Are you drinking enough water?

They say that one of the secrets of the Indian yogis is that they constantly drink water, run to the toilet every 20 minutes, but live a healthy life of 200 years.  

It is not that I intend to aim living for 200 years, but water has been an answer for me in many situations. I personally notice a big difference when I drink enough water as opposed to when I am dehydrated. For example, as I used to travel a lot for my job, water has been a remedy for me to recover from the long and tiring business trips. Now I don’t travel much, however maintaining the right level of hydration makes me feel more energised through the day.

Why is it important to drink water?

Sally Norton, the NHS weight loss consultant surgeon, health expert and writer, states the following benefits of drinking water:

1)      Boosting your brain power.

The human brain has about 85% of water, so being dehydrated decreases our intellectual capacity. Actually, there were some studies made in the school: some kids were asked to drink 0.5 litres of water in the morning before taking exam, and the others didn’t drink before exam. And the kids who did drink, were more successful in passing the exam.  Drinking water improves attention, concentration, coordination and memory skills.

2)      Reducing the level of stress.

In a survey of 200 women, 80% reported that drinking more water helps mentally and emotionally.

3)      Losing weight.

Are you feeling hungry? Drink water first. Quite often we confuse hunger and thirst. Drinking some water when you have a craving for a sweet, and drinking a glass of water 30 min before a meal helps to reduce the amount of calories consumed.

4)      Looking younger.

Around 1/3 of our skin is made of water. So keeping yourself hydrated helps to improve skin tone and clarity. There is not too much point in investing into very expensive anti-ageing crèmes while staying dehydrated.

I found some extra reasons through some research:

5)      Healthy heart.

Drinking enough water helps to reduce the risk of heart attack by 41% (according to the American studies).

6)      Staying energized.

7)      Getting rid of headache.

8)      Improving digestion &cleansing the body overall.

9)      Helping to do sport activities.

It is good to drink a glass of water before and after your class.

How much to drink?

Even though these benefits are well-known, many people remain constantly dehydrated. For the weight of 60-70 kg a person shall drink around 2,5 litres of pure water . This is not including any food.  Tea and coffee doesn’t count either. One of my friends asked me whether beer counts. The answer is no – no beer, no alcoholic drinks.  Sorry J

When to drink?

The recommendation of the doctor Torsunov is to drink 2/3 of this quantity in the period of time between sunrise and 10 am in the morning.  Apparently, this is the time when our body is set to the maximum to take out all the toxins. And to be able to clean the body as best as possible average amount of water is not enough. It is best to drink a lot, much more than usual.

The body first soaks the water, then the water dilutes the intercellular fluid, then it saturates the cells, and then the cells, when there is enough water, start to use the extra water to take out (get rid of) slag. And then through the intercellular fluid as well as through extra water (if we drink it as recommended!) all this slag is taken out from the body.

Moreover, the kidneys are working to their maximum especially in the morning time. So if we drink 2/3 of water in the morning, we will have no problem with kidneys, again, according to the doctor Torsunov.

What if I don’t like water?

I must admit, it might get boring to drink pure water all the time. So make it more tasty for yourself. There are plenty of ways, for example:

-          Add lemons or lime.

-          Or fruit: slices of grapefruit, cucumber, mint, orange.

-          Add some cordial, for example, I like elderflower cordial. Yes, ok, it adds a bit of sugar, but it is better than not drinking at all.

How to remind yourself about drinking enough water?

Some people say: yes, I know, but I keep forgetting to drink. There are multiple ways to remember about it, for example:

-          Get yourself a glass bottle (they are currently very fashionable, and you can get a really cute one from Sainsbury’s for example) and aim to drink X amount of these bottles full of water (depending on the volume of the bottle).

-          My friend says she fills a 2l bottle of water, on which it is written XX am, XX am, XX pm etc – to remind about the time when to drink.

-          Set up alarm at your phone.

-          Aim for x amount of glasses. (roughly 8 -10 glasses per day).

-          Keep testing yourself during the day (please refer to the test belowJ)

How to test whether you drink enough?

As I was waiting for a GP appointment, I saw this NHS leaflet, which I would like to share with you. Please have a look and see if you are drinking enough? :)

Thank you for reading this article. I really do hope that it will encourage you to stay hydrated!

And please do share your feelings after drinking 2,5 litres of water, out of which 1,5 in the morning prior 10 am? How do you feel about it?