Drink More Water
There’s no better time than summer to be chugging down more water…with all the heat, a more active lifestyle, and all the sweatin’ that summer has for us. It seems that very few people don’t understand how vital water is to our health. Most of us are really dehydrated, whether we know it or not.
We should all be drinking one half of our body weight in ounces of water PER DAY! For me, at my height, that’s about 80 ounces of water, which is about 10 glasses of water. Two more than the average 8 glasses. Usually, the recommended 8 glasses a day, isn’t quite enough (depending on your height, weight, and activity level). And if you’re lead a more active life, you should be adding more water to that.
And contrary to what everyone seems to think…tea and coffee DON’T count. They actually act as diuretics. Herbal tea is an exception that you can count as water. Here’s a great rule of thumb I keep in mind for myself…for every cup of coffee or regular tea I drink I have to drink one more cup of water.
So why do we need so much water? What’s so great about being hydrated? Here are some of the reasons (some which were new to me)…
- it acts as a solvent (reduces everything) and a transporter
- purifies your body, carrying out waste
- increases energy at a cellular level
- transports metabolites of the brain along neurons
- creates adhesiveness to the cell structures
- proteins and enzymes function more efficiently in a solution that is more dilute
- keeps your skin more healthy
- helps keep you fuller, helping with weight loss
And here are some things that can be prevented by drinking more water…that can actually be partly caused or helped by dehydration…
- hypertension
- arthritis
- headaches (add lemon in your water for even more benefit)
- stress and depression
- cholesterol problems
- diabetes
- asthma and allergies
- colitis
- low back pain
Sometimes if I don’t get enough water I feel like I have no energy or I’ll even get dizzy from standing up too fast. Water is IMPORTANT! I start every single day with a tall glass of water, before I even eat anything. The night before, I bring it up to bed with me, so I have that big glass just waiting on my bedside table when I wake up.
(image via Pinterest)
A few years ago my Dad has read a book on the benefits of water and since then, he’s been drinking a lot! He tries to get his 100 ounces (around 12 glasses) of H2o all in before the day is out. He says he feels a lot better and he’s not as tired, which I think is cool. He inspires me, especially on those days I know I’m not drinking enough!
We have probably a dozen stainless steel water bottles kicking around in our pantry…we fill up a couple at the beginning of the day and try to finish them before night. Our family really avoids plastic cups, bottles, and containers for health reasons, so we always try to use glass or stainless steel.
It might be hard to get used to and you might be running to the bathroom all of the time, but soon your body will get more used to it. I rarely go anywhere without my water bottle…it’s my comfort drink. Often, I like to add lemon and stevia to my water, or even just a squirt of some fruit juice from the fridge. There’s lots of ways to drink water if you don’t like the taste…maybe try sun tea or iced green tea.If you carry water with you all day, it’s really easy to remember to sip away at it. You got no excuses, so drink up!
Are you a water drinker? Got any fun tips to share on tricking ourselves to drink more?
Category: Healthy Living, Weight Loss | Tags: drink your body weight in ounces, health benefits of drinking water, how many ounces of water do we need, how much water should I drink in a day, how to figure how much water you need daily, water, why we need to drink more water 11 comments »
Or if you don’t like the plain taste of water, you can try adding a little lemon juice to it to flavor.
I drink lots of water. Perhaps too much. I get afraid some times my coworkers will think I have prostate issues because of how much water I drink and how often I use the mens room (heheh). But it’s just very refreshing! I drink out of a ceramic mug at the office that I am constantly filling, which helps get me up and away from my desk to stretch the legs and rest the eyes every hour or so.
Great post! Especially these days when so many kids (And adults) drink too much soda.
LOVE water. I drink so much. This past weekend I went to two different restaurants that had sparking water, which was nice as well. Kombucha’s my other fav.!
YES! Water and tea….
I love this post! I’m obsessed with drinking water. In fact, when I can’t carry my own water with me (like on an airplane) I kind of freak out. LOVE IT!
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! Your blog is beautiful and this is a great article…it’s so important to get your daily water in!
Very good read!
A couple years ago I stopped drinking soda and started drinking water instead. I still drink too much coffee though and I don’t drink enough water..
Maybe spiking my caffeine levels and dehydration are the cause of my frequent headaches..
I love to drink water. It is my beverage of choice. I just listen to my body, and it tells me what it needs. I can tell when I haven’t had enough and when I am properly hydrated.
Hooray for water! The heat actually helps me get more water in my body because I carry and gulp down a huge bottle of water on the subway both to and from work each day. Helps keep me cool on those humid platforms while waiting for the trains and also helps check off a few ounces of my recommended water intake. Win/win!
I too am on the chugging water train; sometimes I am astonished at how many glasses I go through in one day!
Thanks for stopping by my blog :)
I’m so glad I saw this well researched post. I don’t agree with the current advice telling us we are drinking too much water or that it’s unnecessary to drink so much.
Water also prevents kidney stones and UTIs and as a former nurse I can’t stress it enough.
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