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6 Reasons to Drink More Water
It is no longer a secret that water is very good for our body to drink a lot of water. Especially in the warm season, you therefore see many people who never put down their water bottle. But whether it’s cold or hot, summer or winter, it’s always important to be sufficiently hydrated. In the past, the rule was to drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Today, at least one and a half liters of liquid, alcohol does not count, should be consumed by each person per day. Alcohol therefore does not count as one of these fluids, as it has been proven to withdraw fluids from the body. Older people in particular need to drink consciously, because the feeling of thirst is no longer as pronounced in old age. Water is not only the means to an end, so that the body does not dry out, but much more. There are a few reasons why you should also drink enough water.
1. Water helps to look good
Our body consists of 80% water. The skin itself contains a lot of water and also acts as a natural protective barrier. It helps the body not to lose too much fluid. However, you can also tell when it is not getting enough water. Then it becomes dry, cracked and wrinkled. If you always drink enough water, you will be happy with a plump, rosy skin that tends to have fewer wrinkles. Of course, not all wrinkles are smoothed out the more water you drink, but a small success is clearly visible. In addition, the skin can only fully develop its natural protective function when it contains enough liquid.
2. Water revives tired muscles
It is not only important for competitive and amateur athletes that their muscles function very well. Our human body needs healthy muscles, in every situation of life. If you don’t drink enough, your muscles can’t work well enough. They do not perform all they could, it comes to the so-called muscle fatigue. So you should always make sure to drink enough. Athletes are particularly advised not to drink a lot just before training, but to drink plenty of fluids throughout the day. This is because fluids taken in just before exercise cannot supply the muscles as quickly, and the muscles tire more quickly anyway. During physical activity, as long as it lasts longer than thirty minutes, it is important not to go without hydration, because the excretion of water due to exertion must be compensated for as quickly as possible.
3. Water is the little miracle weapon in losing weight
The small miracles that occur through sufficient water should be taken advantage of if you want to lose weight. Who has something too much on the ribs, should take besides not only one and a half liters of water on the day to itself, but best the double. Because water is a natural appetite suppressant. We can trick our body into drinking lots of water. Because the feeling of hunger becomes less the more water we drink. The stomach then sends stimuli to the brain that communicate “I’m not very hungry.” The healthy conclusion is that we are not eating senselessly. Also, water naturally increases caloric expenditure, which can additionally help with weight loss.
4. Water regulates the water balance of your body.
When the body is supplied with sufficient water, it can work optimally. This means that digestion, production of saliva, transport of nutrients and temperature balance can work optimally. If this is not the case, the body switches to a state of emergency and stores more water in the body to get through the hard times. Also the kidneys can then not work properly. It comes to the fact that many toxins can simply be deposited in the body. So enough water is a must to keep your body healthy and vital. Therefore, you should drink some water every time you feel thirsty.
5. Water stimulates natural digestion
Those who often suffer from sluggish bowel movements may not need to resort to digestive stimulants at all, but simply drink a little more. Because water helps to stimulate digestion. If you don’t drink enough, you ensure that the colon draws water from the small bumps in the intestinal wall. But at some point, a fluid movement of the intestinal wall can no longer function and constipation occurs. With a regular fluid intake, this cannot happen, because the water supplies the intestinal walls, which can thus work easily and dispose of the waste products without effort.
6. Water reduces the toxins in the body
The kidneys are the organ that ensures that toxins, toxins, are eliminated from the body through the urine. They must always be flushed with enough fluid to function optimally. It is easy to tell from the color of urine whether we are drinking too much or too little. If it is light and odorless, everything is fine. However, if the urine is dark and smells strongly, then we should urgently drink water. This is because the kidneys thus show that they are not at their best in ridding us of toxins. Toxins can be deposited in the body, even kidney stones can be promoted by too little fluid intake in the formation.
It is not always easy to drink plenty of water and to integrate this into everyday life. You should drink a glass of water with every meal, always have a bottle of water with you when you are out and about. In this day and age, there are also smartphone apps that remind us to drink. Water-containing fruits and vegetables also increase fluid intake. For example, a few slices or squirts of lemon, as well as slices of cucumber or ginger, provide variety in the water.
The easiest way to do this is to provide a full water bottle for you each day and always have it with you to refill. For this, it’s best to use a sustainable glass water bottle that you fill with great-tasting and pure osmosis water. Should you ever spend a day at home or receive guests, you can wonderfully use a large glass carafe and beautiful water glasses, such as chakra cups.
How much Water does the body need?
Water is essential for life. More than 50 percent of the human organism consists of water – in infants it is even about 70 percent. Fluid is constantly excreted through the skin, the intestines (stool), the kidneys (urine) and during breathing. Therefore, fluids must be taken in continuously. Adults should drink a minimum of 1.5 liters of water from beverages per day. Those who drink too little must expect reduced physical performance.
Water has many different functions. It is contained in every body cell and all body fluids – for example, in saliva, gastric juice, lymph and blood. Among other things, water is necessary to maintain heat regulation (sweating). The transport of nutrients, metabolic waste products and respiratory gases depends on water. All chemical reactions in the body also require water.
How much should you drink per day?
The need for water varies and depends on various factors (e.g. energy metabolism, ambient temperature as well as food composition, salt content of food as well as physical activity). Depending on their age, adolescents and adults should consume between 30 and 40 ml of water per kilogram of body weight per day.
As a rule of thumb for healthy adults: about one ml of water per one kcal and per day. At 2,500 kcal, this results in 2.5 liters for adults per day. For sports and fitness, you need more due to the amount you lose from sweating. We recommend using a 1 gallon water bottle for such activities, as they also usually have markings for the amount of water you should drink for each time of the day.
When should infants start drinking water?
Infants should drink fluids regularly – in addition to breastfeeding or formula – from the age of ten months with the transition to a family diet. (Tap) water and unsweetened fruit teas are suitable (mate, green and black teas are not suitable). Special infant teas or drinks are not necessary. In case of high fever, severe diarrhea or vomiting, drinking earlier may be important – talk to the pediatrician.
Can you drink too much?
Water intoxication is very rare, but can occur if the kidneys’ ability to excrete is overwhelmed. A possible consequence is the development of cerebral edema. The maximum amount of fluid that an adult can take in daily over a longer period of time is given as about ten liters. To suffer acute water intoxication, an adult (70 kg) would have to drink six liters of water within a short period of time. For infants (one month old and four kilograms), this risk threshold can be reached much more easily with 0.4 liters of water, and for toddlers (one year old and ten kilograms) with 0.9 liters of water drunk.
What happens when there is a lack of fluid?
Lack of fluids and possible consequences often affect older people, especially those with swallowing difficulties. For more information, see Drinking in old age.
Severe water loss can lead to serious physical damage. Without fluid replacement, life is in danger. Substances that are normally excreted in the urine can no longer be sufficiently eliminated by the organism after only two to four days.
The need for fluids is increased, for example, during physical exertion, sport, high or very low temperatures and fever, vomiting and diarrhea. The body also needs more fluid during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and more should be drunk.