Top Tips for a Healthy Body and Vibrant Living
It is common knowledge that drinking enough water is vital for our health and healthy living. This is because a more significant percentage of the human body consists of water. Statistics often indicate that adult humans are 60% water while our blood is 90% water. Drinking water is essential to keep the body hydrated; it enables you to burn calories and, in turn, refreshes your body and mind. In that case, you need to take water no matter the time of the day.
Water that is required by the body is obtained through intake of actual water, beverages, milk and other bodily fluids such as fruits, foods and vegetables. Foods with a high-water content include soups, tomatoes, oranges, vegetables, but most come through drinking water. However, during everyday functioning, water is continuously lost by the body through sweating, urination, talking and breathing; hence, needs to be replaced.
There are several benefits of drinking water
Water is essential for the body and body organs in the following ways:
Keeping the body well hydrated by drinking enough water and fluids is very crucial. This is because water is essential for proper body functioning, particularly the kidneys. Nonetheless, many people do not consume enough water and fluids each day. There is no agreed quantity of water that must be consumed daily. However, three things clearly stand out: (1) it is important to know the healthy benefits of drinking (enough) water; (2) you should take water and other fluids each day in reasonable quantities for healthy living; and (3) there are suggested times and instances when you can take water in order to improve on your health.
Healthy benefits of drinking enough water
There are several reasons why water is highly essential for the body, and in a magazine on counselling with a focus on healthy living and mental health, it is significant to highlight why drinking water is essential to you and your body, your family, and improved healthy living.
Here are the top seven reasons why you should drink enough water and other fluids during the day:
(1) Drinking water helps to maintain the balance in body fluids. Most people will remember to take some foods and occasional snacks but miss out on the water and other body fluids. Yet, water and other body fluids helps in digestion, absorption, and circulation. In addition, you need water and other bodily fluids to replenish the body as it undertakes several functions. Water and bodily fluids have vital functions such as swallowing and talking (water and fluids create saliva), sight (water in the eyes), transportation of nutrients and waste products, and the maintenance of body temperature.
It is recommended that you take foods with higher water content, such as vegetables, beans and fruits, in order to increase water and bodily fluids.
Drinking water keeps the mouth clean. It also moistens the mouth, nose and eyes. This assists in the formation of saliva and mucus, besides the fact that saliva keeps the mouth moist.
(2) Water energizes the muscles leading to maximum performance. Drinking enough water and fluids is important since the body is involved in several activities as outlined in (1) above. Water lubricates the body, particularly the joints and other parts such as the disks of the spine; thus, preventing friction and damage. In addition, the body requires additional water and fluids if one engages in physical activity. Thus, you should ensure fluid intake before and during physical activity.
The body requires extra water and fluids, particularly during intense exercises or high heat.
The rule of the thumb is that you should start drinking water and other fluids early and drink the same throughout the day, when doing exercises, and at regular intervals to replace fluids lost during sweating.
(3) Water assists the body organs, especially the kidneys. One of the functions of body fluids is transportation. An essential function is the transport of waste products in and out of cells. The kidneys perform three important functions: removing waste products from the body; removing drugs and other substances from the body; and balancing the body’s fluids. Water is a vital component in these functions and exceedingly essential. For instance, when a person is taking enough water and fluids, the urine flows freely. Thus, water is essential for the kidneys.
(4) Water improves the nature of the skin. The human skin protects the body from microbes and elements. In addition, it helps regulate body temperatures and permits several vital sensations of touch, heat, and cold. The skin contains plenty of water, yet, it also functions as an important
protective barrier to prevent excess fluid loss. Lack of water and dehydration makes the skin look dry and wrinkled, and the skin is more vulnerable to skin disorders and wrinkling. The skin can be greatly improved with proper water intake. The kidneys can then remove the excess fluids.
(5) Water assists in normal bowel function. The availability of adequate water and fluids assists in bowel function and can assist prevent constipation. Water is obviously needed in the processes of eating, swallowing, digestion and removal of urine and faeces. Also, low water consumption has been cited as a risk factor for constipation in both young people and older adults. Mineral water has often been recommended as beneficial for persons with constipation.
(6) Water cushions the brain, spinal cord and other sensitive tissues. Water is very important for the body, and dehydration can significantly affect brain structure and function. Water is also involved in the production of hormones and neurotransmitters. Lack of water causes the blood to become thicker; thus, increasing risks of blood pressure. Thus, prolonged dehydration can lead to problems with thinking and logical reasoning.
Pregnant women need to drink a lot of water per day. The intake of water and other fluids should increase when breastfeeding.
(7) Most people are familiar with the 8×8 rule for daily water intake: eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. However, your body needs extra fluids to produce extra blood and amniotic fluid for pregnancy cases.
(8) Water assists in controlling calories. Persons who want to control their diet take in a lot of water, thus substituting it for higher calories. This is because foods with higher water content, such as vegetables, beans and fruits tend to look larger and make the person feel full. In addition, some scholars argue that increasing water intake tends to increase the body metabolism, which can increase the number of calories a person burns on a daily basis.
Lack of adequate water can lead to altered body temperature controls. This leads to reduced activity and motivation and increased fatigue, stress and other negative feelings. Lack of water makes exercising feel more difficult, both physically and mentally.
Signs of Dehydration
Dehydration happens when the body loses more fluid than the amount taken in. The body will give out several signs that indiÂcate that it does not have enough water.
These include:
- A dehydratÂed person may feel thirsty, while other people feel hungry. There are those who feel both.
- Urine can be a sigÂnificant indicator of dehydration. For example, urine may be dark or have a pale-yellow colour. Urine may also take time to come out.
- DeÂhydration makes the body feel both tired and fatigued. Several people may also complain of a headache.
Other Signs include:
Feeling tired
Feeling dizzy
Exhaustion
Dry mouth, lips and eyes
Dark coloured urine
Passing urine less than the average four times a day
Dry skin
Thirst is always the first and always most reliable and early indicators of dehydration. However, many people, particularly those who are sick and older adults, may not feel thirsty until they are already dehydrated. In that case, it is extremely important to increase water intake for children and older adults when they have a cold or flu, during hot weather and when they are ill.
When to Drink Water: Top Tips on healthy drinking of water
One of the major mishaps that happen to the body is dehydration. Dehydration is the loss of a large amount of water from the body. When the body is low on water and other fluids, the brain triggers the body’s thirst mechanism and hence the feeling of thirst. Thirst is the feeling of needing to drink something. It would be best if you took the cue that you are thirsty and got yourself a drink of water, juice, milk, or fruit to quench your thirst.
Anyone can become dehydrated, but this condition is especially dangerous and harmful to young children and older adults. It also occurs to people who don’t drink enough water during hot weather, in high humidity and if one is exercising vigorously. Dehydration can impair vascular function almost as much as smoking a cigarette. It is highly recommended that you take water continuously when you wake up and in several instances during the day and not necessarily when you are thirsty, as this may be a sign of dehydration.
It is important that you absorb more water in order to obtain more health benefits. You can improve your internal processes by taking water at optimal times throughout the day. This is because staying hydrated is essential for maintaining optimal brain activity.
The following tops seven 7 tips will assist you on the water taking for a healthy body:
- When you wake up in the morning. Sleep is very important for your health. When you are sleeping, your body is in repair and recovery mode. The immune system is at work as the body get rid of toxins. However, the long period that one is sleeping, of six to eight hours, can be too much without water. By drinking water, you speed up the process in which your body flushes those toxins. Therefore, it is recommended that you drink some water during the night or when you wake up in order to hydrate your body. This is because the day ahead might be long. Therefore, start your day with a glass of water right away.
- Before a meal. Drinking a cup of water clears the stomach. This helps in aiding digestion. In addition, drinking water before a meal is vital for people who are dieting since it makes them feel much fuller and will assist them to prevent overeating. This is an excellent strategy if you are trying to lose weight. This is because it decreases your intake during meals. It is recommended that you should avoid drinking water too soon before or after a meal as the water dilutes the digestive juices.
- After a meal. Drink water after a meal allows the body to absorb nutrients. The body absorbs more water when the stomach is not full of food. Drinking heavy amounts of water during or immediately after the meal dilutes the natural juices that aid digestion. It is also important to take much water between meals to avoid being dehydrated. Sometimes you may think you are hungry while the body is just thirsty.
A common mistake that people make when drinking water is gulping down water, whether before or after eating. Take the water slowly.
- Before and after an exercise. It is important to conduct a few exercises, including taking a walk. This helps the body to refresh. When you work out, the body loses a lot of water and electrolytes through sweating and urinating. It is important that you ensure that the body is well-hydrated if you often take exercises. In addition, drinking plenty of water before, during and after an exercise is essential to keep your body well hydrated. In addition, the exercises and the water help replenish the body and addition of fluids. Keep yourself hydrated while exercising but avoid drinking too much water.
Keep yourself hydrated while exercising but avoid drinking too much water.
- When you are feeling sick, unwell or taking medication. Water is important in maintaining the hydration level. Therefore, it is very important that you take a lot of water, particularly when you are going through any medical condition. This includes body pains such as headaches. A headache can be a symptom of dehydration. This is because the occasional stress and flu can cause a lot of discomfort, and this can be relieved by taking water. In addition, headaches can also trigger migraine attacks. In that case, it is always advisable to increase water intake as this helps decrease migraine severity, frequency and duration.
Maintaining the hydration level is essential, particularly when you are undergoing medication.
Other chronic illnesses are caused by excess acidity that require water to nutralise. However, there are certain ailments that affect the liver and kidney which require water and fluid intake restrictions. It is highly recommended that you seek medical advice regarding water and nutrition when suffering from illness.
- When you are tired or feeling tired. It is always advisable to drink a glass of water when you are feeling tired as this helps to power up the brain. The brain consists of 75% water. Drinking water when you are feeling sleepy helps to replenish vital fluid levels and increase cognitive functioning. This is the reason why people keep drinking water, cold or hot, in the office. This is because if someone is feeling tired at work, they can always take relief by taking water. In addition, tiredness and exhaustion may be signs of dehydration. This is the reason why water is served in meetings and conferences to enable people to feel relieved, cheer up and remain focused.
- Before bedtime. You have spent your day well, and it is time to take a rest. However, drinking a glass of water, preferably an hour or so before bedtime helps replenish any fluid loss that could have occurred during the day or night. Also, this checks you out in case of dehydration. In addition, it is believed that taking water before going to bed to sleep, increasingly lowers the risk of heart attack or stroke, as dehydration elevates the risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.
These top tips recommend several opportunities for taking water, and certainly before going to bed and as you wake up in the morning.
