Why Hydrate
Besides oxygen our bodies are craving something every day that we may not even be aware of. Sure I bet you are conscious of that insatiable chocolate craving day and night, but did you know that most people are not even aware they are thirsty? Thirst can be disguised as hunger. Have you ever thought you were hungry and even after you ate still somehow felt like you hadn’t satisfied your appetite? Well that is because you were not hungry for food you were thirsty for water. Yes WATER! Our bodies are made up of 70% of it so why try to quench that thirst with anything other than exactly what your body is craving, pure fresh water?
Oh I get it…you don’t like water? Well if I shared with you some statistics I bet you will try to find a way to get more of this liquid gold into your parched body.
Let me ask you a question. Have you ever experienced feeling tired around 2-3pm? Lack of water is the number one cause of mid day fatigue.
Just a 2% drop in hydration levels in your body triggers brain fog and hinders your short-term memory.
I don’t know about you but I need all the brainpower I can get. How many of you reach for caffeine to get you through the day? Don’t be ashamed to admit it. I used to need that extra dose of afternoon caffeine too. Now I make sure I drink at least 16 ounces of water before I even think about green tea. Why? Well, caffeine stimulates your kidneys to excrete more water than is actually in the beverage in the first place. So now you are more dehydrated and you have added a chemical into your body that can make you jittery, irritable, inhibit enzymes that support memory function, and disrupt your sleep cycles. I don’t know about you but I need all the quality sleep I can get. Drinking more water, especially in the afternoon instead of more caffeine can dramatically affect your energy levels.
It’s a known fact that our bodies are made up of 70% water, not soda or coffee. So try giving your body what it naturally needs.
A good rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily.
I know some of you are thinking, “but I don’t like water.” Try squeezing fresh lemon, lime or orange into your water. You can even fill a pitcher with water and add in any sliced fruit you like. Fresh cucumber in water can give it a cool spa-like flavor. Watermelon can add a hint of sweetness. Even cutting up something like star fruit can trick your brain into thinking you are enjoying something more fun and flavorful than plain old water. Experiment with whatever fresh fruit you like and start downing more water as soon as possible. I promise you will feel better and have more natural energy.
Water plays a crucial part in processes like circulation, elimination and digestion. Drink eight ounces of water about 10 minutes before your meal to aid in better digestion.
Water also plays a critical role in maintaining body temperature and serves as building material for growth and repair of your body.
You should begin drinking water as soon as you wake up in the morning, for this is when we are most dehydrated. Our bodies loose water while we sleep because of the metabolic processes performed by your internal organs like your liver and kidneys. Drinking water with the juice of half a lemon first thing in the morning (yes before coffee) helps to aid your liver in the detoxification process it was busy with all night long. Our bodies tend to be more acidic in the morning and lemon although slightly acidic outside the body helps to balance our pH levels once ingested.
Research indicates that drinking eight to ten eight ounce glasses of water a day can significantly ease back and joint pain up to 80% of sufferers.
Also drinking only five glasses of water daily can decrease the risk of colon cancer by 79% and kidney cancer by 50%.
Another rule of thumb…if your mouth is dry you are already dehydrated. A great way to measure your level of hydration is by monitoring your urine. A well-hydrated body produces colorless urine.
So drink to your health.
Opmerkingen