Why It’s Important to Drink More Water
Have you experienced the feeling of being thirsty today? Well then guess what – you are already dehydrated. The sensation of being thirsty does not mean its time to drink more water, it means you have already passed the point of not having enough water – it is your body asking to be rehydrated.
Despite your body composition being made up of roughly 60% water, many individuals still have a very crude understanding of the importance of proper hydration. When we are dehydrated, it has a negative effect on performance and vitality, as well as increases the risk of injury. The scary thing is that many individuals are constantly dehydrated to a certain extent. Here are a few other reasons why you should make the conscious decision to drink more water:
- The most obvious reason- you need water to survive. Depending on what environment you live in, you can only survive a few days without water. Don’t you think this is good enough reason to put drinking water pretty high up on our priority list? You are never too busy to drink more water.
- Enhanced mood. Dehydration can affect your mood, making you cranky and confused. Drinking more water can actually help you think more clearly and maintain a better mood.
- Lose weight. There are times when you might think you are hungry, when you are, in fact, dehydrated. When you ignore that thirsty feeling, your body reacts by sounding every alarm that it can to please send water! For anyone trying to lose weight, staying hydrated is key. Hydration can be an appetite suppressant, can help prevent overeating and optimizes your body’s ability to burn fat.
- Prevent headaches. Headaches can be another sign that your body is dehydrated. Being sure to drink enough water throughout the day can help you avoid those nasty head pains. If you get headaches often and are not sure why, consider the fact that you may not be drinking enough water.
- Less joint pain. Drinking more water softens and hydrates the cartilage around your joints, which can help reduce pain.
- Flush out waste and bacteria. Water is flushed out of your body in the form of urine and sweat – this is the way that your digestive system flushes out waste. If you do not drink enough water, that waste collects in your body and can cause a plethora of problems.
- Glowing skin – Since the skin is the largest organ, giving it enough water can improve the texture and color by helping build new cells properly. Skin also helps regulate the temperature of your body by sweating; it is crucial that you drink water to replace the fluid lost through sweating.
How much water should you be drinking? The generic answer to that question is half of your bodyweight in ounces. For example if you weigh 150lbs, you should be drinking about 75oz of water each day. The easiest way to do this is to get in the habit of carrying a water bottle with you everywhere you go – this will help remind you to keep drinking water throughout the day. If you begin to urinate more frequently and your urine is clear (as opposed to yellow/brown), you are doing something right. Although you can estimate how much water you should be drinking based on the above equation, the only way to truly know how well hydrated you are and exactly how much water your body requires is to perform the Hydration Assessment at CERULEAN. Knowing your numbers will help empower you to make data driven changes to your healthy lifestyle that are tailored to your unique body.
