Health benefits of drinking water is probably one of the most overlooked healthy habits of all times.
Drinking water is not complicated, because everybody drinks something. The habit starts from an early age. And if you’re making the change now, it’s simply this: when you drink anything, make it one drink. Water. Always.
What we drink effects our health more than most people realize.
Drinking water isn’t only for hydration purposes. It’s also to keep us healthy and functioning at peak performance.
“Water transports all the foodstuffs to the cells, and the operations within the cells occur in a watery medium. Substances in the body have to be maintained in the solution, and secretions and wastes must be carried out of the cells by water. Water regulates the body temperature, adjusting to the water losses and the changes in the surroundings. Four quarts of water are constantly circulating in the body as part of the blood.” Agatha M. Thrash, M.D. Preventive Medicine.
Health benefits of drinking water start at childhood.
I was raised drinking water.
It was such a habit, that the idea of drinking anything besides water was mind boggling to me as a child.
I saw other kids drinking soda or juice mostly. I preferred water, (still do).
We are all adults now, and guess what? I still drink water, and they still drink soda, juice and other beverages that aren’t water.
What we do as kids, we do as adults.
So keep this in mind, parents, when you’re baby is coming off the bottle and transitioning to other drinks and foods. Introduce water.
Think about what you grew up drinking, and think about your taste preferences now. Does it correlate?
1. Water helps maximize physical performance.
If you are an athlete, dancer, singer, or any sort of performer or work an intensely laborious job, you need water for peak performance.
Weight training, running, or anything that requires some sort of physical performance, water is your ticket.
Water makes up a greater percentage of body mass than any other substance, including muscle, which is about 80% water. Water also helps fill the spaces inside our cells, outside our cells, and in all our major vessels.
With so much of our body being made up of water, it is important to keep it replenished, even when you don’t feel thirsty, in order to keep your body working at its best.
2. Water keeps things moving.
Constipation is a sign of not having enough water to drink.
Stopping health issues before they begin is always a much better choice because it is a lot less painful. Often times, literally.
Things are a lot more dramatic for kids, and when mine were small, I cured a lot of their little aches and pains with water. Still do.
Headache? You must not have had enough water. Can’t go to the bathroom? Drink water. Your eyes are dry? Got cramps? Tummy ache? Getting sick? Let’s start with water.
Most of the times when my kids came to me with these minor issues, it was not because they hadn’t had a cup of water in the past 30 minuets. It was because they forgot their water for the majority of the day. Sometimes even now, they’ll complain about minor aches and pains and I ask, “did you get enough water?” and they usually grin sheepishly and find a plethora of excuses as to why they hadn’t had any water that day.
3. Health benefits of drinking water and weight loss.
I am not saying that all you have to do is drink a glass of water and watch pounds fall off.
But . . .
Let’s just do a little fun calculation.
Let’s go with the “typical” known amount of water one should drink in a day to stay hydrated and healthy. (8, 8oz glasses a day.) And let’s change this up with what most people drink instead of water, in a day, and see what we come up with in calories consumed daily.
8, 80z cups of liquid other than water:
One 8oz cup of tea = 2 calories. An 8oz cup of coffee = 1 calorie. A partial can, (8oz) of soda = 150 calories. Orange juice (breakfast perhaps?) 39 calories in just eight ounces.
And, maybe a glass of milk? Add that to your smoothie and you’re just looking at 103 calories without counting all the stuff you put in your smoothie. Now, head off to the gym and drink a large bottle of, let’s say, Gatorade, and you’ve added 50 calories with just 8oz, and nobody drinks just eight ounces of Gatorade during exercise. (At least, not typically).
I haven’t even reached “8 cups” here, and we’re at 345 calories in your drinks for the day.
If you drink the entire bottle of Gatorade, add cream to your coffee, milk to your tea, include what you added to your smoothie, add Champagne to your orange juice and drink a glass or two of wine at night, you easily consume 1,000 calories in a single day’s worth of drinks.
Drink water and watch your waist shrink without even changing the rest of your diet, your exercise program or anything else. This one single change can jump start your weight loss simply by eliminating 600-1,000+ calories per day.
4. Water helps keep you from getting stoned.
Kidney stones, that is.
“. . . kidney and bladder stones . . . is one of the most common diseases of the urinary system. It currently accounts for approximately one hospitalization in every thousand in the United States.” Agatha M. Thrash, M.D. Preventive Medicine.
In her write up about Kidney stone prevention, her number one recommendation was to drink water.
She says that, “Water drinking is not only the safest, but also the best treatment for urinary stones. It should be thought of first as it is imperative that the urine not become concentrated, encouraging stone formation. Patients who are stone formers should drink enough water to produce two to three quarts of urine daily. One quart of water should be taken during the night to maintain good urine flow at all times.”
5. Brain alertness and energy
Health benefits of drinking water even effect your brain’s clarity!
Don’t forget to think before you drink.
Or . . . No, better drink before you think!
Our brains are about 75% water. In order to think fast, be creative, focus and have clarity of thought, your brain needs to be well hydrated.
In order for our brains to function properly, toxic waste has to be removed. This happens with water. Water helps deliver nutrients to the brain that assists in the toxic removal.
Once this happens, our brains will be more alert, and concentration will be much easier.
A little bit of water can go a long way for your brain. It can go so far as to clear away the fog, energize you in the afternoon, ease strong emotions, (depression, anger, stress, etc.) and can also help to keep headaches to a minimum.
If you’re wondering, how much water should I drink? Or, if you struggle to drink water because it just doesn’t taste good, here are 5 Ways to Yummy-Up Your Water!
Cheers to drinking your water!
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The excuse mentality
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until it isn't.
Until you have hit that 200 plus pound mark and find it hard to breathe, bend over and tie your shoes, get in and out of the car, run with your kids, sleep without snoring, etc. Does that really sound like fun? Now you have high blood pressure, heart disease, you hurt everywhere, and have weight issues that are going to take years to set straight.
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