Drink More Water!

Top 10 Reasons to Drink More Water!

10 – Helps energize muscle

            Cells that don’t maintain their balance of fluids and electrolytes shrivel, which can result in muscle fatigue.  When muscles fatigue it makes every action we take that much more difficult to accomplish.

9 – Decreases joint pain

            Drinking water can reduce pain in your joints, along with the consumption of healthy fats, by keeping the cartilage soft and hydrated.

8 – Affects your mood

            Research says dehydration can affect your mood and make you grumpy and confused. This ties in directly with number seven – prevents headaches.

7 – Prevents headaches

            If you have ever had too much to drink then you know how effective consuming water is on helping curb your hangover and getting that headache to go away.  Our bodily functions depend on water, so despite it’s better judgement, it takes it from wherever it can get it leaving other vital organs in need.

6 – Maintain normal bowel function

            Adequate hydration keeps things flowing along your gastrointestinal tract and prevents constipation. When you don’t get enough fluid, the colon pulls water from stools to maintain hydration — and the result is constipation.

5 – Maintain balance of body fluids

            Your body is composed of about 60%. The functions of these bodily fluids include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature.  Our body works optimally in the 50-70% hydration range, but you would be surprised to know that the majority of people have a difficult time maintaining at least 50% hydrated.  There are various tools out there that can tell you how hydrated you are if you are curious to know the exact number, but look for subtle cues like headaches or constipation to gauge for yourself.

 4 – Help curb appetite

            While water doesn’t contain any calories, it does take up space in your stomach thus giving you the feeling of fullness.  Drink a glass or two before a meal and you will find that you are not consuming as many calories because your brain will trigger the satiety feeling to keep you from over feeding.

3 – Reduces certain cancer risks

            Various research states that staying hydrated can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 45% (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10404059 ), bladder cancer by 50%  (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/331514.stm) and possibly reduce the risk of breast cancer as well.

2 – Helps kidney function (sorry, have to get pretty technical here)

            For your body to work properly, it must contain just the right amount of water. One of the important jobs of the kidneys is to remove excess water from the body or to retain water when the body needs more.  Many of the substances in the blood and body fluid must be kept at the correct level for the body to function properly.  When the kidneys are working properly, excess minerals, such as sodium and potassium, are excreted from the body in the urine. The kidneys also help to regulate the levels of other minerals, such as calcium and phosphate, which are important for the formation of bone.

1 – You will die without it

            Really? Do I really need to expand and explain more here????