Tag: hydration

Are you drinking enough water?

Our bodies are around 60% water, give or take. It is commonly recommended to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day and staying hydrated is very important.

Here are a few health benefits to drinking water:

1. Water helps to maximize physical performance, staying hydrated is important especially during intense exercise or high heat. Becoming dehydrated can lead to altered body temperature control, reduced motivation, increased fatigue and make exercise feel much more difficult, both physically and mentally. Loosing as little as 2% of your bodies water content can significantly impair physical performance.

2.Hydration has a major effect on energy levels and brain function, studies show that even mild dehydration (1-3% of body weight) can impair many aspects of brain function. In a study of young women, fluid loss of 1.36% after exercise impaired both mood and concentration, and increased the frequency of headaches. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22190027 Another similar study, this time in young men, showed that fluid loss of 1.59% was detrimental to working memory and increased feelings of anxiety and fatigue. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21736786

3.Drinking water may help to prevent headaches, several studies have shown that water can relieve headaches in those who are dehydrated. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14979888

4.Drinking more water may help relieve constipation, constipation is a common problem. Increasing fluid intake is often recommended as a part of the treatment protocol.

5.Drinking water may help treat kidney stones, urinary stones are painful clumps of mineral crystal that form in the urinary system. Higher fluid intake increases the volume of urine passing through the kidneys, which dilutes the concentration of minerals, so they are less likely to crystallize and form clumps.

6.Water can help prevent hangovers, alcohol is a diuretic so it makes you lose more water than you take in. This can lead to dehydration https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20497950 A good way to reduce hangovers is to drink a glass of water between drinks, and to have at least one big glass before going to bed.

7.Drinking more water can also help with weight loss, water can increase satiety and boost your metabolic rate. In a study, drinking half a liter (17 ounces) of water was shown to increase metabolism by 24-30% for up to 1.5 hours https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14671205 The timing is also important as well, and drinking water half an hour before meals is the most effective. In one study, dieters who drank half a liter of water before meals lost 44% more weight, over a period of 12 weeks https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19661958 It is actually best to drink water cold, because then the body will use additional energy (calories) to heat the water to body temperature.

Wanna spice up the flavor? Because sometimes water by itself can taste boring so i personally will take some sliced up lemons or limes and squeeze them into my water and it gives it more flavor, you can also use cucumber, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, anything to add some flavor!

Many of us think the flavored water are healthy as it may say “all natural” or “sugar free” but only to find out are just full of chemicals as most just dont see or realize. One popular ingredient in most all Sugar free and Diet products is Aspartame which can also be named Equal and NutraSweet. Here is a link with more info https://www.healthline.com/health/aspartame-side-effects#approvals

Feel good with lemon water!

I have always loved the taste of lemons. I always get lemon in my water when i go to a restaurant, and its also a great way to help stay hydrated. It can be hard to stay hydrated sometimes especially in the colder seasons as you don’t crave it as much as you would in the summer time. Here are some benefits to adding lemon in your water.

1. It promotes hydration- water is the best beverage for hydration. A lot of people dont like the taste of it on its own, adding lemon enhances water’s flavor which may help you enjoy it more!

2. Its a good source of vitamin C- Citrus fruits like lemons are high in vitamin C, also an antioxidant that helps protect cells from damaging free radicals. The juice of one lemon provides about 18.6 milligrams of vitamin C. The recommended daily amount for adults is 65 to 90mg.

3. It improves your skin quality- Vitamin C found in lemons could help reduce skin wrinkling, dry skin from aging, and damage from the sun.

4. It aids digestion- drinking warm or hot lemon water when you wake up may help get your digestive system moving and improve any other digestion.

5. It freshens breath- you could avoid bad breath by drinking a glass of lemon water after meals and first thing in the morning.

6. It helps prevent kidney stones- the citric acid in lemons may help prevent kidney stones. Drinking lemon water not only gets your citrate, but the water you need to help prevent or flush out stones.

How to make lemon water- when making lemon water, always use fresh lemons rather than the artificial from a bottle. -Squeeze half a lemon into 8 ounces of warm or cold water. You can also add slices of other citrus fruits such as limes and oranges, or cucumber slices.

Feel free to also infuse more flavor by adding: *A few pieces of mint, *A teaspoon of honey or maple syrup, *A slice of fresh ginger, *A dash of cinnamon, *A sprinkle of turmeric. Another great idea is lemon ice cubes, just squeeze fresh lemon juice into ice trays and freeze!