A Body’s Most Precious Resource – Water

Importance of Water and Hydration

One of the most precious and important resources on Earth that all creatures need is water. Without water there would be a severe scarcity of life on this planet. Water is a the most precious resource due to its influence on life. This blog is here to help you to understand why water is important to you for weight-loss goals. Before jumping into the importance of water, just think about your own body and what it needs to operate. The human body is composed of more than 50% of water and it can reach as high as 75% percent. Therefore, the human body needs water on a daily basis just to function at its normality. Our body contains even smaller organisms that function together, our organs and of course the smaller of organisms is cells. Each cell needs water to function properly and without water, our body wants to gain water in any way possible.

Ask yourself, what do I drink and why do I drink that? Most of us will answer with coffee, energy drinks of some sort (red bull, monster, etc), sports drinks, sodas and water. Now, examine those particular drinks because most of them have plenty of sugar and sodium in them that can weigh the body down by slowing metabolism. Some of those drinks such as coffee and certain energy drinks can temporarily increase metabolism, but come with drawbacks such as increased sugar or sodium and additive products that aren’t as useful to the body. Stay focused on the water and minimal amount of coffee to increase your health, increase the chances to shed some fat stores, and to allow your body to be efficiently fueled. All of the drinks mentioned above in categories, will help you to gain more hydration just be wary of the additives, increased sugar intake, and sodium intake.

For Weight-Loss

There are some studies out there that have enhanced the importance of water, especially for weight-loss. Studies have shown that having water before a meal, roughly 30 minutes before a meal, can decrease appetite when you are just about to eat. Water has been known to decrease the amount of food intake, if you are aware of your body’s state of hydration. Meaning, a person is most likely to eat more food when they are dehydrated. It is a natural process by many animals, including humans, to find water in the foods that they eat. In addition, if you do not know about your body’s state of hydration you are more likely to feel hungry and crave food or, in this case, water. The study that was referred to earlier was about the intake of water before meals. This study concluded that people who were in the test group of drinking water before a meal, actually lost more weight than their control group counter-parts.

Hydration is key to the weight-loss study mentioned above and it is important to understand the impact of a well hydrated body. If you are unaware of your state of hydration, then the most obvious thing to do is check your urine when you are going to the bathroom. Once you have seen the color of your urine, if it is yellow then you are dehydrated and if it is clear then you are hydrated. Now, that you have identified that you are dehydrated, it doesn’t mean that you should pound out 3 glasses or bottles of water. The state of hydration is a gradual process because your body can handle only so much water. Plus, if you pound through 3 bottles or glasses of water then your body is just going to flush your system. The biggest suggestion is to have a breakdown of your water intake or just set some time where you accomplish your goal. For example, wake up at 7 am and drink an 8 oz glass of water, next goal is at 9 am to have a 16 oz bottle of water, noon time just before eating have another 16 oz glass, and keep that process going for every couple of waters have a glass or bottle of water. The reason the example did not carry further beyond noon is that everyone has a different requirement for water. The suggestion is that if you are at 200 pounds, then you should drink half of your body weight. That means 100 oz of water in one day. That seems like an overwhelming number, but it actually means that your body is hydrated compared to being dehydrated. There are only positive benefits of being hydrated compared to the negative effects of being dehydrated.

Positive benefits of being hydrated is that you just empowered your body to its maximum efficiency. This happens because all of your internal organs and cells are getting what they need to operate without adding stress to your body. Imagine never putting oil into your car engine, even though you need to get to your destination that is 15 minutes away. Your car will be burning hot from all of the friction and stress that is happening in the engine. Ensure to have your body hydrated so that you are putting less tax on your body. It will only serve you better in the future and it is less likely to make your heart work more and more to keep our complex body going. Again, going back to the engine example above, once you put the correct amount of oil and ensure to check your levels of oil in your car it tends to stay on the road longer than if you never put the oil in it. That is your body, your temple, your masterpiece, your insert comparison here and it needs to be protected or fueled correctly to live a healthy and long life.