We all know we should drink more water because we've been told it's good for us.
In this blog I'd like to dive a little deeper and tell you why your body needs water and what happens if it doesn't get enough.
In order for your body to works at it's highest potential it needs to be in a state of homeostasis. Which is another word for being in balane. When your body is in balance it correctly regulates digestion, core body temperature, immune system, blood flow and more. Basically all the systems that run in your body.
It also allows the organs to communicate to each other properly. For instance our brain communicates with our kidneys and tells it how much water to excrete as urine or hold onto for reserves. That's why when you are hydrated your urine will be very light in color, has no smell to it and will flow smoothly. When you are dehydrated your kidney is trying to keep as much liquid inside and this gives you concentrated, yellow and often smelly urine. Generally it is harder to pass this as well.
Alcohol interferes with this process. What happens is that the communication breaks down and the kidney excretes all the liquid coming in. That's why it feels like you have to go to the toilet all the time when you are on a night out drinking. This also causes you to be dehydrated and gives you the nasty head ache in the morning. It is important to drink a glass of water with each glass of alcohol you consume to ensure you don't get dehydrated. Trust me, this helps with the hangover;)
Your kidneys need a adequate amount of water to do it’s job - rid your body of toxins which is a very important task to keep you healthy. If your kidney is not getting enough water toxins can end up in your bloodstream and cause disease. And if you don’t drink enough chronically, you are at higher risk of kidney stones. I've heard these are pretty painful..
Being hydrated can also help with trimming down your caloric intake. Like I always say, I don't want to restrict myself or my clients because it won't work, not in the long run. By drinking more water you'll have less room for for instance sugary beverages. Automatically you'll have less of this. This is the process of crowding out. You add in someting healthy and slowely crowd out the unhealthy habit.
Enough water is important for the health of your muscles. Your muscles consists of 70% water and when you exercise (or just move really) you lose fluids and they need to be replaced. If that doesn't happen you'll experience things as muscle cramping, muscle soreness and muscle shaking. It can also affect your overall performance and recovery. Muscle soreness is normal after an intense workout but you can reduce the pain and lenght of recovery by staying hydrated. You know that feeling after you've climbed a mountain or high hill and your legs are shaking? That is dehydration.
We all know that when our skin is dry it might look wrinkled and patchy. There are 2 reasons why you want hydrated skin. The first one is to look and feel younger. Hydrated skin looks plump and healthy and is more elastic. The second one is that if you skin is dry it easier to damage. Damages skin is more prone to infection and damaged skin can not protect your inside body from outside free radicals. Your skin is the biggest organ and most important to protect all you rother organs from the outside environment.
Are you constipated? Chances are you are dehydrated. Adequate water helps maintain normal bowel function and digestion. When you don't get enough fluid, the colon pulls water from stools to maintain hydration -- and the result is constipation. The same happens when you don't go for your number 2 when you have to and you hold it in too long. By keeping it in your body you signal your colon to get out more liquid and that can lead to painful situation..
Moral of the story: stay hydrated!
Some fun facts:
A sense of hunger is a side effect of dehydration. Are you really hungry when you reach for that snack, or are you dehydrated? (Source: livestrong.com)
By the time you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. (Source: livestrong.com)
Most mature adults lose about 2.5 to 3 litres of water per day. Are you replacing your water loss? (Source: betterhealth.gov.au)
On average food provides about 20% of your total water intake, while the remaining 80% comes from drinking water. (Source: kidney.org.au)
An air traveller can lose approximately 1.5 litres of water during a threehour flight so make sure you’ve got a bottle with you! (Source: betterhealth.gov.au)
Are you struggeling with staying hydrated, do you want to see how easy it really is to stay hydrated? Comment below or book in for a free discovery call today!
Love,
Alka
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