By Gabriella Lozada
Embrace your Wellness
This week’s installment: The Importance of Drinking Water
My absolute, all-time favorite drink is water. About a year ago, I became obsessed with finding a cute water bottle. Seriously, ask my parents. If I saw a cute water bottle, then I had to get it. Finally for Christmas, I got the perfect water bottle. You see, this water bottle is a Brita water bottle. It has a filter, making it easy to drink any water and have it be purified. Some people dislike room temperature water, however, I really like. As a singer, room temperature water is better for your vocal cords and your overall health. So this water bottle kept my water at the perfect temperature. It is a beautiful light blue color and it has a handle on the side which makes it great for carrying around. This water bottle was truly perfect for me. Having it, made me want to always be drinking water. Always drinking water began to be a reoccurring daily thing. I was drinking around 40 0z of water a day. This newly established habit improved my health greatly, although I was not looking for that when I was asking for one.
Water is an element that provides many health benefits. It is so important to drink water daily because we are constantly losing fluids in our body through sweating, breathing, and using the restroom. So it’s important that we are replenishing the water in our body. If you are not intaking enough water, you become dehydrated. Fluid losses are higher in places of warmer climate, during intense exercise, in high altitudes, and also in older people who lose their sense of thirst as they progress.
Drinking water helps maintain the balance of your bodily fluids. You are made up of 60% of water. The functions of these fluids are digestion, absorption, circulation, the creation of saliva, movement of nutrients, and homeostasis (maintenance of body temperature). If you are low on fluids, your brain triggers your thirst “mechanism” to make you drink some sort of fluid that is not alcohol or soda. Alcohol and soda only cause more dehydration. If you are thirsty, then drink water, milk, juice, coffee, or tea.
Water contributes to the control of your calories. Yes, you may now do a little happy dance because water can be used as a weight loss tool. It is not a going to magically help you lose 10 pounds, but it is a great substitute for other high-calorie beverages.
It is extremely important to drink water while exercising. Not only because we need to stay hydrated but also because cells that do not maintain a good balance in fluids can cause muscles to lose mass, density, and fatigue. Prior to exercising, you should drink at least 17 oz of water to ensure hydration. Then drink water in intervals throughout your workout to replenish fluids that have been lost through sweat.
Hydration is great for keeping your skin looking healthy. During dehydration, the appearance of wrinkles and lines is more relevant. With proper hydration, these wrinkles and lines will begin to show less. This is because your skin holds in moisture through fluids but also through skin moisturizers.
Thank you all for reading this article. I hope that this encourages you to drink more water and to live a healthier life. I remind you to embrace your wellness. Have a wonderful day.
Leave a Reply