smoothly.
So to cover both sides of the argument, this is the best way to drink water for proper digestion.
- Drink plenty of water throughout the day so you don’t have to swallow water just before eating.
- Take small sips of water (preferably room temperature or lukewarm) during meals.
- Be sure to start hydrating again 30 minutes after your meal to give your body time to digest the food you ate.
Water relieves constipation
Constipation is caused by dehydration in the colon. After the water and nutrients from food are absorbed in the small intestine, they pass into the large intestine, also known as the colon. Your colon is where extra water is added or removed to make stool. More water means softer stools, while less water means firmer stools. If you are dehydrated, your colon will absorb more water from your stool, leading to constipation. Women and older adults especially struggle with constipation because they don’t drink enough water and/or drink coffee/tea instead of water.
A study of 3,835 Japanese women aged 18 to 20 showed that low water intake was directly associated with increased cases of constipation. Similarly, in older people, low fluid intake was found to be the direct cause of constipation.
Constipation is a very serious health problem. Ongoing constipation means that you are not removing toxic waste from your body, and most of those toxins are reabsorbed. It leads to bad skin, fatigue and overall poor health. Drink plenty of water to reduce constipation and live a healthier life.
Now that you’re armed with the knowledge of how important water is to empowering the best version of you, make it a habit to drink more water! Simply drinking more water will go a long way toward reaching your health goals. Keep hydrated!