Many people have demonstrated a negligible attitude towards their water intake, despite the multitude of health benefits attributed to drinking a few glasses per day and how easily within reach said glasses are.
Hydration, whether it is accomplished through the highly touted “8×8 rule” that encourages eight 8-ounce glasses daily for optimal results or guzzling by the gallon, balances our temperature, lubricates and cushions joints, protects the spinal cord, eliminates wastes, and more. Water is a nutrient that the human body cannot survive without because it nourishes every essential system.
“Water is the fundamental drink of human beings because it is the one nature has specifically provided them.” – Chris Vassey, N.D.
Peter Nyberg of Charlotte, North Carolina, an enthusiastic tennis player who credits his great health to a diet that includes plenty of water, endorsing a book by Chris Vassey entitled “The Water Prescription”, explores the myriad of ways that consistently sipping on H2O can improve the body and mind.
Enhances Your Exercise
Drinking water prior to, during, and following exercise has been proven to maximize your performance, Peter Nyberg says, preventing dehydration effects that become quite significant when you sacrifice as little as two percent of your body’s water content.
Your body experiences several setbacks when this occurs, like altered temperature control, diminished motivation, and increased fatigue, all of which are contributing factors to a workout that is unnecessarily torturous both physically and mentally.
Muscle mass is roughly 80% water, so keep yourself ideally hydrated throughout an exercise, because, in addition to the previously mentioned perks, it also might reduce the oxidative stress that is encountered in an ultra-intense workout.
Recovering from these perspiring exercises, you will want to hydrate with water, too, limiting the muscle cramping and soreness that often follows a workout when the body is crying out for some fluids.
Maintains Your Mental Strength
Speaking of stress relief, water plays a pivotal role in our mental health state, Peter Nyberg notes, as every cell and system within the body depends on water for comfortable functioning.
For our brain connectivity, drinking water improves concentration, cognition, memory, and mood because more oxygen is reaching the brain as we sip away.
Our bodies lose around two liters of water each day from routine activities, making it essential to drink up and restore those recommended hydration levels. The brain is composed of approximately 70% water, while the blood eclipses 85%, and research indicates that even a 5% drop in body fluids will drain an average person of their energy by 25 to 30%. A 15% decrease in bodily fluids is fatal.
Thirst, a clear sign of dehydration, should not guide you in gauging your body’s need for water, since it already signifies that you are lacking in fluids. Considering that we are deprived of our perception of thirst as we age, it is imperative that we habitually drink a sufficient amount of water.
Helps with Headaches and Migraines
Headaches and migraines, the dreaded duo, are capable of derailing a portion of your days, Peter Nyberg states. There is a tendency to allow its arrival, race to the medicine cabinet, read the labels until you locate the capsule that cures your symptoms, digest it, and await its healing powers.
What if we were to tell you that this was a direct consequence of dehydration and you could actually prevent it from happening? Yes, research shows that headaches are commonly caused by dehydration, with one study of 393 people discovering that 40% of the participants endured a headache because their bodies were aching for some water.
Those who suffer from frequent headaches can also relieve their discomfort, as one study of 102 men found that drinking an additional 1.5 liters of water per day resulted in tremendous improvements on the Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Scale, a system used to grade migraine symptoms.
Constipation and Kidney Stone Aid
Constipation, classified as irregular bowel movements and trouble passing stools, can be avoided if you are drinking an adequate amount of water, Peter Nyberg confirms. Treatment protocols for constipation generally involve raising your fluid intake, an evidence-backed solution for younger and older individuals who are likely to experience constipation due to meager water consumption. Mineral water, according to studies, is a rich source of magnesium and sodium that is particularly helpful in mitigating constipation.
Kidney stones consist of mineral crystal clumps that develop in the urinary system and, though the belief that water intake can help prevent recurrence is admittedly more speculative, there is no denying that drinking water increases the volume of urine passing through the kidneys. As a result, water serves to dilute the concentration of minerals, creating less of a likelihood for buildup.
A Prescription for Weight Loss
Water has been known to compliment diets that are focused on weight loss, boosting one’s metabolic rate and increasing satiety, notes Peter Nyberg. Extra calories are burned when your body sees a boost in metabolism, which will help shed some pounds in the process.
In 2013, a study of 50 young women that were overweight discovered a straightforward means of reducing body weight and fat: all they had to commit to was, prior to meals, drinking an additional 500 milliliters of water three times per day for a total of eight weeks.
Similarly, another study verified that, after a duration of 12 weeks, dieters who drank half a liter of water before a meal lost 44% more weight than their peers who did not.
Detoxification
Bodily fluids transport waste products in and out of your cells before the kidney and liver flush any waste or toxins out of your body. A regimen of water hydration will assure that this cycle continues clicking like clockwork.
Alcohol, the most obvious example, removes more water than what you take in from its consumption, leading to dehydration, fatigue, headaches, dry mouth, and thirst. Between each frosty alcoholic beverage, drain a glass of water and put down a larger cup before heading to bed.
Vibrant Skin
Skin contains a healthy amount of water that acts as a protective barrier to guarantee that you don’t lose excess fluid, says Peter Nyberg. Swilling down water routinely, you can hydrate skin cells, replenish skin tissues, moisturize your skin, increase its elasticity, and boost blood flow and circulation, giving yourself a youthful, lively face.
“Who would imagine that fatigue, energy depletion, depression, eczema, rheumatism, high and low blood pressure, high cholesterol, gastric disorders, and premature aging could all be caused by a chronic lack of water in the body?” The truth is, water can be your best medicine against some of life’s biggest health problems. All you have to do is drink it!
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