25 Jun Water and Its Importance to Your Health
We all know how important water is to our health. Besides being the 2nd most crucial ingredient to our survival after oxygen, here are a few reasons why water is the hub of life:
- assists with digestion & absorption of food
- protects & moisturizes joints & cartilage
- regulates body temp & blood circulation
- maintains electrolyte balance
- transports nutrients to cells
- removes toxins & waste
- carries oxygen to cells
- helps metabolize fat
- suppresses appetite
To stay properly hydrated you need to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water per day. Add any kind of physical activity to the mix and you’ll need to drink more than the recommended amount to stay hydrated. Drink pure filtered water. Coffee, tea, soft drinks or fruit juices don’t count as water. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. Your body requires straight up H20 to perform its functions. Practically every job the body performs requires this blue gold.
If you find it challenging to consume the proper 2 liters or so of water each day, here are a few tips to help you ramp up your consumption:
- gradually start increasing your water intake by one glass per day until you reach the desired amount, so you don’t feel like you are drowning yourself and are visiting the washroom all day long
- add fruits, vegetables or lemon wedges to flavour the water to make it more interesting (cucumber, mint, berries, orange slices are all good choices)
- start your day by consuming 2 large glasses of water as soon as your feet touch the floor. You’ll fire up your digestive juices and metabolism as well as reduce the amount you need to drink during the rest of the day
This is my #1 recommendation when asked “if you tell me only one thing to improve my health”. I have 10 simple easy strategies to improve health, vitality and energy!
Stay healthy, stay hydrated; drink plently of water!
If you become dehydrated, you may notice dizziness, headaches, cramping, fatigue, stress and/or depression. Symptoms of dehydration are your body’s way of telling you that it is deficient in electrolytes. It is simple to make your own electrolyte enhanced water by adding a pinch of sea salt to filtered water rather than using high sugar sport drinks to replace electrolytes. Coconut water is a convenient alternative to replenishing electrolytes and increasing hydration. Its recent growth in popularity is likely due to its many health benefits; it is loaded with potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, sodium & calcium – the five key electrolytes and it is readily absorbed by the body, contains no added sugar and is fat & cholesterol free.
Cheers to your health & to your full glass,
Sharlene
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