I did a little research asking family, grandchildren, clients, friends and my conclusion is that many people don't drink enough water!
If I go back in time I have memories of my mother in the last years of her life very dehydrated, we where struggling to make her drink a couple of glass of water per day! Our body to work properly require between 1,5 -2 liter of water per day!
Water is essential for all of our organs to function properly, we can survive without food for a very long time but just few days with out water!
Water make up about 60% of our body weight, water enables the circulatory system (hearth, blood vessels, blood) to carry and distribute enough oxygen and nutrients to our cells.
Our Kidneys need water to filter waste and toxins, our brain is 75% water, without water we can’t produce the necessary sweat to lower the body temperature, water is involved in every step of our digestion, is a major component of our saliva, is needed to produce the mucus that coats the inside of the stomach, which protect it from the highly acidic digestive juices. And so on!
Our body needs a lot of water to function properly every day, so if you want to live an healthy life consider to increase the amount of water you drink every day!!!
According to basic guide line we need at least 2 liter of water per day, but sometime we forget to drink, we are too busy, we don’t particularly like water, we leave the water bottle at home, we postpone!
A normal glass of water has a capacity of about 180/200 ml so you need to have at least 8 of those, also depend of your life style, if you are exercise and are a very active person, if you sweat a lot, if you live in a tropical country, where temperatures are high all the time, if you are breasfeeding.
As we get older our body water content decreases and the consequences can be very serious, mobility decreases and memory loss just to mention a couple.
Also a very important factor related to water intake is CONSTIPATION, so many people are constipated because they don’t drink enough.
All that said, what you can do to introduce more liquids in your body?
Meanwhile let’s say that tea, coffee and sugary juices or fizzy drinks , yes they supply fluids, but they have a terrible effect on your health!
Herbal teas are a good alternative or flavored water if you need to, but the best option is just plain, clean water!
To increment liquid intake you can also eat more watery fruit and more salads and greens especially in summer.
I’ve also noticed that in winter we tend to drink even less!
Because our body doesn’t send thirst signals we forget to drink. Be aware of that and maybe drink more herbal teas to warm you up.
Learn to check the color of your urine to judge if you are dehydrated or your uric acid are out of control and your body is too acidic.
There is a basic formula that indicate the quantity of water that your body need per day.
Use it to at least get the basic amount and adjust if you are doing a lot of physical activity.
Now, what can you do to drink more?
Drink a glass of water as soon as you open your eyes ( add some lemon juice if you like it)
Carry with you a water bottle, keep one in your car (not a plastic one, a flask that can keep the water fresh or your herbal tea warm).
Bring a glass of water to your desk.
Set a goal to reach every day.
Include it in your routine, maybe when you brush your teeth, or before every meals.
Track how many glass of water you drink is also good for your memory!
Reward yourself when you reach your target!
Send me your tips!
