Staying hydrated seems like a no-brainer, especially when you consider that 70% of the human body content is water. But did you also know that your muscles are 75% water, and your bones contain as much as 25% water? Water plays such an important role in the proper functioning of your body, especially when you consider how much of your body is made up of it. While drinking water anytime may reap benefits, below are some suggestions you might not have considered.
Drink Water in the Morning
It is a long known secret that consuming water in the morning, as soon as you wake up and before you eat anything, is a fantastic way to purify your internal system. One of the most worthwhile benefits of doing this is it’s colon cleansing effect. This cleansing enables better absorption of nutrients from foods, including breakfast (arguably the most important meal of the day.) Drinking water in the morning has also shown to aid in the production of haematopoiesis, or new blood, which has body restorative effects. According to The New Health Guide drinking water in the morning has the following benefits:
1. Make your skin glow. Water is known to purge toxins from your blood, and as a result you get glowing skin.
2. Renew cells. Drinking water first thing in the morning increases the rate at which new muscle and blood cells are produced.
3. Balance the lymph system. When you drink water first thing in the morning on a daily basis, you help balance your body’s lymph system. Lymph glands found in your lymph system fight infections helping you to perform your daily activities. They also balance the fluids in your body.
4. Lose weight. When you consume about 16 ounces of water (chilled), you will boost your body’s metabolism by abut 24% thus help you lose those extra pounds.
5. Purify the colon. When you drink water after you have woken up before eating anything, you are purifying your colon thereby making nutrients absorption easy.
6. Cures illnesses and diseases. Drinking water first thing in the morning has been proven to cure illnesses such as vomiting, throat disease, menstrual and cancer disorders, eye diseases, diarrhea, urine disease, kidney disease, meningitis, TB, Arthritis, headaches among others.
Drink Water Before a Workout
If you’re going to put your best foot forward, then you need to put in the appropriate prep work. Yes, stretching and warming-up are important, but drinking water in preparation is essential. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, you should start drinking fluids about 2 hours before you exercise. This pre-workout hydration will ensure that your blood and muscles keep up with you, and are not depleted due to dehydration.
Drink Water After a Workout
Staying hydrated while you workout is crucial for maximizing your fitness regimes success. But perhaps even more importantly is drinking water after you have finished your workout. Lifescript.com offers this advice: following your exercise session, drink up to replace fluids lost by sweating and physical labor. Don’t drink too much too quickly, or you could induce stomach cramps. But make sure you drink enough so you don’t stay dehydrated.
When you feel dehydrated this is a sign that you are losing more water than you are drinking. When you exercise, most of your water loss is through sweat. When you sweat, your body can lose a great deal of water as it tries to cool itself off. Just a brisk walk in warm weather, for example, can make you lose a pound of water as your body tries to resume its normal temperature. You need to drink after exercising to replace this water loss.