You’ve probably been told before that it’s important to hydrate, with many health officials recommending the consumption of two liters of water per day. With so many other options available, like coffee, juice, tea and sodas, it’s easy to put H2O on the backburner. However, many of these choices will actually cause dehydration and add an excess of sugars to your diet. Drinking water regularly is essential to your overall health and well-being. Read on below for five immense benefits of hydration!
1. Promotes Weight Loss
Drinking water helps to increase the amount of calories you burn and helps to suppress your appetite. It can be easy to confuse thirst for hunger, so try drinking a glass of water before snacking or eating large portions.
2. Improves Digestion
H2O creates fluid balance by helping move nutrients in the body, digest food and regulate body temperature. Water helps to break down food so that your body can more quickly and fully absorb the nutrients. It is also imperative to digesting soluble fiber, aiding the bowels to make soft stool, preventing constipation.
3. Increases Energy
Feeling tired is one of the first warning signs of dehydration and when you don’t have enough water in your system, your body starts to slow down. Headaches, lethargy, moodiness, dizziness and muscle fatigue are all symptoms of dehydration. Water also helps to convert food into energy through digestion. Bottom line: when your body is well lubricated and functioning properly, you will have more energy.
4. Flushes Out Toxins
When you drink lots of water you are flushing out the waste and toxins in your body through sweat and urination. Not only will this help you to feel your best each day, but it will also help to prevent you from becoming sick. Regular hydration can help fight against flu, cancer and other afflictions like heart attacks, kidney stones and urinary tract infections.
5. Improves Complexion
Skin is an organ, and just like any other part of the body relies upon water to function properly. If your skin is not getting enough water, the lack of hydration will display itself in dry (causing wrinkles) tight or flaky skin. Water consumption also maintains skin moisture and increases its elasticity, helping to prevent signs of aging. Additionally, proper hydration can counter skin disorders like psoriasis and eczema.
As you can see, there are numerous benefits to proper hydration. Many people are dehydrated each day but don’t even realize it. This makes the body work harder to do even the simplest of tasks. So, make sure to get enough water daily to maintain a health and balanced body!