H2Oh

Our bodies are composed of about 60% water (your brain being 90%), which means we need to drink enough of the stuff in order to sustain a healthy body. Water aids in digestion, absorption of minerals/vitamins, circulation, transportation of nutrients, flushing out toxins and keeping our body temperature balanced. It also regulates your metabolism, which is crucial if you are looking to lose or maintain weight. Yet most people don’t drink enough water daily and instead live off of sugary sodas and juices. By the way that’s the first thing that needs to go if you are looking to build a healthier lifestyle. I cut out soda completely 7 months ago and haven’t looked back. I specifically blame soda for all the headaches I used to have and now I rarely ever get them. Soda and juices are simply empty calories and I would much rather eat my calories than drink them. 

Especially living in Arizona we need to be drinking a lot of water in order to stay hydrated during these awful hot summers. The symptoms of dehydration include fatigue, loss of energy, weight gain, constipation, high/low blood pressure, acid-alkaline imbalance and premature aging, just to name a few. Weight gain specifically because people will mistake hunger for dehydration, so the next time you feel hungry or have a craving, drink a full glass of water and see how you feel afterwards. Also, right when you wake up drink a glass, or two, or even whole liter of water before you eat anything. Water in the morning starts up your metabolism, cleanses your colon to aid in the absorption of nutrients and helps purge toxins from the body. 

So how much water should we be consuming daily? What about the “drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water” rule? Well it all really depends, like most things do, on YOU. Depends on your environment, if you live somewhere hot or cold, how much exercise you do, how much you weigh, and if you’re male or female. I found this “hydration calculator” where you put in all your information and it calculates how much you should be drinking a day. You’ll find it here: http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

According to it I should be drinking roughly 2.2 liters (73 ounces), which is an average amount for a woman. So the 8x8 rule can be applied since it is around the same amount of ounces. But I tend to drink more than that, about 3-4 liters, especially on the days where I do heavy HIIT sessions. 

And I know that water can get boring compared to other beverages, but there are many different ways to “spice” it up. Add lemon! It makes it surprisingly sweeter and easier to drink your daily-recommended amount. Lemon water on its own has many health benefits that I will have to cover in another topic. You can also add mint leaves, cucumber, even fruit to give it a flavored taste. Drinking tea can help switch things up, but be careful on what kind of tea you drink. Don’t even think about reaching for the canned tea in convenient stores. Have you seen how much sugar is in one of those? I mean tea bags, the old fashioned way. Add some lemon, a dash of cinnamon and you’ve got yourself a party! I sweat sometimes I’m wise beyond my years, haha.

Anyways drink more water people!! It’s nothing but beneficial for your body!

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/6-reasons-to-drink-water
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/13-symptoms-of-chronic-dehydration.html
http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-drink/5-reasons-to-never-neglect-water
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/water/NU00283.html