Water - It's the Real Thing

Let’s talk about water. 

Did you know that water is a critical component of your body, making up between 55 and 60% of your weight?  Your body doesn’t like to store water—it needs fresh and pure for daily cell regeneration, toxin removal, etc.  But it will hold onto the used up fluids if you do not give it enough fresh water to run you body.  You need to replenish your supply often.  Drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day is a core habit of health.

 
In addition to removing toxins and other unhealthy substances stored in your fat cells, here are some good reasons to make a conscious effort to drink at least eight glasses of water a day:
·It’s calorie free, but helps you feel full and satisfied
·It keeps you from overeating (studies have shown that when we feel hungry, 30 percent of the time our bodies are actually signaling for water).
·It facilitates the removal of toxins such as pesticides and preservatives from your cells
·It prevents dehydration as your body eliminates excess salt and water from a diet of too much processed food.
·It minimizes or eliminates fatigue, lack of energy, headaches, and unclear thinking.
·It speeds up metabolism.  A recent study showed that drinking two 8-oz. glasses of cold water increased metabolic rate by 30 percent for ninety minutes
·It helps your liver convert fat to energy
·It compensates for the loss of glycogen stores as you lose weight.

Plain water is the best beverage for quenching thirst—and it’s cheap, calorie free, and contains no sugar, caffeine, or other additives.  Tap water should be filtered first, though, to remove chlorines and other contaminants

Bottle water is fine, as are sparkling waters flavored with lemon or lime.  Just make sure they haven’t been enhanced with sugary substances and calories!

What if you aren’t thirsty—do you still need to drink water?  Don’t use thirst to guide your water intake!  Thirst is a late warning symptom of dehydration.  Waiting until you’re thirsty to drink means that your body must function at less than optimal efficiency for several hours.

How do you know if you are drinking enough?  If you start feeling tired, have trouble thinking, develop a headache, or notice that your urine is darker than usual, these are late-stage signs that you need to drink more water!  (Urine should be almost colorless unless you’ve just taken vitamins.)

It is possible to drink too much water?  No—not unless you have a specific medical condition that requires you to restrict your fluid intake, such as renal failure or severe congestive heart failure, or if you have performed intense physical activity in a hot environment, in which case you should consume an electrolyte-enriched drink.

Drink cold water.  Switch to ice water and up your calorie burn.  Drinking just one 8-ounce glass of ice water burns 9.25 more calories (or an extra 74 calories a day) than drinking a glass of room-temperature water.

Too little water can lead to sugar cravings, fatigue, irritability, and foggy thinking and that dehydration significantly slows down fat burning.  All the more reason to keep up this important habit of health!