The Importance of Drinking Water

You always here how important it is to drink at a minimum 8 cups of water a day and if you are working out it's more like 10-12 cups of water and if you are trying to lose weight it is even more important.

Did you ever wonder why?

Well, I decided to post this here because people ask me all the time and no matter how many times I read about it I forget all the benefits of water.

First off, it helps your body metabolize fat. One of your livers major jobs is to convert stored fat to energy another is to help your kidneys perform its job when its falling behind with its own. The reason why your kidneys might fall behind is the lack of water you are getting, so if you are not providing your kidneys with enough water, your liver is busy helping the kidneys and not doing their major job. So what does that mean, well, that means that your liver is not metabolizing fat as quickly or efficiently. If the liver is not metabolizing the fat, it's storing it. So yeah, we don't want to store it, we want to GET RID OF IT! So drink your water.

Second, water helps flush out impurities. Drink enough of it and you'll notice your skin look healthier, even your muscles will look plumper (if that makes sense).

Here's another reason. Studies have shown that thirst and hunger sensations are triggered together. So if you are dehydrated, you might mistake that craving you get for food, when in reality all you need is to pick up a glass of water and drink it. Most food contain water (but it also contains calories, fat, sodium, sugar, etc) so you might consume more of it to satisfy that need for water. This contributes to overeating and we all know what happens when we over eat. We get fat! The best thing to do is always start off with a glass of water if you are getting these cravings, just in case it thrist and not hunger.

Gosh, there are many other reasons. Let me list them.
- increase metabolism
- regulate appetite
- boost engery levels, reduces fatigue
- less water retention
- alleviate some headaches
- help reduce blood pressure
- help reduce high cholesterol
- ease joint pain
- reduce back pain
- reduce muscle spasms
- decrease in risk of some cancers
- less chance developing kidney stones
- release toxic waste products
- improves skin

Anyway, you can see the list is very long and i'm sure I have missed some benefits.

I will definitely be drinking my water during my 5wks. I think that's another reason why I haven't seen much change in my weight. I wasn't drinking enough. I would barely get 4 cups if that.

Oh yeah, some people have asked me before what temperature should the water be? Honestly, it doesn't matter as long as you are drinking it. Yes, your body will burn slightly (and I mean slightly) more calories if you drink cold water. In order for your body to absord it, it has to heat it up first and that requires a little bit more energy. The more energy your body is using the more calories it is burning.

So what's the deal with drinking warm water? Simply put, your can easily absorb it since it is already warm. Like I said, drink it however you want it, but just drink it. Either way you'll be benefitting from it.