“Water is the driving force of all nature” – Leonardo Da Vinci

Water, liquid life. It makes up 60% of your body, 75% of your muscles, and 85% of your brain. It is the lubricant that is involved in almost all the chemical processes that take place within your cells.

Water is clearly the most important nutrient for the human body, but we often take it for granted. Opt for sodas, fruit juices, alcohol, coffee or tea instead of boring old water. That is probably why 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. There are so many other options!

Interestingly, although water is so important to the body, there is not much scientific research devoted to learning more about water and how it affects human health. That is because water is very cheap for most developed countries. The health benefits of water do not increase the bottom line of the giant pharmaceutical companies that generally fund health research. The few research articles I found were by bottled water companies like Evian, which means that even this research may be slightly biased.

However, water is a necessary and fundamental part of being healthy and its importance should not be underestimated. Making sure you drink the right kind of water and plenty of it is critical to achieving your health goals. Here are the top 7 reasons to drink more water. Let’s dive in.

Top 7 reasons to drink more water

# 1 – Water helps you lose weight

Everyone wants to look good and be in shape. The EASIEST way to do it is to drink more water. These are the two main ways that water can help you lose weight or maintain optimal weight.

Water reduces cravings

In the center of your brain, there is an area called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is responsible for regulating the body’s hormones, controlling body temperature, and feelings of hunger and thirst. Since your feelings of hunger and thirst come from the same area of ​​your brain, you can sometimes mistake your thirst for your desire to chew something, waiting 15 minutes. Most of the time, the craving should go away and reduce your calorie intake, helping you lose weight.

Water stimulates your metabolism (burning calories)

Did you know that drinking water stimulates your metabolism and increases calorie burning? Especially if you drink cold water. Drinking cold water forces the body to burn calories to warm the water to body temperature. Actually, any water you drink must be processed and transported to the rest of your body.

Research showed that in 14 fit and healthy people, drinking 500 ml of water increased their metabolism by 30% in just 10 minutes. Another study showed that drinking 2 liters of water a day could increase calorie burn by up to 400 calories. A short-term study of overweight women showed that women who drank more than 1 liter of water a day for 12 months lost an additional 4 pounds of weight without any other lifestyle changes.

Water needs to be processed and transported to be used by the body, which requires energy. A higher demand for energy causes an increase in metabolic rate. Just by drinking more water, you will burn more fat and lose weight. It is like the best natural product to lose fat. A meal without calories!

# 2 – Water increases your physical and mental performance

Fatigue is one of the first signs of dehydration. Even if you lose only 1-2% of your body weight in water, it can affect physical and mental performance. That’s because everything that happens in your body and brain requires water.

Physical performance

If you exercise regularly, you need to hydrate even more than the normal sedentary human. You lose water quickly through sweat and breathing when you exercise. Athletes have been shown to often lose 6-10% of their body weight in water during competition and intense training. Dehydration during training results in reduced endurance, increased fatigue, reduced motivation, and increased perceived exertion. All of which negatively impact performance.

The good news is that proper rehydration reverses all of these negative effects and even reduces oxidative stress caused by exercise and dehydration. Be sure to hydrate before, during, and after exercise to aid recovery and maximize performance. A solid workout with maximum effort also means more calories burned, resulting in a leaner and better person.

Mental performance

Even mild dehydration slows down cognitive functions such as concentration, alertness, and short-term memory in everyone, including children (10-12 years), young adults (18-25 years), and (50-82 years) ). The brain is 85% water, so staying adequately hydrated is important to ensure proper brain function. In the morning, instead of going straight for coffee, try drinking 500 ml of water as soon as you wake up. It will help you start your day and move forward faster. When the afternoon nap starts to creep in, try to drown it with water. Water, not coffee, is the key to maintaining energy throughout the day.

# 3 – Water improves the health of your skin

The skin is the largest organ in your body and contains 30% water, which contributes to the smoothness and elasticity of the skin. Drinking more water can improve skin thickness and density, helping your skin look younger, smoother, and firmer. Choosing water over inflammatory drinks like sugary sodas, processed fruit juice, caramel macchiatos, and even milk will help you achieve clearer skin. These inflammatory drinks cause blood sugar spikes that disrupt hormones and cause unwanted breakouts. Be mindful of what you drink, especially for the sake of your skin.

# 4 – Water helps detoxify your body

There are so many toxins that you come in contact with every day from processed foods, household chemicals, environmental pollutants, etc. The job of your kidneys is to filter the blood and remove toxic waste. The kidneys depend on the large amount of fluid available in your body, so even if you lose fluid through urine, your body can function optimally. Give your kidneys adequate water, they can work efficiently and remove all toxins from your blood. The more dehydrated you are, the harder your kidneys have to work to incorporate all the toxins into a small amount of urine. It leads to the darkest and darkest shades of yellow in the urine. The easiest way to make sure you are getting enough water is to drink enough water until your urine is clear. This will help your kidneys to remove toxins from your body efficiently, and you will feel great!

# 5 – Water helps minimize joint and muscle pain

Your joints are the hinges where two bones meet. Between the bones is a layer of cartilage that provides a cushion between the bones to prevent friction.

The joints are like sponges. Damp sponges move easily against each other, while hard sponges can rub and break. Drinking plenty of water ensures that your sponges (cartilage) are hydrated and soft, minimizing joint discomfort. That’s what glucosamine and other joint supplements are designed to do: retain more moisture in the cartilage. You can do this naturally by drinking more water.

Muscle pain is a slightly different problem. If you exercise or lift weights, there is a buildup of lactic acid and micro tears in the muscle fibers that cause pain. Drinking plenty of water removes lactic acid and transports nutrients to your muscles (assuming you are eating a nutritious diet) that will help repair muscles faster and reduce muscle soreness. Drinking more water means a faster and more efficient recovery.

# 6 – water makes you happier

The more water you drink, the better your mood will be. If your body works efficiently with lots of water, you will have more energy and be in a better mood. A study of 120 healthy college students showed that girls who drank more water on average had less stress, depression and confusion.

Another study of 30 people who drank five cups of water a day showed that when the same people were asked to increase their water intake to ten cups a day, their mood, energy, and satisfaction improved. DRINK MORE WATER, it will make you happier.

# 7 – Water helps you digest and defecate

Your digestive tract is where everything enters your body, including water. Keeping this area nice and moist is good for digestion.

Water helps digestion

Everything you eat lands first in your stomach and waits there to be broken down by stomach acid and digestive enzymes. The speed at which digested food moves into the intestines from the stomach is mainly determined by the volume of food and liquid in the stomach at the time. After your stomach breaks down food, it empties into your small intestine, where most of the nutrients and water are absorbed. The more water available, the better the absorption.

However, there is a constant debate among health professionals about whether drinking water with meals positively or negatively affects digestion. For one thing, it is theorized that drinking water during meals dilutes stomach acid and enzymes, leading to poor nutrient breakdown and limited absorption. On the other hand, drinking water is said to help move food through the digestive tract quickly and smoothly.

So to cover both sides of the argument, this is the best way to drink water for proper digestion.

• Drink plenty of water throughout the day so you don’t have to swallow water before eating.
• Take small sips of water (preferably room temperature or warm) during meals.
• Make sure to start hydrating again 30 minutes after your meal to give your body time to digest the food you ate.

Water relieves constipation

Constipation is caused by dehydration in your colon. After water and nutrients from food are absorbed in the small intestine, they pass into the large intestine, also known as the colon. Your colon is where extra water is added or removed to make stool. More water means softer stools, while less water means firmer stools. If you are dehydrated, your colon will absorb more water from your stool, leading to constipation. Women and older adults especially struggle with constipation because they don’t drink enough water and / or drink coffee / tea instead of water.

A study of 3,835 Japanese women between the ages of 18 and 20 showed that low water intake was directly associated with increased cases of constipation. Similarly, in older people, low fluid intake was found to be the direct cause of constipation.

Constipation is a very serious health problem. Ongoing constipation means that you are not removing toxic waste from your body and most of those toxins are reabsorbed. It leads to bad skin, fatigue, and poor health in general. Drink plenty of water to reduce constipation and live a healthier life.

Now that you are armed with the knowledge of how important water is to feeding the best version of you, make it a habit to drink more water! Simply drinking more water will go a long way toward achieving your health goals. Keep hydrated!