The fuel for our body is not food. It is water.
We never skip a meal, intact while binge-watching Netflix late at night, we might even indulge in having an extra meal. But when it comes to having water, we might go the entire day without drinking a glass. This is very unhealthy and something that needs to change. Our body requires water for all its important functions. An average person requires about 3 litres of water per day. But why? Let’s see.
Why is it important to stay hydrated?
- It regulates your body temperature
Water is known for its cooling properties. When the body temperature increases (usually during exercise or workouts, or due to fever) drinking water helps to bring it down to a normal. Hence, staying hydrated is important for your body temperature.
- Protects kidneys from damage and stones
A higher water intake increases the volume of urine passing through the kidneys. This helps in dissolving any sort of a stone formation that happens in the kidney. Hence staying hydrated is important for your kidney’s health.
- Pushes out toxins and waste products from the body
Water helps in clearing out the waste from the body. The more water we drink, the higher the level of urine passes from our body. Water helps in the processing of food in the digestive system. When we drink more water, less waste remains deposited in the body and is flushed out in the form of urine, sweat and faeces. Hence, staying hydrated is important for pushing out wastes from our body.
- Helps in improving physical performance
Dehydration in the body can lead to a drop in your physical performance, especially during sports and workouts. Reduced level of water in the body causes an imbalance in body temperature, fatigue, loss of motivation and a feeling that the task in hand is more difficult than it is. It also makes you feel exhausted both mentally and physically. Hence staying hydrated is important for a good physical performance.
- It’s good for your skin
Drinking a good amount of water helps the skin in staying clear as it rids the body of all toxins. Plus it makes the skin younger and prevents ageing. Dehydrated skin becomes more vulnerable to skin problems and diseases. Hence, staying hydrated is important for your skin.
- It delivers oxygen throughout the body
Human blood is 90% water, and the blood is responsible for delivering oxygen to all the organs of the body. Hence, staying hydrated is important for the delivery of oxygen in the body.
- Helps in weight loss
A glass of water before a meal can prevent you from overeating. Along with that, a warm glass of water half an hour after a meal can help dissolve the fats deposited in the body due to the recent meal. Plus it helps in improving your metabolism which in turn helps in faster burning of fats and thus aiding in weight loss.
- Water helps in energizing the muscles
When our muscles don’t have the optimal amount of fluids, it causes an imbalance leading to fatigue and restlessness. So to keep your muscles refreshed and energised and maintain the required balance of fluids, staying hydrated is important.
All these pointers should be reasons enough for you to consider drinking enough amounts of water daily. Nearly all our body organs and systems need water for functioning and by depriving your body of its fuel, you are causing long term problems for your self. So do your body a favour and try drinking as much water as possible, because an excess of this won’t harm you, instead will help you.