Did you know that water makes up more than half of your body weight? Every cell, tissue and organ in your body needs water to function correctly – even your joints need water to help with lubrication. Basically, being well hydrated is essential for good health. Since you lose water every day through going to the loo, sweating and even breathing it is important to replace what is lost. Common symptoms of dehydration include the obvious ones of feeling thirsty or having a dry mouth but dehydration is also one of the most common causes of headaches, feeling tired or even hungry (your brain can often confuse thirst for hunger – weird, I know!)
Lots of us simply don't drink enough full stop or don't drink enough water in favour of our tea/coffee/alcohol etc. How much is enough? There are different recommendations out there for optimal water consumption. The level that we recommend is 25-35mls of water per kilo of body weight – that way it's tailored to you as an individual. So, if you weigh 80kgs this works out to 2 – 2.8 litres. Ideally this should be pure water rather than flavoured or mixed with cordial. You could add a squeeze of lemon or lime to add a bit of flavour if you'd like. This has the added benefit of an alkalinising effect on your body (more about alkalinising later). This hot water and lemon/lime combo works well as a healthy alternative to tea and coffee. Naturally caffeine free herbal and fruit teas also count towards your water intake.
It's probably best to use filtered tap water & a safe container / water bottle (i.e. BPA free – available from many shops and on-line) If you are out and about.
As we said in our first blog, initial changes are about adding healthy things in first before depriving yourself of your favourite things. So I'm not asking you to give up your favourite frothy coffee but a simple place to start is to commit to drinking one more glass of water each day than you are at the moment for the first week, and then add in another one the following week and build up from there. You might find it easier to remember by having a glass of water while you are waiting for the kettle to boil for your usual cuppa- whatever works for you, but in the words of NIKE...just do it!!
