Health benefits of drinking water

**Collaborative post**

There are so many reasons why our bodies need plenty of water to stay healthy. Are you really drinking enough water and do you know the health benefits of drinking water?

Our bodies are around ¾ water by volume, and it’s needed for the proper functioning of most biological processes. Toxins and waste products are flushed out of the kidneys with water, our joints are kept lubricated by water and water also helps to aid digestion and metabolism. The water in our bodies also helps to regulate our body temperatures as they are kept cool through perspiration.

Some possibly misinterpreted signs of dehydration:

Heartburn
Back pain
Depression
Moodiness
Headaches

By the time your mouth is getting dry and you actually feel thirsty, you’re already well on your way to dehydration. If you drink frequently through the day then you won’t actually ever get noticeably thirsty.

Drinking too little water can actually make our bodies retain fluid, because the lack of water can trigger a survival mechanism that “hoards” water within the tissues. There is nothing worse in the summer heat than bloating from excess water.

Helps to maximise physical performance
Improves energy levels and brain function
Relieves constipation
Helps treat kidney stones and urinary tract infections
Helps to prevent hangovers
Aids weight loss

Now that you’re convinced about how important water is, do you know how much you’re supposed to drink each day? Well, you’ve likely heard the standard of eight 8-oz glasses each day. That’s actually pretty accurate, though you should increase that by a few extra glasses each day if you are active or the weather is hot.

Yes, that’s a lot of water if you’re not used to it (and most people aren’t). One handy way to keep track of what you’ve had, and to motivate you to keep drinking, is to take a large pop bottle (the 2-litre size) and fill it with water in the morning. Leave it in the fridge, and aim to finish it before the end of the day, or what I find handy is to carry a bottle of water around with me, once it’s empty I then fill it up again – or grab a glass and drain it every time I go into the kitchen.

It’s best to drink plain water, rather than pop, coffee or other sweetened drinks. Coffee or alcohol will actually make you lose more water, and pop and juice will start to pad on the calories if you drink them all day long.

Take a bottle of water with you when you go out, for easy rehydrating. I’d suggest getting a good quality water bottle that you can refill yourself, instead of buying water in single-serve bottles. All that plastic is bad for the environment anyway. You can also buy bottles with times or visual aids on to remind you to drink more.

How to Start Adding More Water to Your Day?

If you’re drinking juices and sodas all day then it’s time to put a stop to it now and add more water. For example, you can look into flavoured water (like from a SodaStream) or even those flavour water packets, But of course, you can just have regular tap water too. But if you’re someone who has off-coloured or even smelly tap water at home, well, then you should take it as a sign to look into other water providers like American Water, for example.

Why is this a big deal? Well, if your tap water is unsafe, then you’re not only going to drink less water (which is already unsafe), but you’re also putting yourself and your family more at risk for health issues. And the same can be said for pets, too.

If you really don’t like plain water then you could add fruit to help infuse it, I like to freeze slices of lemon and limes and then pop then into my water – this also helps to keep it cool. You could also add a little squash if you really wanted to add a little taste.