Proper Hydration
Everybody knows and everybody tells us including in the health and fitness community that we should drink more water and this shouldn’t be any secret now. Even if you aren’t training hard and regularly and sweating heavily is imperative that you drink a lot of water. If you are training regularly and hard is even more important.
Even though it is not difficult to drink water cause it is readily available, is cheap, there are lots of people that are not doing it, or at least not doing it enough.
So next we will discuss why you should be drinking water and its benefits on your general health.
Drinking water is important for energy
If you don’t drink enough water, don’t be surprised when most of the time you feel tired and lethargic. If you are also training, not drinking enough water will affect your performances. You will not be able to focus at your job and so on.
If you feel like you are not drinking enough is easy to make the change. Just make it a must, having a bottle of water wherever you work or study or anywhere you spend most of the time of your day. A good idea is to get a container, either made of glass or other materials that can be refilled and not affect the quality of the water that contains and you can also keep track of the quantity that you consume. Then focus on keep sipping every now and then so drink throughout the day.
If you aren’t drinking enough water you must make this change and you will notice an increase in energy and an improvement of your overall performance. In the gym is a no brainer that you should wave a water container that keeps you hydrated during your work out, sipping in between sets.
Water is vital for normal cell function
In case you don’t drink enough water then your cells cannot function properly. Water is very important for the delivery of the nutrients that your body needs, like vitamins and minerals.
Water is cheap
These days it is pretty easy to get to a cheap or even free water source that you can refill your water container and keep your hydration up to standards. Of course you can head to a vending machine and purchase a soda but is that the right choice? Let’s not even talk about the health aspect of those sodas added up over the course of a longer time. In terms of amount spent if you add up the costs it is obvious that the balance tips towards the water choice when it comes to savings. If you just have a water container and fill it up at water fountains, taps water machines in the gyms you will not only be doing your health a service but you will also save a lot of money. Water not containing any calories and no sugar is the healthiest choice.
Building muscle
When you are trying to build muscle is very important to keep hydrated as well, because muscles require all those proteins and glycogens to reach hypertrophy and function properly. The proteins provide the essential building blocks for building muscle whilst glycogens store and provide the energy source to contract the muscle. Drinking water helps supplying muscles with proteins and glycogens as well providing electrolytes. Electrolytes contains salts and electrical impulses which provide nerve stimulation which allows a muscle to contact. A good hydration helps avoiding injuries, muscle cramps and electrolytes provide muscle contractions.
Suppress appetite and false hunger pains
When the body reaches a low level of hydration there are false hunger signals sent out via the brain that cause overeating and put on extra weight, when in fact all the body needs is adequate hydration. So those that are in a phase of weight loss drinking water will aid you in your process due to feeling less hungry all the time and be able to stay in a caloric deficit and achieve your goal.
Avoiding fatigue and headaches
When the body lacks sufficient hydration one of the side effects of it are, as we said before a constant feel of fatigue due to the lack of electrolytes and nutrients provided by water. If the dehydration is being taken even further other effects of it appear like tense muscles around the neck resulting in headaches. Tense head and neck muscles cause tension headaches when the muscles around the head and neck seize up. Hydration helps the body by allowing muscles to relax when the blood deliver sufficient amount of oxygen which keeps unnecessary tension headaches and fatigued muscles al around the body.
Beat skin breakouts
Spots and breakouts are not just unpleasant and annoying but they are built up of toxins and waste, so hydration will help the body flush out those toxins and bacteria which can build up in the skin and make it loose that deserving glow.
Improve organ function and reduce blood pressure
The body is utilizing water within the vital organs to allow them to work properly and carry out their daily primary and secondary functions. Water also helps organs flush out those toxins that we already talked about and stop them from building up in the body and also keeps those organs healthy. Healthy organs fight off all kinds of illnesses. Water also reduces blood pressure by allowing the blood flow more freely through the veins and arteries. As a result there is a relief from stress, taking stress off of organs preventing illnesses and diseases.
Let’s face it, we cannot leave without water, we cannot stay healthy without proper hydration, so staying hydrated is key. Knowing this most people are dehydrated without knowing.
So how much water should you drink?
There is no set in stone value of how much water should you drink each day but there are factors that have an impact on the quantity of the water you should drink, like height , weight and activity levels. Those of us that exercise regularly will need extra water intake to cover the body’s needs to function normally and be able to deal with physical and mental stress caused by exercise. You can find out how much water should you drink by measuring you weight, monitoring your energy level or just by checking the color of you urine, that will always give you an indication of how hydrated or dehydrated you are, the deeper the color the more dehydrated you are.
Fruit infused water
If you are like me, water on its own can be boring. And it is much more pleasant when it has some flavor. Solution, you can either mix it with some low sugar containing fruit juices or you can use fruit infuser water bottles and make all kinds of combinations let the flavors mix in with the water and drink it. Some combinations could be orange and lime, lemon and lime, strawberry and blueberry but off course it is up to one’s preferences. They provide you with a refreshing drink without the added calories and added sugars and preservatives that are found in the commercial flavored drinks.
So whether you exercising regularly or not, keep the benefits of a proper hydration and make the necessary changes in your life.
Till next time,
Eric, www.Fitdaddy.ro
