Wellness Wednesday - water
- Blakely Berry
- Jan 22, 2019
- 2 min read
Water. Not the most glamorous wellness topic but arguably (or not) the most essential. Regardless of a person's health or fitness level, water is crucial and in the United States, reasonably accessible. If you are just starting your wellness consciousness, water is a great place to start!
Why is water so important?
Water makes up over 60% of our bodies by weight. It fills our cells allowing them to function properly. It lubricates our joints to allow pain free movement. It flushes waste from our bodies, and it regulates our body temperature. Without water, life simply does not exist.
Effects of Dehydration
Dehydration is the outcome of taking in less water than you lose. When you are dehydrated, your body can't properly carry out it's essential functions.
Benefits of hydration
Aside from the essential functions, drinking water has other benefits. Adequate hydration can actually help with weight loss. Our minds often confuse thirst with hunger. So the next time you want to reach for any afternoon snack, try a glass of water first. You might actually just be thirsty. If you are still hungry 30 minutes later, go for the snack! Drinking before meals can also reduce the overall amount of calories consumed in that meal (3). You can also boost your metabolism by drinking water, specifically cold water (4).
How much water should I drink?
This isn't as simple of an answer as one might think. There are a lot of different theories out there, but at the end of the day, every body is different.
Things that impact the amount of water you need -
Exercise levels
Body temperature
Illness - especially nausea and vomiting
Stage of the menstrual cycle
Respiration rate
Season and outside temperature
One theory is to drink half of your body weight in ounces. This works for people that like to specifically track and count. This may or may not be enough water for you, but can be a good place to start!
Strategies to drink more water
When working with my clients, I always start with how much they are drinking now. We can almost all benefit from drinking more water. I encourage them to start adding 1 or 2 glasses per day - usually one right when they wake up in the morning and one before lunch or dinner.
Another strategy is to get a water cup or bottle that you plan to refill throughout the day. You can put rubber bands or hair ties around the bottle representing the number of glasses you plan to drink that day. Every time you refill, take one band off. At the end of the day, there won't be any more bands on the cup.
You can also set an alarm for every hour or two as a reminder to drink water. I try to get up every hour to refill my water. This helps me stand and move when I am working, and I get the water that I need.
At the end of the day, we can all use a little (or a lot) more water. Any way that works for you to get it in is a great thing! What are some of your strategies to drink more water?