Water… it’s absolutely necessary for our bodies to function properly. Water makes up 75% of our bodies. It’s in our brain, our muscles, our cells, it’s everywhere! It would only make sense that we need to drink water in order to survive.
To name a few roles, water is essential for breathing, digestion, temperature regulation, and detoxification. We simply cannot live without it. The sad truth is that dehydration is much more common than you might think.
Did you know that about 5% of the world’s population dies from dehydration every year? To think that lives could be saved by the simple act of drinking more water; something we take for granted every single day.
The key to avoiding dehydration is drinking water before you become thirsty. The minute you feel a sensation of thirst, you are already dehydrated. Granted, there are many different levels of dehydration but at any level, it is detrimental to our bodies.
Two of the most common symptoms of dehydration are headache and fatigue. Now I don’t know about you, but those are two symptoms that I hear most people complain about multiple times a day. Other symptoms of dehydration include muscle cramps, increased heart rate, increased body temperature, decreased perspiration, and also decreased urination. An easy way to tell if you are drinking enough water is by the color of your urine. The sign of a well hydrated body is clear urine. The exception being the first urine of the day tends to have a yellow color due to the fact that our body cleanses and detoxifies itself at night.
The most common misconception about water is how much we should be drinking everyday. The number that you want to live by is 34 ounces of water for every 50 pounds of body weight. Do the math and determine how much water YOU should be drinking everyday for your body. The common 8 glasses of water a day is so general and nonspecific to the individual. Know what is right for your body and what the proper amount is for you to be consuming everyday.
What you drink is almost, if not more important that how much you drink. Soda, fruit juices, caffeinated tea, and coffee do not count towards fluid intake. Any type of caffeinated beverage actually dehydrates you because it acts as a diuretic which means it makes you urinate more frequently while pulling electrolytes from your body. Let me ask you this, what do you think is the best option for hydration?
Coconut water! Coconut water is the best re-hydrant because it matches the exact electrolyte profile of our blood plasma. How cool is that? Coconut water was used during WWII for blood transfusions because it is that perfect for our bodies. So skip the Gatorade and grab some coconut water, you won’t be disappointed. It tastes delicious too!
If you are drinking bottled water, it must be remineralized. When water is filtered and bottled, it is stripped of the wonderful trace minerals our bodies need such as magnesium, chloride, sodium, and more. You can remineralize your water with trace mineral drops which can be found at any health food store. Drinking plain water can get boring for some folks so I suggest adding lemon juice and slices of cucumber to your water. Those two things really give it a lot of flavor and not to mention added health benefits!
I highly recommend using a reusable water bottle. When you carry around a reusable water bottle you can keep track of your water intake and you always have water available to you wherever you go! My favorite water bottle is by Life Factory. They are made with glass but have a protective sleeve around it to avoid breakage. It’s a great product! You can check out their website and buy their product at www.lifefactory.com.
Sometimes people find it hard to incorporate drinking more water so here’s any easy trick. Drink 8 ounces of water when you first wake up in the morning and drink another 8 ounces before you go to bed. That’s an added 16 ounces of water everyday just like that! If you’re feeling bold go for 16 ounces in the AM 🙂
On top of all the other health benefits, water is also a great tool for weight loss. Flushing out toxins and waste matter from our body will help shed those stubborn extra pounds. You would be surprised at the results you see from simply drinking more water. I guarantee that the more water you drink the more energy you will have and the better your body will function. Water is something so simple that we don’t even think about as being essential for optimum health. So pour yourself a tall glass of water and drink the benefits!
In health,
