Drink Water

Water helps your vital organs by keeping them alive and working. It transports essential nutrients to cells, such as minerals, vitamins and glucose, generating cell renewal and cell life. With the help of water, the kidneys flush away toxins from the body, which are then eliminated through bodily waste. The stomach and intestines need water to process the food you eat, helping the body to derive nutrition so it can thrive and grow. Body temperature’s regulated with the help of water, since excess heat’s dispersed through sweat expelled via the skin. Body heat can also be retained to a certain extent in cold temperatures, thanks to the water content in your body. As you breathe, water’s constantly lost through inhaling and exhaling, driving the heart and lungs, which in turn carries oxygen to the brain, so it’s essential to replace water used up by replenishing your reserves.

Water helps you maintain a healthy body weight

People following diets swear by water as a great way to lose weight. This happens in multiple ways. Water’s a good replacement for calorie-laden drinks such as sugary drinks and alcohol. Food contains water too and eating a diet that’s rich in food with a high water content helps to make you feel fuller for longer. Water-rich foods include most fruits and vegetables, broths, soups, beans and oatmeal. Recipes using these produce meals that appear larger and require more chewing, as well as being absorbed more slowly into the body. This gives the feeling of fullness as well as having a strong psychological effect that you’ve eaten well.

Water gives you more mental and physical energy

One of the first signs of dehydration is fatigue and this slows up your mental and physical performance. Dehydration causes brain tissues to shrink, so your brain has to work much harder to maintain the same level of thought process. Water keeps your brain in tip-top condition, improving alertness and concentration. Your muscles need water to grow and repair and the more you exercise, the more important water is to restore the energy you’ve expended, driving glucose from food back into the working muscles. The harder you work your body, the more water you’ll lose through breathing and sweating, leading to a loss of vital nutrients such as sodium. These need to be replaced and water aids this process, restoring energy expended so your body’s ready to perform again when you need it to. Water also lubricates the joints and helps to maintain healthy bones. Guidelines say you should drink between half to one fluid ounce of water for every pound you weigh. For someone weighing 160 pounds, this means drinking roughly between 2-4 litres of water a day, depending on your activity levels.