Drink Water Whenever You Can!

Many people think I am ridiculous when I talk to them about how much water they should drink in a day! Water is a very essential part of your diet, and not drinking enough of it can be the reason why you are not meeting your weight loss goals!

I generally don’t believe in “miracle pills” or potions. However, water is definitely the closest thing to one! People often complain about feeling fatigued, having headaches and feeling run-down. Although, once they start to drink more water, all of these conditions seem to disappear.

Our bodies are about 60% water and our muscles are almost 75% water. The more water you consume, the easier it is for your body to function properly. In addition to that, there are many weight-loss benefits to drinking water. Here are just a few:

• Water contains zero calories
• It fills you up
• As you increase your water consumption over time, your body begins to crave water more than other sugary/salty drinks
• By replacing two 16oz bottles of coke each day with two 16oz bottles of water, you save over 400 calories! Over the course of a month, that amounts to a little more than 3lbs that you could potentially lose, just by replacing your soft drinks with water!
• This is the best part…IT’S FREE!!

Keep yourself Alive!
In addition to the weight loss benefits, there are many heart healthy benefits to just drinking plain water over other drinks. Since water is a natural diuretic, it helps you excrete toxins and keeps your blood naturally diluted. This can be very helpful for individuals looking to reduce their risk for heart disease. In fact, a recent study that was conducted and published in the American Journal of Medicine found that people who regularly consume 8 glasses of water daily reduced their risk for heart disease by 50% compared to a group of people who did not drink 8 glasses regularly, with all other variables controlled for.

But I’m not thirsty!
Hydration is another key aspect to your health. Although I often don’t think about how hydrated I am, my body reminds me when I start to get a headache or notice more muscle soreness than I am used to. By the time I notice I am thirsty, my body is already 2-3% dehydrated (this may be even more for the elderly, since they don’t notice thirst sensation as much) . If I get to 9%, I need to go to the hospital! That’s why I find it important to drink water even when I am not thirsty.

So, how much should I have?
There is no exact answer to this question for everyone. The standard recommendation is 8, 8oz cups or 2 liters, however there is no exact scientific backing for this recommendation. Another standard to follow is the 1ml/kcal rule. So, if you eat approximately 2000 calories, you should consume 2000ml of water (which is approximately 8 cups, that is where it may have come from!:). However, your activity level, climate, weight and diet play a role in how much you should have as well. My standard recommendations are:
For someone who is planning on being sedentary, drink 8 cups of water each day
For someone who is planning to be active most days of the week, drink 12 cups
For someone who is planning to be active and planning to eat a “high protein” diet (approximately 25% or more of your diet is protein) then drink 16 cups
For someone who weighs 250lbs or more, drink 20 cups

In general, the more you drink, the better!

Can you over-consume water?
Yes, absolutely! I am sure all of you have heard on the news about people who drank way too much water and then they died of “water intoxication”. However, in order to obtain this state, one has to really try hard. The most common hydration issue is dehydration, over-hydration is very rare, and that’s why it makes the news!
Since water helps to dilute your blood, if you drink too much of it in one sitting (like a gallon) your body will lose the nutrients it needs to continue to function (sodium and potassium primarily). This is also why it’s very important for marathon runners to drink something other than water while they run. As these athletes run for such a long period of time, because they sweat so much, they may sweat out all of their cells nutrients (sodium and potassium again) and if they do not replenish this and just give their body water, then their body will have a very difficult time doing it’s job. This is a great place for Gatorade!

But I hate regular water, what about flavored water?
The jury is still out about the long-term effects of regular consumption of flavored water. However, there are a few things to keep in mind about your sweetened drink:

- Flavored water usually contains calories and if not then it may contain a lot of artificial sweeteners

- An increased chance for cavities may occur with flavored drinks

- Whenever there is anything added to water, the kidneys have to take longer to process it thus delaying complete hydration as compared to regular water.

- Several studies have discovered that artificially sweetened drinks may actually lead to weight gain. It is believed that it increases the desire to consume something else (increased serotonin output in the brain) sweet, salty or fattening.

If you really don’t like regular water, try diluting your flavored drink with ½ flavored water, and ½ regular water until you become comfortable with that taste and then dilute it in ½ again. Do this until drinking regular water is doable for you.

Plain regular water is the best option for the body and the pocketbook!

"Jesus replied, 'I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.'" John 3:5 (New Living Translation)