An ode to water in all its glory, plus a few tasty ways to stay hydrated
Let’s hear it for water. The element responsible for so much beauty in this world. The search term that has remained more popular on google search than “Donald Trump” “Beyonce” and “guitar for beginners” combined since the beginning of the internet.
Despite its wild popularity, research suggests that nearly 75% of people in the United States are living in a state of chronic dehydration.
Why is that a problem? Why should you care about staying hydration?
4 arguments for staying hydrated:
1) Help your brain help itself: Dehydration can negatively affect our cognitive performance and lead to a loss in concentration. Our brains are about 75% water, and when our brain is functioning on a full reserve we can optimize our focus, clarity, and creativity. Water also delivers nutrients to our brains and helps remove toxins. Staying hydration enables an effective exchange of nutrients and toxin removal.
2) Keep things moving down there: Dehydration is one of the most common causes of chronic constipation. If you’re dehydrated, your large intestine will try to absorb water from your food waste, creating hard stools that are hard to pass. Dehydration can also enable bacteria to thrive in your urinary tract, potentially leading to UTIs. Urination is your body’s best natural defense UTI-causing bacteria is urination. Stay hydrated to force bacteria to keep moving on out.
3) Stay trim: Staying hydrated can help you stay trim in a few obvious ways. If you’re drinking water along with your meal, you’ll be literally filling up your stomach more than you would if you were just eating. Plus, sometimes when you think you’re hungry you’re actually just thirsty — staying in tune with your body’s hydration levels can keep you from extra snacking. However, CNN explains that a recent study has confirmed another reason hydration can help with weight loss:
They found that staying hydrated — which helps your heart pump blood more efficiently to your muscles, which then makes them work more efficiently — was especially important for anyone with a body mass index (BMI) over 25, which is technically overweight and unfortunately applies to all too many of us. In fact, two out of every three Americans are overweight or obese.
4) Keep your spirits up: According to a study published by the USDA, mild dehydration can have a strain on your mood. The study compared two groups, one that was given water after mild exercise that mimics typical daily activity, and one that was not given water. The group that was mildly dehydrated exhibited negative moods, plus mild confusion and fatigue.
So what can you do to stay hydrated? Well, drink water. Ideally eight 8oz glasses per day. Find water boring? Make it more interesting:
14 fruit-infused water recipes, including:
- Lemon, strawberry and basil infused water
- Watermelon and mint infused water
- Rosemary and grapefruit infused water
Warm water with lemon and a dash of salt to accelerate hydration.
And (in case you’ve been living under a rock) La Croix Sparkling Water.
Cheers!
Originally published at uqora.com.
Originally published at medium.com