“Moisture is the essence of wetness. Wetness is the essence of beauty.”
Hopefully you recognize that quote. If not, I’ll still give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you’re awesome. Anyways, this post is about water. Beautiful, wet, wonderful water.
Did you know . . .
- Your body is about 60% water
- Your muscles and brain are roughly 75% water
- Your blood is about 82% water
- Your bones are approximately 25% water
Because every element of your body involves water, the lack of water has a huge effect on how you feel and perform. Even small amounts of dehydration can cause fatigue, headaches, and back pain. The less water in your body, the more problems you will have in the long run.
Rewards of Drinking Water
It can help with back and neck pain
How? Inside your spine there is a jelly-like substance called nucleus pulposus, and it acts like a cushion between vertebrae. If you’re not drinking enough water, those lovely disc-pillows become dehydrated and shrink, BUT if you’re drinking plenty of H2O, they stay full and fluffy, giving your spine the support it needs.
It can help prevent wrinkles and improve skin overall
“ What’s this?! I don’t need wrinkle cream?” Not as much as you think. If you have a fruit that is fully, ripe and juicy–aka full of water!–does it look dry and wrinkly like a raisin? No! If your skin cells are plump with plenty of water, they give your skin a fuller healthier glow.
It can help prevent/reduce the affects of…
…arthritis, ulcers, asthma, Alzheimer’s, hiatal hernias, high blood pressure and more. Whew! All this just by keeping my body hydrated? Oh yes, it’s true! Just keep thinking of that juicy fruit vs raisin analogy.
You’ll be more awake and alert
By drinking plenty of water, your body has more of the material it is (a) made of, and (b) needs to function, making your day much easier. Is it a quick fix like caffeine? No, but overall your body will feel so much better and your energy will last longer by chugging H2O than that classic Coca Cola pumped full of sugars and energy-lows soon after.
It can relieve headaches
Most headaches are caused by mild dehydration. Some people believe that when you take an aspirin, it’s not so much the pill healing your headache but the water you consume with the pill. Now, nothing beats ibuprofen for dreadful migraine, but, if you feel a little cranial discomfort, try drinking water before taking pills and watch your pain go away.
How?
“So how on earth do I get enough water, now that I realize how simply fantastic it is?” you ask. Well, I’ll tell you.
Drink about 8 oz of water before and after breakfast
Yes, you can still have your juice (Yay!) but remember that juice, while lovely, does not make up for the glories of good ole H2O.
Eat fresh fruits and veggies
“Wait a minute!” you say, “I thought this was about DRINKING! Not eating.”
Well, it is. Remember that juicy fruit? It’s filled with–you guessed it–WATER! If you eat your full amount of fruits and veggies in day, you will actually consume 1 of your 3 daily quarts of water. Phew! Sadly–but logically–processed foods, meats, and starches do not count.
Have a glass or two before and after each meal
If you’re drinking water beforehand, this will not only help your stomach feel slightly more full–so you consume less calories–but it will also aid in your digestion. Try to time it 30 minutes before and then 2 1/2 hours after. Unless you have an enlarged prostate, hiatal hernia, or acid reflux, have another 8 oz before bedtime.
Avoid massive amounts of soda, tea, and coffee
Yes, these are all wonderful tasting drinks and great ways for a quick wake-up, but they actually dehydrate your. This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your morning coffee, afternoon tea, or some soda at the movies. Drink in moderation and make sure you’re consuming more water than these beverages.
To discover how much water YOU as an individual needs, take your weight and divide it by 2.
The resulting number is the number of ounces you need to drink DAILY (i.e. If someone weighs 200 lbs, they would drink 100 oz of water a day).
Add more water to your day, and your body will be singing your praises, I promise!
By Sarah Bocchino | Sarah wants to be a pirate when she grows up, but, in the meantime, she settles for adventures in domestication, teaching middle school English, and blogging at Any Way the Wind Blows. Her latest endeavor involves decor schemes on a miniature budget. She and her husband, Chris, live in Florida with two tabby cats and random explosions of creativity.
But please, please use refillable water bottles. Disposable plastic water bottles are hurting our planet and they aren’t that much better than tap water. There are wonderful alternative bottles like the Vapur that folds up when you are finished and can be taken anywhere.
This is a great video that gives an overview of the problem.
http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/
I could have written this post! New friends think I’m kidding when I offer them a drink at my apartment and it’s “Water, water, or water?” lol
You need to be careful with one-size-fits-all rules like halving your weight to know how many ounces to drink. Sure a 200-lb person would drink 100 ounces, or a 150-lb would drink 75. Fine. But a 300-lb person drinking 150 ounces would be super-hydrated (a condition from which you can die), and a 100-pound person drinking only 50 would, unless perhaps they were very inactive, be dehydrated. I know, I know; it’s just a rough rule to go on and people should use discretion. Still, it’s an odd rule to posit.
Sarah, you’re right. Some rules of thumbs with health can be tricky. I’ve read that overhydration is really quite rare and people that die from it are usually drinking ridiculous amounts of water that just don’t make much sense. Either way, I think the vast majority of people in the United States don’t drink enough water…in fact, I’d be willing to bet money on it!
Anyway, thanks for posting! I had to Google the word “posit”. Never heard it…thanks for the fact of the day! 🙂