A satisfying glass of ice cold water! So simple yet so significant! That drinking water is essential for life! Our bodies are comprised of 2/3 water! Water is a necessity to allow for numerous bodily functions to perform correctly and to perform well! Often throughout the hot humid summer months, there are reminders everywhere to drink and stay hydrated, although sometimes it’s not always water that is the chosen liquid to satisfy thirst. And now as summer comes to an end and school gets back into session, the reminder to take frequent drinks may not be as prevalent. These first few weeks of school sure can be hot ones, and that probably will keep teachers and parents and everyone filling up their hydration-stations, but as kids get back into busy school schedule, it might not occur to them, or you, how important it is to have a water-bottle available at all times! Water should be incorporated into every snack and meal for those growing minds and moving kids! Kids and adults! Have a water-bottle in your car while driving, at the bus stop, at your desk or office space! Make it easy to almost subconsciously grab while working or driving or sitting, taking a refreshing swig! I will tell you why this is so important! First, grab a glass of water. Then read on!
You’ve no doubt been told at some time in your life to aim for drinking eight glasses of water per day. That amount is about right, but varies depending on your size. Ideally, you need to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water each day. Got that? If you weigh 140 pounds, divide that by half = 70, put that in ounces rather than pounds (not mathematically, don’t convert pounds to ounces, just swap out the unit to ounces). So 70 ounces! Every day! And we’re talking water, not seltzer or juice or tea or coffee any other kind of liquid drink, it’s water we want! Water we need!
I have found so many great infographics on pinterest visually beautifying the importance of water. (Most have the source on the graphic itself, but if you see one without, let me know if you know who gets credit!) If you don’t drink enough water already, trust me you’ll be surprised how much more refreshed, efficient and improved your health will be when you do! You’ll absolutely feel the difference! You may not even realize that some symptoms such as a headache, a dull stomach ache or feeling hungry is actually your body telling you to drink water!
You probably know by now that by not drinking water, this results in becoming dehydrated. But did you know that this happens actually rather quickly? Many people may fail to recognize that they are already mildly dehydrated! Often, people think dehydration only occurs when they’re exercising or are outside exposed to heat for a long duration. However, lack of enough water throughout the day leads to being chronically dehydrated! And dehydration can have some seriously sickening side-effects!
One of the first signs of dehydration is lack of concentration, even having a headache! Our brain is almost 90% water! It needs water to work effectively and it is the first to feel the effects of inadequate water in the body. Stay focused and alert with clarity and heightened concentration by drinking enough water throughout the day! This is why kids need to be cool in school with their water-bottles at their desk! Look at Nico’s backpack below, he’s got two water-bottles! I remember being a kid and having to ask the teacher to get a drink! No wonder I wasn’t Valedictorian, I was always thirsty! Inadequate hydration makes it more difficult for us to memorize things and process information. Learning becomes so much more of a challenge. And as adults, attempting to accomplish work tasks can become unbearable, if not impossible!
Water also increases blood flow to the brain increasing oxygenation and calming the brain, allowing for a more restful, deep sleep. So throughout the day staying hydrated will help you focus and retain information for optimal memory function. And then by simply being well-hydrated, the body and brain are able to rejuvenate overnight! Kids and adults alike up early refreshed, ready for another day; healthy and vibrant! <— And on that, Adequate Sleep is an entirely separate blog entry I will write very soon as good sleep is a major contributor to your health, wellness, your Whole Well Being!
When there is low levels of water in the body, there is a drop in blood volume, because our blood is 83% water! This leads to the heart having to work harder to pump oxygen into the bloodstream. Without the necessary blood oxygen being delivered to organs the body overall with not work effectively. You’ll feel this by being tired, fatigued or experiencing a slowness in your reaction time during simple daily activity. Often, people think they need a coffee or some sugar-filled liquid… no! Pour yourself a tall glass of water or grab your water bottle and drink up! I do this with my kids, they will tell me “I have a belly ache” or “I’m tired” I tell them first, before anything, to “Drink some cold water” They do, and they feel better! Almost immediately! When I have my meals or snacks, it’s paired with water and water is what I carry with me all day long in reusable water bottles. The difference of having that water with me and not having it, I can feel!
Looking to increase your athletic performance or simply enjoy your Well-Fit activity? Water composes 75% of our muscle tissue; so having a feeling of weakness during a workout, or being fatigued and lacking the energy to carry on, you might believe you need an energy drink or sports fuel but it’s pure water that will help contribute to your Well-Fit activity! All of these symptoms are signals the body is sending to you to drink water! In addition to hydrating your muscles, water also keeps our joints strong and lubricated, allowing you to move more smoothly, without pain to be more flexible!
An obvious need would be our digestive system and its use of water to flush out waste as pee! Ok, I apologize, being an adult I’ll say urine. Being dehydrated or simply having inadequate amounts of water to drink prevents that waste and thus toxins to collect in our body… causing many problems! What color is your pee? I mean, urine? The color being light or dark is a good indicator of your level of hydration; lighter the color the better, darker… you need water!!!. And there is even research that has shown hydration can reduce risk of colon cancer by 45% and bladder cancer by 50%! Just by drinking water!
A big positive of drinking enough water that many don’t realize is how helpful simply drinking water is for weight loss! Not only is it better to drink water with meals rather than going with a sugar-loaded, and thus high-calorie drink, but it can also help prevent you from overeating as it helps with digestion as mentioned above and it helps increase the rate at which the body burns fat promoting the breakdown and even elimination of fat cells. Kids don’t need a juice packed for lunch, the most powerful item here… the water!
Speaking of eating, most of us know what hangry means, hungry + angry = hangry. How about… thirsty + angry = Thangry? Thirsty + cranky = Thranky? I’ll work on something more clever but the message here is being thirsty can cause your mood to take a negative turn. Even mild dehydration can make you grumpy, confused, affecting cognitive responses. Drink water and have a happier mood! Water + Happy = Wappy! Be Wappy! Adequate hydration is all about being Well-Wapped! Well-Hydrated to be Well-Fed and Well-Fit! And being Wappy defines you as a person! You’re not a cranky person, you’re a positive, joy to be around Well-Defined individual! All of this, in a refreshing glass of water, contributing to Your Whole Well-Being!
If you get bored with plain water, there is definitely a solution! Rather than grabbing sugar drinks or soda or gatorade, simply infuse your pure water with fruits, herbs or vegetables! Below you’ll find some Creative Hydration Stations! There are theories these water-infusions can detox and aid in health in certain ways… perhaps. But I believe it’s the water that does most the work. Hey, if it gets you or your kids to drink more water, then so be it! Cucumbers and water in a glass pitcher, let it chill in the fridge then serve it up!
Preparing dinner with a glass of wine? Nope, fancy up your water not only with fruit and herb infusions but also with what you pour it into!
Water + Lemon slices + Rosemary Spring + Hot Summer Day + Happy = Well-Hydrated and Wappy!
Having people over? Have plenty of drinks on hand but also plenty of water!!! It’s the hostess with the mostess who prepares this way!
And I’ve even added superfoods powder to water, including healthy dragon fruit powder to make lemon water fuschia purple for a birthday party! This example does add a few calories, but makes for a fun refreshing water drink for guests!
I love fresh Rosemary sprigs! So adding them to my water gives just the right hint of perfect pine flavor!
Blueberries + Rosemary + Ice Cold Refreshing Water = My Well-Being is Whole!
Infused to go!
And sometimes I fill a few water-bottles with fun flavors for the kids. Strawberries and Lemon chilled in the fridge they’re convinced it’s juice when they go to take a drink!
Need a glass of water? Help yourself!!
