The Importance of Water

One of the keys to losing and now maintaining my weight has been drinking copious amounts of water (rarely less than 1 and sometimes up to 2 gallons a day).  I promised someone a while back who was surprised I considered it so important that I would post a blog on the subject.  I'm finally making good on that promise.

Here are a few of the many benefits of drinking plenty of water (not zero-calorie beverages:  WATER!)

- Let's start with the most motivating one:  Water helps waste move through the body in a mighty way. This means that a bunch of crud won't be hanging around inside you and you're more likely to weigh less on the scale in the mornings (after you've peed), because the content of your intestines will weigh less.  Full intestines can cause several pounds of scale weight gain if you are.... er..... stopped up.  So drinking water helps to give you a truer scale weight.

-Water helps to break down the nutrients in your food better, thus increasing your metabolism.  Not only that, if you are getting the nutrients you need the chances of cravings is reduced.

- Water helps regulate blood sugar, which helps insulin levels to stay steady, also reducing your likelihood to overindulge in sweet stuff.

- Water helps to give your stomach a full feel so that you are less likely to overeat.

- Plenty of water in your system helps your body to keep you cool during workouts, therefore allowing you to work out harder and get more bang for your exercise buck.

- Water is the primary ingredient in the synovial fluid around the joints, which allows them to move freely and gives them cushioning during your workouts.

There are a TON of other ways that water benefits the body, but these are ones that specifically relate to weight loss and fitness.

Can you drink too much water?  Yes- There is such a thing as water toxicity.  But to get that you have to drink stupid amounts of water.  The kidneys can process quite a lot of water an hour (over a quart) easily.  You'd pretty much have to TRY to drink too much water to get water toxicity.  Stay away from water-chugging contests and you'll probably be fine. :-)

And lastly, do I pee a lot?   YES!  But you don't pee out all that you drink- water goes out of you in other ways, like sweat and respiration, too.  And I will say that my bladder size has increased since increasing my water intake.  So while I still visit the bathroom more often than most other adults I know, I'm not seeing the inside of the ladies room as often as I did this time last year.