Hydration - Are you drinking enough water?

Are you drinking enough water? Why water should be a big part of your daily routine.

Our bodies are made up of approximately 75% of water. Water is essential for. Drinking water helps maintain the bodies balance. The functions of these bodily fluids include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature.

You should ideally drink at least 1-2 litres of water a day. One way you can increase your fluid intake is by drinking fruit teas and green tea.

Drink green tea, 2-4 cups a day, it speeds up metabolism, clears toxins and contains lots of anti-oxidants.

Staying properly hydrated is very important for everyone especially for those who are taking part in exercise and even more so if exercising in the sun or in warmer temperatures.

Water promotes your cardiovascular health: dehydration lowers the blood volume, so your heart must work harder to pump the reduced amount of blood and get enough oxygen to your cells.

Water cleanses toxins from your body: your kidneys use water to filter dissolved waste from the blood which in turn is excreted from the body in urine. If you are severely dehydrated your kidneys may stop working causing toxins to build up in the body.

Water keeps your body temperature cool: When you exercise or take part in strenuous activity your body temperature rises. To prevent your temperature from rising too high your blood vessels expand near the surface of your skin, water evaporates and heat is released into the air.

Water helps your muscles and joints work better, it also keeps your skin more supple as the skin is more elastic when properly hydrated.

A simple way to make sure you’re staying properly hydrated is to check your urine is consistently colourless or light yellow you are most likely staying well hydrated. Dark yellow or amber-coloured urine is a sign of dehydration.

So go and pour yourself a nice glass of water and reap the benefits of hydration!

Carys.