BENEFITS OF DRINKING WATER

Thought for the Week! 

"What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality"

-       Otto Rank-

Water is very special. It may be perceived as ordinary since it appears everywhere, it is easily acquired as one turns on the kitchen tap and it is cheap too; but it is extraordinary in the sense that one cannot live without water.

A normal human being is at least 60 percent water. When one checks his weight and take 60 percent of it, that 60 percent is actually water. If water becomes less than 60 percent, the person will either suffer from dehydration or will die. Water is therefore essential, and it is highly beneficial to health. When thinking about the health benefits of water, there are three principles one should consider.

•The first principle has to do with water being a lubricant. As a lubricant it keeps every part of the body moving and flowing. Water works as a shock-absorber, especially at the joints.
•The second is to consider water as being a solvent. This means that the nutrients that our body needs which are ingested through the foods we eat are used by the body if it is dissolved in water. If water level is decreased, there will be problems with conductivity, especially when the electrolytes are depleted.
•The last principle is knowing that water is a thermostat. When there is a need for the body to protect from cold weather, water is retained by the body. If there is a need to keep the body cooler, especially during hot summer days, we sweat to get rid of the body’s heat.
The health benefits mentioned below are based on these principles for us to better understand the benefits brought by water to our body’s health.

1.It helps you lose weight

During a particular National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, they have identified one appetite reducing agent that is almost cheap to costless, does not require any medical prescription and never have any side effects. This is water. According to the researchers, water fills up the stomach with zero calories. This is evidenced when they compared the weight of middle-aged individuals who are drinking two cups of water before meals and those who do not paid attention to the water they are taking in one day. It showed that those who increase their water intake have lower weight than those who do not.

2.It helps relieve headaches

Not all headaches are relieved by water though, because it still depends on the disease process of the headache. But for ordinary headache, especially the ones caused by dehydration, drinking water is the solution. Experienced how headache simply appears when exposed to heat and sunlight? This is due to dehydration. If one drinks cold water, cooler blood will flow towards the head part and reduces the pain experience in the head.

3.It gives you healthier skin

Healthy skin is well-hydrated skin. Wrinkled or unhealthy skin either lacks fluids within the cells or have too much of it. Water is moisturizer. Water also functions as detoxifier. It removes the toxins that are especially in the skin cells making one looking unhealthy. Regularly drinking water gives one a glowing and shining skin.

4.It aids in digestion and prevents constipation

One of the reasons why a person experiences constipation is due to lack of fluids during the digestive process. Utilizing the lubricant aspect of water, increased water consumption can make the flow of food from the mouth to the stomach to the small intestines and towards the large intestines smooth because it acts as the body’s natural laxative. When a person is dehydrated, the body tries to conserve water to bring to the vital organs, such as the brain and heart. When there is dehydration, the digestive system, especially the colon is the last organ to receive water. This means therefore that constipation is imminent. When there are enough water intakes, the digestive system receives ample amount of water that makes the digestive process smooth preventing constipation. Some individuals are asking how much water they must ingest to solve the problem of constipation. There is no definite answer to this. What is most important is to take at least 2 liters of fluid daily.

5.It relieves fatigue

The tendency of the body when one feels tired and fatigued is to go to the kitchen turn on the faucet and have a thirst-quenching glass of water. The reason for this is simple. When the body is depleted with water, the body experience tiredness since there is less volume of water flowing towards the brain. Another reason for this is the imbalance in the body’s electrolytes when one experience lowered volume of fluids. If electrolytes are depleted because the solvent, water, is decreased in the body, several parts of the body are weakened and the brain will have electrolyte imbalance that can cause dysfunction in the neural process.

6.It promotes healthy joints

Water is lubricant. Having enough water in the body and in the joints can make the joints move fluidly maximally and free of pain. The joints are composed of synovial fluid. This synovial fluid serves as lubricant. Although it is common sense that the name connotes water, the main ingredient of synovial fluid is indeed water. If there is decrease in synovial fluid the end of the bones will rub against each other, causing arthritis or joint inflammation. While the case of arthritis has several causes, depending on the type, water can help alleviate this disease by acting as joint lubricant.

7.It makes you more productive

Ones disposition is improved if water is being drunk regularly and in right amounts. Water increases productivity because it helps the brain function properly through having normal amounts of electrolytes and pushing the blood towards the brain. Water also regulates body temperature, therefore preventing discomfort and increasing productivity.

There are many benefits of water. It may be abundant and being taken for granted, but water is precious. At least 8 glasses of natural, clean water, depending on the diet, helps keep healthy body.

If you really don't like plain water, then add some flavour with our Herbalife Thermojetics Beverage - Available in Original, Lemon, Peach or Raspberry flavours.

Water tip of the week: On feeling hungry drink some water 15 minutes

before eating