The human body is made up of about 60 percent water but yet drinking enough water is not our top priority daily. The harsh reality is that we often leave ourselves dehydrated. Even more, than half of the earth’s surface is covered with water. Perhaps it’s nature telling us how important water is for us, but humans aren’t paying attention. Until recently when we came to see that almost every other person in America is carrying water bottles around. This happened when the benefits of water were a bit oversold. But hey don’t let that put your water bottle away because the benefits of water are still there. And besides, the body needs water to function properly and keep on going. You might have heard that physical exercises like HIIT are good for weight loss. Or you should train MMA in MMA spats and rash guard and see the pounds shed. But you probably wouldn’t have heard that drinking more water would contribute or help with weight loss. Have you? Today we are going to discuss the importance of water and what benefits it has for us.
Water Keeps Our Kidneys Healthy
Our body produces a lot of toxic waste that we have to get out. The main components are blood, nitrogen, and water waste. Those two and other toxins have to be excreted in the urine, but for that, it has to pass through the kidneys. This is where the body is cleansed of these toxins. To make this process happen we have to drink water otherwise the kidneys have problems excreting these fluids.
The job of water is also to take these toxins out from the body in the form of urine. If there would be low water consumption, urine color, odor, and flow would be bad. Insufficient water can lead to health problems like kidney stones etc., as they would have to store the toxic fluid for body functions.
It Helps Control Calories
Water does not have a direct or magical effect on weight loss or muscle gain. But it is important for the body in many ways which helps it loses weight, burn fat, and gain mass. Using water instead of other drinks is however directly healthy and prevents the body from making extra calories that directly contribute to increasing the waistline. Drinking more water before the meals gives a full feeling, hence you won’t overeat.
Foods with more water in them like broth-soup, oats, fruits, and veggies help us feel full without giving us too many calories, this prevents us from eating more chance trimming calories more. Of course, you would have to work out too. If you want to lose weight fast, then try MMA, wear those shorts and gloves, and get there. If that is not your thing, try HIIT it’s fast and efficient, or you can go for weight and resistance training, gaining lean muscle, and losing fat simultaneously.
Improve physical performance
Water in many ways helps improve your performance for physical exercise and sports etc. It gets more oxygen to the muscles which are being worked on, so it performs better. Drinking water about 20 or 30 minutes before working out helps regulate temperature better. That way you can keep on working out or playing sports for longer without getting exhausted. Studies say that less water in our body makes the heat strain less tolerable, which affects our performance directly when in the sun.
Drinking more water makes this more tolerable as well as won’t let us gain because of the water loss in the form of sweat. Drinking water after a workout helps get back the lost water and salts that went with sweat. Apart from that, drinking water also keeps the joints lubricated and moving. This is very important for someone who lifts weights does cardio, or plays sports. You should carry water bottles that remind you to drink water at regular intervals if you want to stay hydrated.
Water Is Good For Skin
Water loss or not enough water intake causes dehydration. But did you know that dehydration causes the skin to be dry and itchy. Some even say that drinking water can help with pimples etc. but only up to a certain level. One dermatologist says that water is good for skin and makes it look healthy and fresh, but it doesn’t remove wrinkles or fine lines.
Most of our skin is water which helps prevent the moisture in our skin from evaporating and excrete toxins and excessive fluids we don’t need. Sweat when evaporates from the skin cleanses it as well as keeping the body cool. But you should take a bath after a sweaty workout session because toxins are still over your skin. Drinking water also maintains blood pressure and prevents it from getting thick. This increases blood flow and gets more oxygen to the skin and other parts of the body which makes the skin look alive and healthy.
It Energizes Muscles
Cells have to maintain the fluid balance and keep toxic fluids out of there. Less water intakes does not allow certain cells to do this function, which causes muscle fatigue. This is because water helps maintain that fluid balance and wasting the toxins away from the body. Drinking more water is even more important when you do a physical workout because cells have to get more toxins out.
To help the body do that drink at regular small intervals instead of drinking lots of water at once. If you drink a lot at once, the body will use what it needs and get rid of the rest. Which is definitely not beneficial for us.
Amount Of Water To Drink In a Day?
It is usually recommended to drink 6 to a glass of water a day. But it depends on your environment and physical movement. However, drinking water is still good for us, but some health problems like kidney or heart problems, thyroid disease, or taking medication which causes water retention can cause taking too much water.
The answer to how much water I should drink varies from person to person. No, one answer is correct for everyone. To know better you should consult your doctor. If one does a high-intensity workout meaning loses water in the form of sweat they would have to drink more water. Otherwise, the intake could be low.
Bottom line
You can note your urine color to know better. If the color is light, then your water intake is good. If the color is white or transparent and you have to go too often, then reduce it a little. But if the color is dark yellowish then increase your water intake. Drink at regular intervals throughout to keep you hydrated.
Drink about 2 to 4 glasses of water an hour depending on how thirsty you feel. You can use a water infuser bottle and put some fruit, mint, and lemon in there to make your own flavored water. It can help you to drink more.