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What’s the best way to feel fuller, wash away toxins from your body, increase your energy, and even reduce constipation? Have a nice 8-oz glass of water. Better yet, for Optimal Health, try having eight or more each day.
Drinking plenty of water is a basic Habit of Health. Now that the weather is getting warmer, it’s very important to keep yourself well-hydrated, especially if you exercise. The body loses water not only through perspiration and urine, but also from breathing.
When they say that water is the stuff of life, they’re not kidding. According to Dr. A’s Habits of Health, water makes up between 55 and 60 percent of your body weight, and you can’t make it yourself; you have to drink it in. Every function of your body needs water to work. Water is what moves nutrients, hormones, antibodies, and oxygen through your bloodstream and lymphatic system.
You may not know it, but by the time you’re actually feeling thirsty, your body is getting seriously low on water. If you only drink when you’re thirsty, you don’t have enough water in your system to keep functioning at your peak. Keep it up, and you may find yourself getting headaches, getting constipated, or feeling more distracted or fatigued than usual.
And it’s no wonder: When you don’t drink enough water, your kidneys can’t adequately filter and eliminate toxins and byproducts of metabolism. As Dr. A puts it, your body is forced to recycle dirty water, diminishing the efficiency of every metabolic function.
Keep bottles of water with you when you’re exercising, and sip continually throughout your workout. If you’re exercising strenuously in a very hot environment, try water enhanced with electrolytes to replenish potassium and other minerals that you’re losing through heavy perspiration.
Water is essential for those working toward a healthy weight. A recent study showed that drinking two 8-oz glasses of cold water could increase a person’s metabolic rate by 30 percent for 90 minutes. In addition, often when we think we’re hungry, we’re actually thirsty, and a glass of water will take the edge off our appetite. A nice big glass of water-filled and refilled throughout the day-can help keep your body (and your healthy eating plan) in top form.