![]() Previously, I wrote a post entitled "Why Should I Drink Water After My Massage?". For this post, I would like to take that idea and make it broader. While it is important to drink water after receiving bodywork, it is something you should be doing every day anyway. As the weather begins to get warmer heading into the summer months, it becomes increasingly important to remember to drink water throughout the day. Why is it so important? Let's take a look at some of the benefits of water, how to drink more of it, and some of the alternatives that you might be drinking instead. Health Benefits of Drinking Water Kidney Function If you read my other blog post about drinking water, you will already be aware that drinking water can help to increase your kidney function. Our kidneys work very hard to filter our fluids and to take out all of the toxins and waste from circulating around in our bodies. When we are taking in extra toxins, our kidneys have to work even harder. That is why many people get hung over after a night of drinking alcohol. The kidneys can't keep up with the amount of filtering that they have to do, so things get through and circulate back through our body until they get back to the kidneys. This leaves you feeling nauseous, achy, or may give you a headache. Drinking water helps to dilute the toxin filled fluids before they reach your kidneys, making it easier for them to do their job. Drinking water every day will help to keep your kidneys operating well, and you should be drinking extra water anytime you do anything that releases more toxins or waste into your system than usual. This includes drinking, working out, eating unhealthy foods, etc. Weight Loss First of all, I will start off by saying that drinking water itself may not cause you to lose any weight. The way that it can help is by replacing or diluting other beverages. When people switch to water, they tend to stop drinking as many sugary drinks like soda or juice. The decrease in the more unhealthy choices is what will cause you to drop some pounds, particularly if you are used to drinking large amounts of other beverages. Drinking a full glass of water before meals can also help you to feel fuller, meaning that you are less likely to overeat, and can help to decrease snacking throughout the day. Skin Care and Aging We already know that drinking water can help to flush toxins and waste from your system. One way that you can see the benefit of that is by looking at your skin. People who begin regularly drinking enough water will generally begin to notice a difference in a couple of weeks or so. The skin tends to have more glow or radiance to it. It can also help with elasticity which helps to decrease signs of aging. Proper hydration can also help to decrease dark circles or sunken skin around the eyes. Joint Health Drinking water can help to lubricate your joints. We have a thick, gel-like substance in our joints that helps to cushion and lubricate them. As we get older, the gel tends to dry out, causing joint pain and lower mobility. After a couple of weeks of adding more water to your diet, you should begin to see a difference in your joint health. The gel-like substance begins to get rehydrated and work more effectively. It is like adding water to a sponge. ![]() How To Drink More Water If you aren't used to drinking water throughout the day, getting into the habit can be tough. Here are some suggestions for drinking more water:
How Much Should You Be Drinking? There are a lot of people out there with a lot of different suggestions as to how much water you should be drinking. I have heard some theories that are absolutely absurd. Here is the thing, different people may need more or less water than others. You may even need more or less depending on the day and your activity level. Here are some tips for making sure that you are well hydrated:
![]() What About Other Drink Options? Soda On a hot summer day, many people like to reach for a refreshing soda. But how refreshing is it really? Soda doesn't actually replace any lost water from your body. In fact, if it has caffeine, it is actually dehydrating you further. If you are thirsty, soda can actually make you more thirsty. An average 12 oz. soda contains about 150 calories which mostly come from sugar. Finally, soda can wreak havoc on your teeth. Between the sugar and the acid in it, soda can cause the enamel on your teeth to break down causing more cavities and tooth decay. Coffee and Tea There are actually some great health benefits to both coffee and tea. The biggest problem with them is the caffeine content. As we learned above, caffeine is a diuretic which can aid in dehydration. Drinking water first thing in the morning can help you to feel more energized without the caffeine. Alcohol Many generations ago people drank wine and beer because the drinking water was unsafe. Most water was riddled with diseases which could be killed by adding alcohol. Now we have much better options when it comes to our water. So why should you reach for a cold glass of water before that ice cold beer on a hot day? Like caffeine, alcohol dehydrates you. If you are hot and thirsty, drinking alcohol will only increase your thirst. It is also very hard on your liver and kidneys which need water to function properly. So you are increasing the work load for the kidneys and decreasing their ability to do the work. If you choose to drink alcohol, it is best to match 1 glass of water for every glass of alcohol to keep your kidneys functioning well. Juice Fruit juice can be very beneficial for you, as long as there hasn't been a lot of sugar added. Most fruit juices have so much sugar in them, that they can make you gain weight and break down your tooth enamel causing cavities. Eating the actual fruit is much better for you. You can also add fresh fruit to your water to give it that fruit flavor. Milk Milk has a few benefits to it, however research is showing that it is not as beneficial as we once believed it to be. But that is a whole other blog post. Milk also has a fairly high number of calories, so it is not as good for those trying to lose weight. It will help you to stay fairly hydrated though.
2 Comments
5/11/2016 02:42:23 am
Let's take a look at some of the benefits of water, how to drink more of it, and some of the alternatives that you might be drinking instead.
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4/15/2022 01:06:32 am
Water is the most essential part of everyone life and that is necessary to improve your health and boost your skin glow as well. The stunning suggestion about the drinking water update is quite tremendous thanks for the wise update the information is educational.
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Meet the AuthorAmanda Tarver, (LMT, CEIM, PES, RMT) is a massage therapist and birth worker in the Chicago area. She is dedicated to using a combination of bodywork and education to help people live a better quality of life. Categories
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