All I Have Learnt About Water

I am not a water person…in fact I don’t really like drinking water. Mainly because it is tasteless and I am kind of a sweet tooth. I would rather take a sweet liquid instead of drinking water. When I get thirsty I would gulp down soda.

I have noted in the past that I have had small health complaints like once daily backaches towards evenings and headaches late afternoons and easily gaining weight. All these I have found to be helped by drinking water and lots of it instead of fruit juices or soda.

When I began to be conscious about weight, I would drink green tea with a little sweetener… making it taste better (for me, that is). This I have found out is better than not drinking water at all because it is all water.

Our bodies are around 60% water, give or take. It is commonly recommended to drink eight 8 glasses or approximately 2.5lters of water per day. Water is lost from the body by sweating, urinating, breathing, passing faeces, talking and evaporation from the surface of the skin. If you live in a hot climate, or have a very active lifestyle, you would probably need more water to balance the loss.

Health Benefits of Water:

          -Weight loss: Drinking a glass of water before you eat increases satiety and helps you eat less. I have also formed a habit of drinking a glass of water whenever I have a craving…it suppresses hunger. Water also helps eliminating by-products of fat, helps increase metabolism and has zero calories.

          -Elimination of toxins: Increased water intake means increased urination (another thing I used to hate about it) and this means elimination of wastes from the body. Increased urination also helps to prevent urinary tract infections as it helps flush out micro-organisms and prevent kidney stones. It also increases the rate at which you sweat, another method of eliminating wastes.

          -Brain function: Dehydration, even mild dehydration has been found to reduce brain function. The brain is made up of mainly water and a reduction affects concentration, mood and causes frequent headaches.

          -Back pain: The spinal disc core is made up of a large volume of water and dehydration leads to back pain in many individuals. Proper hydration helps keep joints lubricated and muscles more elastic so joint pain is less likely.

          -Constipation: When you don’t drink enough water, the body will still try to absorb the required daily amount to balance the loss therefore causing faeces to be hard. Adequate amount of water intake helps softens faeces and this is also part of the treatment protocol for constipation. It is also important in preventing ulcers, gastritis and heartburn.

          -Regulation of body temperature: Much of the human body is made up of water and is responsible for the regulation of body temperature. Water is lost in hot temperatures from sweating to protect the body from excess heat.

          -Cardiovascular system: Water maintains the blood in the right viscosity thereby preventing excessive clotting and strokes.

Water is important in the normal functioning of the body. It helps carry nutrients, hormones and oxygen to parts of the body that they are needed. It also helps eliminate wastes, toxins from the cells to be ultimately eliminated by the kidneys. It helps to balance the acidity and basicity for the normal functioning of the body. It moisturizes your skin, keeps it fresh, soft, glowing and smooth, it gets rid of wrinkles. It’s the best anti-aging treatment around! It helps to maintain a healthier hair. It also helps to prevents hangover which is caused by dehydration as alcohol acts as a diuretic leading to increased production of urine. Drinking plenty of water helps fight against flu, cancer and other ailments. Overall, it improves the immune system.

Water intake should be increased if you live in a hot climate, exercise a lot, are pregnant or breastfeeding, having a fever, vomiting or having diarrhea.

Ways To Increase Water Intake:

• Add a wedge of lime or lemon to your water. This can help improve the taste and help you drink more water than you usually do.
• Take a glass of water first thing in the morning before eating any form of food.
• Have a glass of water a few minutes before you eat.
• Carry a bottle around all the time.
• Have your water cold… tastes better this way (unless you prefer it warm)
• Choose water when eating out- it is cheaper.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables, it contains more water and it has more health benefits too.