Did you know that until recently, soda was the most popular beverage in the US for nearly 2 decades? It wasn’t until soda started to be blamed for the rise in obesity that our old faithful friend, WATER, rose back to the top in 2013.
Water makes up about 60% of the human body. We NEED water to function properly. In my practice, I often find that people do not drink enough water. When I tell them the amount they should be drinking daily, I get a jaw-dropping response from most people. It is really rare for me to find someone that consumes the recommended daily amount of water needed. It’s a simple calculation: drink half your body weight in ounces. For example, a person that weighs 150 pounds should be drinking 75 ounces of pure water daily.
Do you need to drink more water? Here are six signs that your body isn’t getting enough:
- Headaches – Water makes up the fluid that surrounds and cushions the brain and spinal cord, acting as a shock absorber. The next time you have a headache, try drinking a big glass of water before reaching for any medication. Many are caused by simple dehydration.
- Achy joints – Water cushions and lubricates joints, allowing them to move properly. It helps keep muscles elastic, too.
- Dry skin – Water moisturizes skin from the inside, making it soft and supple, promoting a glowing complexion, and smoothing out wrinkles. It’s the simplest anti-aging treatment there is!
- Slow or insufficient digestion – Water forms the saliva in your mouth and helps break food down into smaller parts, so the nutrients can be absorbed and used properly by the body.
- Brain Fog – The brain needs water to make neurotransmitters and hormones.
- Sluggishness/fatigue – Water in the blood helps deliver oxygen to all the tissues. Water also keeps the mucous membranes moist. Cells throughout the body need it to regenerate and grow. Water also flushes out the body’s own waste products, as well as toxins we are exposed to on a daily basis. Finally, the body uses water to regulate temperature through perspiration and respiration.
My patients who drink the right amount of water report they have more energy, less pain, better looking skin, and better digestion.
Take the water challenge! Find a water bottle, preferably glass or BPA-free plastic, and figure out how many bottle-fulls you need to drink in a day based on how many ounces it holds.
Drink up!
