There are coffee lovers, tea drinkers, kombucha enthusiasts, and fruit juice fanatics. Whether or not you can relate to one or more of those there is definitely one drink that every human cannot go long without, water. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, but what might come as a bit of a shocker is that up to 75% of the American population falls short of the 10 daily cups prescribed by the Institute of Medicine- which in medical terms, means that most people in the U.S. are functioning in a state of chronic dehydration.
Common signs of dehydration include headaches, dry skin, tiredness, extreme thirst, decreased urine output, constipation, dizziness, no tears when crying, low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and rapid breathing. These are just some of the ways your body can be trying to tell you that it simply needs more water.
Not everyone requires the same amount of water everyday. The old staple saying was eight 8 oz glasses per day, but based on more recent studies experts are now recommending you go off of your body weight and activity level. Some are even saying the amount of water you intake also depends on where you live.
How Much Water Should You Be Drinking?
If you weigh 160 pounds you should be drinking anywhere from 80 to 160 ounces of water a day. If exercise or intense physical activity isn’t a part of your daily routine, sticking closer to 80 oz is okay. But if you exercise regularly, you should be around 120 oz of water or more per day. The main reason contributing to this is because on average, a person sweats between 0.8 to 1.4 liters (roughly 27.4 to 47.3 oz.) per hour during exercise.
The reason our bodies need so much is because adult bodies are made up of around 60% water. According to H.H. Mitchel, the lounges are about 83% water while the brain and heart are composed of 73% water. The skin contains 64% water and your muscles and kidneys are 79%.
Water is very essential to everyday health and well being. Neglecting something so prevalent in our bodies is like keeping no toilet paper next to the toilet in the bathroom. It just doesn’t make sense!
Personally, I used to drink maybe 2 8oz glasses of water per day. I could tell that my body was weak and in the summer time I would get an occasional headache from dehydration, especially if I was in the sun more on a particular day. It wasn’t until I moved to Nicaragua for 6 months that I realized the true benefits and overall necessity of drinking water regularly. Of course there the climate is different, but the benefits of dinking water really proved themselves. I started to bring water bottles with me everywhere I went, and after a while I started to be more in tune with my body. I got on a regular schedule of drinking water, and I felt a complete turn around.
At the beginning it was a little tough because I wasn’t used to going to the bathroom so much, but I knew it was good for me and although it felt like I was peeing everything out that I just drank, I still felt 10 times better and continued to stick with it.
The Health Benefits Of Drinking Water:
- Water is a vital nutrient to the life of every cell and acts first as building material.
- It regulates our internal body temperature by sweating and respiration.
- The carbohydrates and proteins that our bodies use as food are metabolized and transported by water in the bloodstream.
- It assists in flushing waste mainly through urination.
- Acts as a shock absorber for brain, spinal cord, and fetus.
- Water removes toxins from within the body.
Steps To Take To Ensure That You’re Getting Enough:
For me, it started by getting a water bottle that I really liked.
There are a plethora of water bottles out there so narrowing down what you want is the best way to go. I recommend getting a glass water bottle. Glass is made from natural properties while plastic is made from harsh chemicals such as BPA, phthalate, PVC, or polycarbonate. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has regarded glass as the only packaging material generally regarded as safe. Glass is made from all-natural, sustainable raw materials, is 100% recyclable, and can be recycled endlessly with no loss in quality or purity.
On the other hand, once plastic is created it can take anywhere from 500-1,000 years to degrade. Roughly 2.7 million tons of plastic are used each year worldwide for disposable drinking bottles and only about 25% of the plastic used in America is recycled.
Another water bottle to invest in would be a stainless steal bottle. There are no known safety issues with stainless steal, and if you’re worried about your glass water bottle easily breaking this might be the best re-usable option for you!
Start your day by drinking 24oz of water or more.
The best way to wake up your insides is with a refreshing intake of water. You can even warm up the water and put lemon in it for more benefits! Lemon water aids digestion, helps you stay hydrated, is weight-loss friendly, provides a potassium boost, and provides a healthy dose of vitamin C.
Mix it up and drink Coconut Water!
I have an 18oz can of coconut water next to my computer right now. Coconut water has a very high amount of potassium, and is composed of many naturally occurring bioactive enzymes such as acid phosphatase, catalase, dehydrogenase, diastase, peroxidase, RNA-polymerases etc. In effect, these enzymes help in the digestion and metabolism. So next time you want to add a little flavor with extra benefits to your water routine, drink a can of coconut water!
Allow the facts to speak for themselves, try drinking more water and become more in-tune with your body’s keen sense of awareness. If using the restroom more is the only downside that comes from drinking more water, there is no reason not to try! The benefits and overall better health are worth this little change in your everyday lifestyle.