Drinking water to maintain good health

Drinking water is hugely important to our quality of health. Our bodies are made up of 70 – 80% water and it is therefore vitally important that we replenish the water we use through breathing, sweating and through going to the bathroom. Research shows that we should drink at least 2 to 2.5 litres of water a day – this is for the average adult and are the safe recommended guidelines, for children it is less. If it is hot or you are working out or being physical then more is required. If our bodies are taking in the correct amount of water then our kidneys are working correctly which means our livers are not having to bale them out! With the correct level of fluids in our bodies we can operate more efficiently and with less risk of illness, infection or diseases.

How to Drink More Water Every Day?

Keep track of your daily intake of water for the first few days, so you can establish whether you are drinking the correct recommended amount. It is important to see if you are drinking less or more and whether your hydration levels are correct. If more then it is an easy fix, if less then you have to condition yourself to drink more. Carry a water bottle with you during the day and make sure you always have a glass of water next to you, at home or at work. Try setting the alarm on your watch, computer or mobile phone to make sure you remember to drink. Try using a water filter at home or adding lemons or lime to your water – both taste better than tap water. If you prefer the taste of water when it is colder, try keeping it in the fridge.

Why You Need to Drink Water?

Our bodies are made up of a lot of water. Our blood, lungs, brain and most of our organs and muscles contain mainly water. So to regulate body temperature at the same time as transporting nutrients around the body, oxygen to our cells and removal of waste, we need water. Water also adds protection for our joints and organs – the more our bodies use, the more our bodies need to replace to remain healthy and protect against illness and disease.

How much water should a person drink per day?

Different experts, tell different stories, but in taking a safe average, our daily water intake should be around 2.5 litres of water per day for an adult increasing during hotter weather and periods of physical activity and for kids, 1.5 to 2 litres per day. Energy levels and powers of concentration will increase and improve significantly with increase water intake.

Differences in drinking water?

Safe drinking water comes in many forms – tap water (faucet) is just that, water from your tap. It will contain various man-made chemicals to preserve and cleanse including fluoride and chlorine. Of our bottled water, spring water is normally bottled at source, chemical free and contains many minerals which not only make the water taste better but are also good for our bodies. Distilled water is not normally known as drinking water but more for appliances. It has been stripped of all mineral goodness and is effectively pure hydrogen and oxygen (H2O). Again with purified water, it is not normally known as drinking water as all minerals and even smaller contaminants have been filtered out prior to bottling.

What is the best way to clean polluted water?

Our drinking water quality is of utmost importance to our bodies, filtration with man made or natural methods will clean polluted water from the environment and increase our drinking water quality. Reed beds are the environmental method – allowing solids to settle and microbes in the roots to deal with toxic water contamination in the same way that conventional treatment systems provide us with water treatment.

Signs of Dehydration?

The first signs of dehydration are our body’s urge to drink more along with decreased amount of urine which becomes very concentrated, dark and quite strong in smell. As our dehydration increases we experience a dry mouth, our eyes stop making tears, we may stoip sweating, our muscles start to cramp, we feel nauseous and may vomit and a prime sign is lightheadedness.

How do you prevent dehydration?

Simply – drink water! The body needs water to function and dehydration only occurs when our water intake is less than our body’s water loss. The symptoms of dehydration range from mild to life-threatening and so invariably, prevention is the important first step in treating dehydration. The young and elderly are especially susceptible to dehydration and so we need to recognise the signs when they occur – preferably heading it off by treating our bodies correctly.

Why is drinking water good for you?

For all of the reasons above (and more), drinking water is a must for maintain our body in top contition. It adds to your body’s nutrition, helps you lose weight, makes it easier to exercise and keeps your skin in good condition. Drinking water also helps with our digestions and helps to flush out toxins from the body at the same time reducing fluid retention. Drink water or pay the consequences.

Does drinking lots of water help you lose weight?

Yes, yes, yes!!!! Our livers have the unenviable task of breaking down fats in the body. Unfortunately, if our body is starved of water, our kidneys cannot function correctly and the liver needs to step in to help. Obviously if our liver is on a mission for the kidneys, it cannot do it’s job properly. I firmly believe that livers are male. They certainly can’t multi task! ;o)

Health Benefits of Drinking Water

Water makes up two thirds of our body’s weight. Our blood is 83% water, our muscles 75% water and our brain 74%. It is obvious then what water does – ensuring the smooth functioning of our body’s systems. Too little water and dehydration occurs and our digestive system cannot flush out the waste products from our bodies. How much water should we drink? Recommendation on the daily fluid intake consumption guideline that most experts agree on is around 2 to 2.5 litres (or about 8 glasses of water) daily for a normal adult with a typical lifestyle. Children less but the more exercise we do, the more we should drink.

Water acts as a purification system for our bodies, removing toxins and waste, it assists us with weight loss, promotes fitness in body and mind, and keeps us healthy.

Benefits of Drinking Water and Weight Loss

Drinking water boosts our metabolism rate and assists with weight loss. Hot lemon water is believed to assist the process further and increase the benefits by up to three times. Drinking plenty of water helps reduce your appetite and minimises craving for food because it helps reduce your appetite. If we are drinking the correct amounts of water then our kidneys can function correctly. Too little water in our bodies and they struggle, meaning that our livers need to step in and assist. If the liver is assisting the kidneys, it’s not fulfilling its main function which is that of breaking down our body’s fat so we don’t lose weight.

Combat ailments and disease by drinking more water

In many cases dehydration is the prime cause of fatigue, headaches and back pain. If you suffer from lethargy and low energy levels, try drinking more water. If you or your family complain of frequent headaches, the amount of water you’re drinking is likely to be responsible. And, muscle spasms are also caused by not drinking plenty of water a day, so that the body is not adequately hydrated. Excercise can make the symptoms worse as it increases the dehyration if we do not increase our water intake. Carry a bottle with you during the day, drink more and your body will benefit.

Drinking water can reduce hunger

Hunger pangs can be misinterpreted as cravings for water say the experts. Drinking water before your regular meals can help cut down on the amount of food you eat – it works as a really effective appetite suppressant. But make sure that your water intake is just that, don’t count tea, coffee, sodas and juices in your fluids intake as they either contain caffeine which removes water from the body or sugars which makes the body work harder to dilute them causing more dehydration.

Drinking water hydrates our skin and makes us look younger

When we drink plenty of water we hydrate our skin which then takes on a more radiant look and feel. Our bodies need water to flush toxins out of our system and to keep our muscles ‘full’ and strong. Without water our bodies will quickly start to suffer and you’ll be able to see the different in the mirror.

Benefits of Water as a Headache Cure

Water can treat headaches at the source, where pills and medications only mask the symptoms. In large numbers of cases, headaches are caused by dehydration. Even if it is directly related to stress, fatique or other problems, drinking water can greatly reduce the severity of the headache. A properly hydrated body will allow you to think clearly and your headache will ease.

Water Beats Stress!

When we experience stress, dehydration occurs which can lead to the shrinkage of our brains. Correct water intake is therefore vital in decreasing the stress on our bodies and our minds. It is important to feed our thirst.

Flouride and Water Health

Fluoride exists naturally in water sources and it is well known that it helps prevent and even reverse the early stages of tooth decay. Fluoride combats tooth decay by preventing the acid produced by bacteria in plaque from dissolving or demineralizing, tooth enamel, our teeth’s natural protectant. Floride is also incorporated in the structure of developing teeth when it is ingested by our bodies which also protects our teeth. Water fluoridation has proved to be a safe and cost-effective way to reduce the cost of dental care. Today, water fluoridation is estimated to reduce tooth decay by as much as 40%.

Chlorine and Cancer

People continue to use and drink unfiltered tap water even though it can be filled with carcinogenic compounds, when a simple water filter can help safeguard us against cancers. Untreated tap water is filled with dangerous contaminants like nitrate, arsenic, microorganisms, and chemicals from pesticides. When our water is treated, many contaminants are removed but the most dangerous of contaminants is actually added. Chlorine, a know poison to the body, is added as an inexpensive and effective drinking water disinfectant. At least three types of cancer are known to be caused by this chemical and research shows that we are 93% more likely to risk cancer by drinking unfiltered chlorinated water.

Want To Live Longer? Drink Water!

A big reason to drink fresh, clean water is that over the past 100 years our life expectancy has increased by more than 30 years. Cleaner public water is one of the biggest contributing factors according to research evidence. We now take more steps to clean our water supply and have improved our waste water treatment processes which all add up to a longer, healthier life. Water can even help with the fight against diabetes.

If you want to retain a healthy lifestyle and look after your environment then you need to choose the right drinking water bottle carefully. Whether you’re looking at storing water in the fridge for consumption indoors or for outdoors use while hiking, cycling or exercising etc there are a huge amount of design options and types to choose from which even include some with built in and reusable filters. From the cheap single use bottles that you buy your bottled water in at the shops, to the very best aluminium and stainless steel reusable options, the choice is vast.

The plastic bottles made from PET that we buy our water in from shops are the worst for repeated use as they have been proven to leach dangerous chemicals including carcinogens into the water in addition to promoting bacteria.

Bottles made from thermoplastic polymers or polycarbonates are popular reusable bottles that are seen everywhere in schools, fitness clubs, gyms etc, but are also guilty of leaching cancer causing BPA. Some research points to increased amounts of BPA being released when the bottles are warmed as when feeding babies. Yes, polycarbonate is also used for baby bottles! Scary!!

At the top end of the scale we have aluminium and stainless steel bottles. Unfortunately, a good deal of the aluminium bottles have plastic liners which could still cause problems although the latest liners are made from ‘friendly resins’.

The best water bottles by far in our opinion are the stainless steel variety. This material is safe to drink from, does not leach anything into the liquid it stores and is pretty indestructable and so will last and last. Because these containers do not leach any chemical into your drink, the drink tastes better and a lot would say, stays cooler longer. A lot of the top bottles are available with accessories such as carry-cases or straps for securing the bottle to your belt or over your shoulder, especially useful for sport and outdoor use. Obviously with the more expensive water bottles you can also expect to receive a guarantee of quality which should be important to those who are serious about using their bottles over and over, promoting health through proper hydration.

There are a huge number of manufacturers to consider, offering a wide range of product including brand names like Nalgene, Sigg and Kleen Kanteen to name but a few, and so there is plenty of choice at all levels of price with color and style to suit everyone’s taste.

Having decided on a healthy and environmentally friendly, reusable water bottle, one of the most important things to remember is to keep it clean! Water kept in any vessel for any length of time that has been exposed to the air will promote some pretty nasty bacteria. Keep them clean. Buying a dishwater safe water bottle is the best bet as dishwashers tend to operate at very high temperatures and can effectively steralize your bottle.

Live a healthy life and choose the right type of drinking water bottle! They make a great eco-friendly and healthy gift too.

Thirst is one of the first signs that our body needs water. Alcohol and diuretics such as tea and coffee should be avoided.

A significant cause of dehydration is diarrhea which kills millions each year and children are the biggest casualties. Vomiting too causes loss of fluid which is difficult to replace through drinking and sweating can cause a significant loss of body fluids especially if exercising in warm weather.

Other than an increased thirst, the biggest sign of dehydration is a reduction in the urge to urinate as our bodies try to conserve fluids. Our urine becomes very yellow or even orange and is usually accompanied by a strong odour. A dry mouth, muscle cramps and nausea or vomiting may also become apparent and we may also become light headed.

Unless measures are taken to reverse the symptoms of dehydration, the normal amount of blood reaching our brain and other organs will significantly reduce until our bodies are no longer able to function and we slip into a coma

As with any ailment or disease, prevention is the best medicine. If this is not possible then fluid replacement is top of the list to treat the symptoms, by mouth initial and intravenously if more severe. Whichever way, we need to hydrate our bodies and should drink plenty but not to excess as this can cause us even more damage. Electrolytes are commonly used to boost the replacement of fluids in extreme cases and aid rehydration. The best rule is to seek medical attention if at all worried.

Shock, kidney failure, coma and death are common in extreme cases where symptoms go untreated. Medical treatment is a must!

Who’s most susceptible to dehydration? People who exercise in hot weather, pediatric and geriatrics – kids and old people, and those with heat related conditions such as heat rash, heat cramp, heat stroke and heat exhaustion are most at risk and can easily dehydrate, although people of any age can fall victim. Keeping well hydrated at all times is the best policy. Kids are terrible for not drinking enough fluids and so you should keep your child safe by insisting on regular fluid intake to keep them safe and healthy.