Why it is Important to Drink Water

The other day I was sitting with friends and family discussing how we all intended to get fit during the summer. We decided going for regular jogging sessions was probably a good way to start, bit of stretching, warming up and doing it three times a week. One of my friends is a keen runner and mentioned how important it was to control your breathing when you go running and to drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated. It was at this point that another friend look startled that people actually choose to drink water, “Water??” she said. I was a bit taken back by this as I assumed that everybody realised how important water is, I was obviously wrong. So I’ve decided to set the record straight and explain why I feel water is so important, regardless of whether you engage in exercise.

Common Myths

Water was not created to be the best tasting drink out there. This is obvious but it is the main reason why a lot of people choose not to drink water, please remember that water is crucial when it comes to a healthy mind and body. You can become dehydrated very quickly, feeling thirsty is your bodies way of telling you it is dehydrated. Again another common misconception is that feeling thirsty is your body’s way of saying “I’m ready for a drink now” when it actually means “I’m dehydrating here, can I have some help!” drink plenty of water and you won’t allow your body to slip into a dehydrated state. Tea, coffee, juice & soft drinks are not adequate water substitutes. Keep track of how much water you drink each day, do not count tea, coffee etc you might be surprised at how much water you are missing out on!

How Much Water?

I would recommend for every 10kg of body mass you drink 300ml of water, although these figures seem precise it is important to remember that a recurring increase in the amount of water you consume will allow your body to function more efficiently, however using this figure as a benchmark will stand you in good stead.

A Few of the Many Benefits

Water has an endless amount of benefits, here are just a few:

• Transports oxygen around the body.
• Helps the kidney filtering process.
• Helps remove toxins from your body.
• Moistens your skin.

Final Recommendations

A few final recommendations with regards to water consumption:

• Ice cold water is not recommended as it will more than likely pass straight through your system and provide little benefit, it can also put your heart under unnecessary strain due to the temperature. Warmish water is recommended as it can be used more effectively than cold water.
• During hot weather your water consumption should increase in order to compensate for the amount of water you have lost.

Hopefully this post will help you understand the importance of water and how it can make a big difference to your life, any questions regarding water, collagen or just general health & beauty please get in touch.