Did you know that 75 percent of Americans are walking around in a state of chronic dehydration? Do you suspect that you might be part of this group?
Read on to learn more about the importance of tracking your hydration habits and making sure you’re getting enough water. You’ll also find some tips that will help you to easily increase your H2O intake.
Benefits of Staying Hydrated
Lots of people have no idea how much water they’re drinking on a daily basis.
When you make an effort to track your hydration habits, you can get a better sense of what your intake looks like and how you feel when you’re not drinking enough. With this information in mind, you can also figure out if and by how much you need to increase the amount of water you take in.
Here are some other benefits that you’ll experience when you make an effort to monitor your H2O intake and stay hydrated:
Easier Weight Loss
When you drink enough water and stay hydrated, it’s easier for you to lose weight.
By drinking enough water, you’re less likely to experience cravings. When you substitute water for other, high-calorie beverages like soda, you can also reduce your daily calorie intake and get into a calorie deficit more easily.
Better Skin
Hydration is important for your skin health, too. When you’re chronically dehydrated, your skin will be drier and wrinkles and fine lines will be more noticeable. Water also helps collagen, which is a protein in your skin that keeps it firm and elastic, to do its job more effectively.
Improved Heart Health
Adequate water intake helps to improve blood flow and balance oxygen levels in the body, too.
If you’re dehydrated, your blood volume is lower. As a result, your heart has to work harder to pump blood and transport oxygen to your cells. This makes exercise, as well as everyday activities like taking a walk, much more difficult.
Improved Concentration
Dehydration, poor blood flow, and poor oxygen delivery can make it harder for you to concentrate and stay energized during the day, too. When you don’t get enough water, you might find that you feel fatigued at work or school and have trouble paying attention to your boss, colleagues, and instructors.
Improved Mood
Insufficient water intake can wreak havoc on your mood, too. If you’re never taking in enough water, you’ll likely find yourself feeling fatigued and cranky. You might even develop symptoms like headaches, too, which are also less-than-ideal if you want to feel happy and healthy.
Better Muscle and Joint Function
Hydration is important for proper joint and muscle function, too. When you’re dehydrated, your body doesn’t have the appropriate levels of electrolytes that it needs.
Electrolytes are minerals that carry electrical charges and keep the cells, muscles, and organs of the body working properly. The following are some of the most important electrolytes:
- Sodium
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Magnesium
Without proper hydration and electrolyte balance, you may be more prone to muscle cramps and muscle fatigue while you’re exercising or going about your day.
Tips for Staying Hydrated
Okay, you’re convinced that hydration is important. How do you increase your H2O intake, though? The following are some tips that can help:
Carry a Water Bottle
One of the easiest ways to make sure you stay hydrated throughout the day is to carry a water bottle with you. If you keep a water bottle on hand (and make sure you fill it up regularly, of course), you’ll be less likely to forget to take drinks.
If plain water doesn’t appeal to you, try adding some natural flavorings like lemon juice, lime juice, cucumbers, or mint leaves.
Set an Alarm
Do you still find yourself forgetting to drink water even though you have a bottle on hand? Try setting alarms on your phone at regular intervals that remind you to take drinks.
This might feel a little intrusive at first. Over time, though, your body will likely start to anticipate the need to drink water at certain times. As a result, you won’t need to rely on the alarms anymore.
Shake Things Up
Remember, you don’t have to just drink plain or flavored water to meet your daily hydration needs. There are lots of other ways to stay hydrated. For example, you can drink hydrating fruit juices for some refreshment during the summer, or herbal teas if you need to warm up and stay hydrated during the fall and winter.
Don’t forget about hydrating foods, too. Fruits and vegetables like watermelon, cucumbers, and celery all are made up mostly of water, which means eating them helps you to meet your hydration requirements.
Improve Your Hydration Today
As you can see, there are lots of benefits that come with tracking your hydration habits and making sure you’re getting enough water (and other hydrating liquids). Keep these tips in mind and you’ll have no trouble improving your health and increasing your energy
