How Much Water Should I Really Drink? And why?
Looking to up your fitness game? Of course you are. How about increasing strength and stamina and losing fat in the process? (Who doesn’t want to LOOK better while performing better?) Does water play a role? You bet.
Water has always been one of those drinks that I continually have a love-hate relationship with. I know that it’s good for me to be drinking water throughout the day. My problem is that if I don’t drink enough in the day, I end up loading up at in the evening which means a trip (or two) to the bathroom at night.
There are numerous health benefits to plain and simple H2O so I went on the hunt to uncover some facts for you…take a look at this:
- 75% of all North Americans are chronically dehydrated.
- In 37% of North Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
- Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism by 3%.
- One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pains for most people.
- Lack of water is the #1 trigger for day time fatigue.
- Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
- Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, breast cancer by 79%, and bladder cancer by 50%.
- A low water intake interferes with proper fat metabolism.
- Water can be use as a natural laxative helping to relieve constipation.
- You could loss up to 10 pounds of fat in 1 year by just increasing you water intake.
It turns out women need to drink between 6 – 8 glasses of water a day to stay hydrated, more if you are an active person. Juices, coffee and tea are liquids that several peeps drink & think that they are getting their water intake, not so.
Caffeine is actually a diuretic which means it makes you urinate more, therefore depleting you of water. I still have my coffee.. cause I love it, ( and think I’m addicted) but I chase it with a big glass of water to hydrate.
Then there’s juice ~ well that’s another blog in itself with the amount of sugar that’s in juices. So for me, I stay clear of it. I find Herbal Tea to be the best alternative for me to drink if I’m having trouble getting in all the water that I should be drinking in a day.
FUN FACTS ABOUT H2O ~
I actually found these stats to be really interesting ~ Next to air, water is the element most necessary for survival. A normal adults body is composed of 60 to 70 percent water. We can go without food for almost two months, but without water we would only last a few days. Yet most people have no idea how much water they should drink. Again, Women.. 6-8 glasses a day! In fact, many live in a dehydrated state.
Without water, we’d be poisoned to death by our own waste products. When the kidneys remove uric acid and urea, these must be dissolved in water. If there isn’t enough water, wastes are not removed as effectively and may build up as kidney stones. (ouch!) Water is also vital for chemical reactions in digestion and metabolism. It carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells through the blood and helps to cool the body through perspiration. Water also lubricates our joints. Well, the older I get, the more I exercise, the more I’m gonna need to lubricate these joints. 
Drink Water, Lose Weight ?
Water has long been talked about as one of the keys to fat loss, and after my research I’ve found that to be actually TRUE. Scientists did a study on two groups of people…One group drank 2 cups of water before meals, while the other group were told to keep their drinking habits the same. After 12 weeks of this study, the group that was taking the water before eating, lost 36% more weight than the less hydrated group. Their reasoning for this was due to an increase in satiety, that is, subjects had the feeling of being full and so ate less. As well, the fact that the calorie – free drink replaced many sweetened beverages lowered overall caloric intake.
I try & drink one or two glasses of water right before I eat, I enjoy my food & my portions can sometimes be a little “generous”, but I have found that drinking the water right before I indulge, helps me feel satisfied and not “stuffed”- Try It out!