Our bodies are about 70% water, but because we don’t drink enough water that could get down to about 40 to 50%.
The most common signs of not enough water include headache, dark urine, fatigue and dry skin.
By the time you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated.
Not drinking enough water will elevate chronic inflammation and that means it’s going to be very difficult if not impossible for fat loss to happen.
The Silver Spring study in Obesity found that drinking enough water was “associated with significant loss of body weight and fat over time”, also increasing metabolism and lowering appetite.
The following are some reasons to drink enough water, that make it very important when you want to have glowing skin, burn fat or build muscle:
1. If you are low on water you can’t detoxify properly. Waste is flushed from the cells by water, except when dehydrated. Then the water is taken from the blood, which stresses the heart and won’t allow the kidneys to cleanse the blood. Toxins then build up to the point of constipation.
2. When you don’t drink enough water it can raise the stress hormones. Dehydration is believed, by some experts, to be the number one cause of stress. When your level hydration drops 1 or 2%, this is enough to elevate the level of Cortisol (aka: stress hormone). Some of the jobs of Cortisol is that it breaks down muscle tissue and stores fat around our midsection.
3. Muscle recovery and maintenance are helped by proper hydration. The muscle is about 75% water, which is why with a small amount of hydration (3%) you can lose up to 15% strength. Proper hydration replaces electrolytes lost and reduces exercise related inflammation.
4. Your skin can have that healthy glow with enough water. Your body’s biggest organ is the skin, which is also the largest detoxification organ. We sweat and it evaporates all the time to remove waste and cleanse the skin. When not enough water is consumed, waste builds up, which leads to acne, breakouts and other problems. It also means that less new Collagen will be created and then the skin will get fragile with little elasticity.
5. Eating less at meals is helped by water consumption. 8 ounces of water before a calorie-reduced meal showed greater fat loss than those that did not drink the water before the meal, according to Obesity (Silver Spring). The American Chemical Society’s annual conference had a study presented that showed 2 – 8 ounce glasses of water before meals, people reported an average of 15.5 pounds lost. People who didn’t drink the water only lost about 10.5 pounds.
6. Cravings can be lowered with water. Hunger is sometimes the body’s way of saying it needs water! Those hunger pangs late at night can possibly be cured by a drink of water.
7. Fatigue can be created by dehydration. Your blood volume goes down, fluid balance is upset and metabolism comes to a halt without enough water. Becoming lazy, having mental fog and headaches are some of the results. So you think you just need more coffee . . . Not So Fast . . . it will only dehydrate you more, as caffeine has duiretic properties.
To learn more about how water works with weight reduction click the “Learn How” button below.
