Drinking more water has been something I’ve been working on for some time. Although I’m definitely getting better at it, a little reminder of why it’s such an important habit won’t go amiss.
- Water is essential for our survival and we can’t last long without it. At best we might manage a week but severe dehydration from extreme overheating can kill a person in just a few hours.
- We lose water all the time through breathing, sweating and of course, going for a wee. Our bodies are made up of around two thirds water and we need to keep that store well and truly stocked up.
- While we do get some water from other drinks and our food, especially those lovely fruits and veggies, water is by far the most effective way to hydrate our systems.
- While we’re on the subject of other drinks…many of them, think your carbonated canned in particular, are just not doing your teeth any good. Whereas drinking water cleans your mouth out and increases your levels of saliva, this in turn helps to prevent tooth decay.
- Drinking lots of water helps our bodies to flush out waste more efficiently and who wants all those nasty bits and pieces hanging around any longer than necessary.
- As well as flushing out the waste, water helps our bodies to move nutrients around much more easily ensuring that all our organs get what they need to function at their best.
- Water helps our bodies to regulate temperature and ensure that we don’t overheat. It’s also important in cold weather too. Wearing lots of layers can lead to increased respiration and water loss and that cosy central heating can be very drying.
- Especially close to my heart this one…drinking lots of water can also help with back pain. Water cushions and lubricates our joints and protects us from injury. Having lived with the challenge of recurrent back pain for the last twenty years, I am sure that when I drink more water, the pain is less likely to occur and if it does, I can live with it just that little bit easier.
- Drinking more water can save you money. Carrying around your own water bottle and refilling it from the tap will reduce the need to spend money on canned drinks, take-away coffees and bottled water. It all adds up.
- And if you avoid commercially bottled water for the most part, the environmental benefits can really add up too. There are many gorgeous recycled and reusable water bottles available these days, go on, grab yourself a lovely.
- Drinking water can help with losing weight. Down a big glass of water before a meal and it can help you feel fuller and more satisfied without eating as much. Water also speeds up your metabolism helping your body to deal with the food more efficiently…it’s a win, win.
- Water is great for your skin. All our organs work better when they are properly hydrated and the skin is our largest and most visible organ. Keep that beautiful skin well-watered and it is less likely to become dry and wrinkly.
- And along with warding off the wrinkles and keeping you looking younger, water can make you feel younger too. Well, maybe not younger exactly, but certainly more energised and ready for action. Without enough water we begin to feel sluggish and find it difficult to motivate ourselves, but when properly hydrated our bodies feel refreshed and revitalised.
- Water is great for the mind too. Drinking more water aids our concentration, helps us to focus on important tasks and think more clearly. When we feel ourselves getting irritable and muddled, reach for a glass of the good stuff and give those brain cells a boost.
Are you drinking enough water? Let me know in the comments what benefits you have noticed from drinking more water and keeeep drinking x