It is very important to drink plenty of water, not only during the warmer months, but to ensure the proper functioning of almost every system in your body. We take a look at the vital role water plays in your body.
Water is the most important food in our diet. It performs numerous vital functions in your body. These include removing toxins and waste from our body, maintaining blood circulation, providing other nutrients where needed, and regulating our internal body temperature. The benefits of water can be felt throughout our body, from our digestive system to our skin and hair. While our body loses water through urination, sweating and breathing, we need to maintain our liquid balance by putting back the water we lost by drinking plenty of water.
How much water should I drink a day?
Currently the recommended water intake levels are about 2 liters for women and 2.5 liters per day for men. You can see that this is written in other sources as eight cups of water per day (or ten cups for men). In the summer months, higher temperatures mean you lose more water, and you need to drink more water to keep up with that. In the winter months, you may not need to drink as much as in the warmer months, but it is equally important not to be dehydrated. It’s also really important to drink plenty of water before, during and after your exercises, especially during the warmer months, to replace the fluid loss in dynamic activities.
Other nutrients you consume during the day (tea, soup, fruit, vegetables, etc.) also play a role in meeting your daily water needs. It is best to avoid carbonated beverages or a large amount of juice for meeting the need of water, since they contain sugars and additives that are not useful in high volumes. But, if you got bored of plain water, you can sweeten it by adding nutrients like lemon and cinnamon to the water, or you can try herbal teas. Many fruits and vegetables are also important to meet your water needs, as they have a high-water content.
The Main Benefits of Water for Our Health
Drinking enough water is absolutely necessary for a healthy and happy body. Good hydration has numerous benefits, but we’ve put together the top five to help you stay motivated:
1. Drinking water can help you control your appetite
If you want to lose weight or just want to stay healthy, drinking water suppresses your desire to overeat. Whether you’re focused on weight loss or not, any healthy eating program should include at least eight glasses of water (or other fluids) a day.
Since about 20% of your fluid intake comes from the foods you eat, water-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables should form a large part of your diet. Foods with high water content are actually more satisfying, meaning that they can prevent your eating habits between the meals.
2. Water energizes your muscles
Having the right balance of water and electrolytes in your muscles helps your muscles perform at their best. That’s why it’s important to drink plenty of water before exercising and keep your fluid intake high during and after the exercise. Drinking water regularly helps you to replace what you have lost by sweating.
3. Drinking enough water contributes to the beauty of your skin
Dehydrated skin is more likely to appear dry and wrinkled. You can combat this by increasing your fluid intake.
4. Water is vital for your kidneys
Your kidneys clean your blood and get rid of the waste from your body by sending it into your urine. As long as you drink enough water, your kidneys can easily remove toxins such as nitrogen from your body. You can easily tell if you have drunk enough water from your light-colored and odorless urine. If you are dehydrated for a long time, you will be more susceptible to problems such as kidney stones. A good hydration will also reduce your risk of urinary tract infection.
5. Water helps your bowels work smoothly Drinking enough water helps your digestive system function properly. Lack of water can cause uncomfortable problems such as constipation. We understand more and more how important bowel health is to both our physical and mental health. Fibrous foods and plenty of water are the best combinations for the proper functioning of the bowels.