I know that when I started to focus on getting healthy, it was a really daunting task!! Where do I start? What is most important? Exercise? Diet? Supplements? UGH!!!
The most important thing to do when making changes in your daily routine is to start with changing 1 thing at a time!! Drinking water is the simplest and quickest thing to start doing with tons of health benefits!! Our bodies are made of 60% water after all, and every system and organ depends on regular doses of water to function correctly.
Below are a listing of all the benefits of drinking water:
Water helps to regulate body temperature
This keeps us “not too hot” and “not too cold” especially when considering hot summer days.
Water aides in digestion
It keeps bowels moving to prevent constipation. Often times medication will slow bowels due to stealing the water out of the digestive system and causing your body to remove it through the kidneys. Other times, we begin to get dehydrated and start to feel bloating and all the other signs of constipation and never think to drink water. It is always better to start simple before taking another medication (stool softner) to treat the symptoms of the other one (medication with constipation side effects).
Water aides in removing wastes
Wastes and toxins are filtered from the body and washed out through the kidneys through an intricate process. Not enough water in your system and kidneys do not have enough fluid to remove these toxins effectively
Water helps muscle function
Water helps muscle function by delivering necessary nutrients to the muscle cells, removing muscle bi-products, and preventing muscle cramping
Water helps to prevent colds and flu
Water helps by keeping organs and immune system functioning optimally including the kidneys, the liver, and the lymphatic system. All require a certain blood volume and level of hydration.
Water helps with weight loss
Water has a strong effect on appetite control by making the stomach feel full. It is widely known that the brain will at times mistake thirst with hunger and cause you to try a snack. You are always better to try to drink water before eating because that salty craving could just be another way your brain is trying to hold onto fluid in the body. Water helps during fat loss by breaking down fat cells, and helping to increase metabolism as the body systems are working more efficiently and requiring more energy.
Water improves brain function
Water delivers nutrients to the brain just as it does to the other organs and it removes toxins as well. Dehydration can cause problems with focus, memory, brain fatigue, and brain fog as well as headaches, sleep issues, anger, and depression. 1% of dehydration causes a 5% decrease in cognitive function. It can also cause brain cells to shrink in size and mass.
Water helps with fatigue
It does this by making organs work optimally and providing enough nutrients through maintenance of proper blood volume that delivers all nutrients to brain and muscles
Water maintains healthy glow on skin
Drinking water helps due to decreasing dehydration wrinkles by keeping the tissue hydrated and helps to prevent dry skin from the inside out which is very important especially in the wintertime when we are in heated spaces that can cause dehydration
So next time you are craving something to drink, do your body good and drink some water!! It has to be said that there are many benefits especially to drinking water in the first part of the day. It helps to get your system moving again after sleep and helps to remove all the toxins that your body has filtered out during your sleep period. I find that if I start with drinking a bottle of water (or just 16 oz in a cup if you hate to create plastic waste) first thing in the morning, I have a much easier time getting my water in the rest of the day. If you need more tips for incorporating more water into your day, check out my post on 10 Signs you are Dehydrated!
