YOU LOOK THIRSTY

HYDRATION AND HEALTH

Did you know that the feeling of thirst means you are already dehydrated? 

Did you know that being dehydrated not only affects your 

internal health 

but your external appearance as well? 

Drinking fluids is vital to maintaining the function of every system in your body, including your heart, brain and muscles, as well as staying healthy and fit. Fluids carry nutrients to your cells, flush bacteria from your bladder, and prevent constipation. So how important is water to your body? Well, up to 60% of the adult human body is made of water. Our organs, muscle and bones all have water in them and need water to function properly.

Dehydration can cause dry, flaky skin, brittle hair and can cause premature aging. If suffer from skin conditions like eczema you could be making it worse by not drinking enough water.

You could ask yourself, ‘Do I really need to drink water? Can’t I just get it from food?’ Yes, NEED to drink water. Food only is not a reliable source of water. You have to drink pure water in order to get the benefits. You can’t substitute water for flavored water, juice or energy drinks. The human body is constantly losing water so it’s important that we replenish it. You lose an average of 1 litres of water every day during normal activities like breathing and talking.

So how much water should you be drinking? Many people don’t know the answer to this and it varies by person and the lifestyle you lead. Active people like athletes and personal trainers drink a full gallon a day, but not everyone is supposed to drink that much. And yes, there is such a thing as drinking too much water. The recommend daily water intake is your body weight divided by 2. The answer is how many ounces of water you should drink per day.

For example, if you weight 50 lb you should drinking a minimum of 2 litres of water per day. Very easy to do -especially now that it’s summer, for those of us in the southern hemisphere. If you are a runner like me, or just lead a very active lifestyle, you should be drinking an extra 8 ounces for every 30 minutes you’re working out every day.

Staying hydrated helps regulate the digestion of your foods and helps to keep you bowel movements regular. If you’re not drinking enough water cause your colon pulls water from your stool therefore increasing your risk of constipation. It also helps take the stress off your kidneys and liver by helping flush waste from your body. This further helps to cleanse your skin, as a result you will notice that your skin become clear, smooth and regains its youthfulness.

Many people spend lots of money to buy cleansers as a weight loss option. But, did you know that water is the best option? And it’s cheap! Not only will water cleanse your organs by flushing out toxins it also helps with permanent and healthy weight loss. Drinking 1 glass of water with lemon in the morning before breakfast helps increase the production of bile in your stomach (This helps rev  up your metabolism). Studies have shown that drinking half a litre of water can increase your metabolism up to 30% for over an hour!

So what are you waiting for? Get yourself a glass of water and drink up! You’ll start noticing the differences almost immediately. Once you get into a habit of drinking water daily you’ll even be able to tell when you’re dehydrated by how you feel and look. Increasing your water intake may feel like a lot of work at first but if you keep doing it will become a habit and become easier. One way to make sure you don’t forget to drink your water is to get a big water bottle and carry it with you wherever you go or keep it at your desk (at work or school). That way you will be reminded to drink keep drinking until you reach your require daily intake. Instead of drinking tea, juice or coffee in the morning, drink your water instead. This is great because it will also help you reduce your sugar intake, which is also vital for weight loss and staying healthy. So do yourself a favor and start drinking more water today. Your body and skin will thank you for it.

Stay Hydrated, stay healthy.

Cheers!