Many people don’t know that being dehydrated not only affects your internal health but your external appearance too. Not getting your recommended daily intake of water can cause dry, flaky skin, brittle hair and can cause significant signs of premature aging. If you’re someone who suffers from skin conditions like eczema you could be making it worse by not drinking enough water.
Our organs, muscle and bones all have water in them and need water to function properly. Up to 60% of the adult human body is made of water, when that much of your body is made up of something you can see it’s kind of important.
Do I really need to drink water? Can’t I just get it from food? Yes, you do need to drink water. Trying to only get your water through food is not a reliable source of H2O. You have to drink pure water; not flavored water or Gatorade. Water. We’re constantly losing water so it’s imperative that we replenish it. We lose an average of 1 litres of water every day during normal activities like talking and perspiration. It’s like driving your car; when your gas is getting low you add more gas, you should do the same thing with water.
How much water should I be drinking? Excellent question! A lot of people don’t know the answer to this and it varied by person. A lot of fitness models or personal trainers swear by a full gallon a day, but not everyone is supposed to drink that much. And yes, you can drink too much water. So grab a pen and let’s do some math. (I heard that groan. I promise it’s a very easy equation.)
Take your body weight and divide that by 2. The answer is how many ounces of water you should drink per day.
Let’s say you weigh 150 lbs, your breakdown would look like this:
150 ➗ 2 = 75
75 ounces = 2.21 litres
So a 150 lb person should drink a little over 2 litres of water per day. That’s not too bad; two tall smart waters and you’re done. If you’re like me and you frequent the gym or run you should tack on an extra 8 ounces for every 30 minutes you’re working out. For those of you worried about puttin on water weight do not fret. Unless you have a medical condition that makes your body retain water you’ll be fine.
Staying hydrated also helps keep you regular and aid in the digestion of your foods. It helps take the stress off your kidneys and liver by helping flush waste from your body. If you’re not drinking enough water your colon pulls water from your stool therefore increasing your risk of constipation. (Constipation can also cause acne.)
If you’ve ever looked for a cleanse or a way to cut body fat water is the best option. Not only will it cleanse your organs by flushing out toxins it also helps eliminate body fat. Drinking 1 glass of lukewarm water with lemon in the morning before breakfast helps increase the production of bile (the fluid that breaks down food) in your stomach. Studies have shown that drinking ½ litre of water can increase your metabolism up to 30% for over an hour!
Do your organs, skin and hair a fair; drink up! You’ll start noticing the differences soon. Once you get into a habit of drinking water daily you’ll even be able to tell when you’re dehydrated by how you feel and look. It may seem like a lot of water at first but as you make it a daily habit it won’t be so bad. One way to make getting your water in easier is to get a big water bottle and carry it with you wherever you go. Don’t think of it as a task because that will make it harder, just substitute what you’re already drinking with water. Instead of drinking juice with breakfast drink your water. Instead of soda at lunch drink your water. Don’t wait until tomorrow, Monday or next week. Start today! Your body will thank you.
