According to Harvard Health, the average adult human body consists of about 60% water, so it only makes sense to drink fluids frequently for the proper functioning of the human body. Aside from the fact that drinking a lot of fluid can help maintain the health of the heart, muscles, and the brain; it also transports nutrients to the cells and at the same time flush out bacteria.
However, due to various physical activities the body goes through during the day, it is easy to become dehydrated. Dehydration does not only occur when you drink enough water daily, but through diarrhea, vomiting excessive sweating, or exercise. Some of the common symptoms of dehydration include faint feeling, crampy muscles, or headache.
The best part of restoring water balance in the body are many with a lot of other benefits, and almost everyone knows the “8 by 8” rule, which is to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid daily. Drinking enough water and staying properly hydrated can:
- Improve physical performance
The human body uses up a lot of body fluid during physical activities, and this is why it is important to stay hydrated post and pre-exercise session to protect your body from harm, and also help improve your performance. Proper hydration can help you lower your maximum heart rate, reduce fatigue, improve endurance, and less sore after exercise many more.
- Help you to lose weight
Are you finding it hard to shed off excess weight? Well, increasing your fluid intake can help you shed some off, and research even have it that, when people who are on diets increase their water intake they tend to lose more weight. One study that includes people trying to lose weight shows that they tend to lose 4.6 more pounds when they during 500 ml of water before each meal for 12 weeks.
- Boost your brainpower
Drinking more water can also help you improve your cognitive performance, and research also has it that drinking water during cognitive tasks can help you performed much better than those who did not drink water. These results have been found in both adults and children, so when next you are trying to focus on a task or take a test then keep a glass of water next to you.
- Boost your mood
When you are in a bad mood, then take some glasses of water. A study proved that people who take about 2.5 liters of water daily tend to experience less confusion, bewilderment, fatigue, and sleepiness.
- Protect against disease
Many people often ask “Why is water important?” Well, the simple answer is that it plays a vital role in disease prevention. Staying hydrated may be a useful tool to prevent a handful of health conditions and diseases like urinary tract infections, constipation, asthma, kidney stones, and many others.
