Apart from the obvious reason – to survive – why do you need to drink lots of water? A lack of it can cause dehydration, but what other roles does water play in your body? If you don’t get enough of it, can it cause different problems throughout your internal system? The short answer is yes, it very much can and will make your life hell if your water intake is low.
If that’s not enough to convince you, here are four reasons to start drinking more water:
Get more energy
Did you know that lethargy is one of the first signs of dehydration? When you don’t get enough water, you start to feel light-headed and tired. It’s your body’s way of telling you that it needs more fuel to keep it going.
This can also happen when you don’t eat enough food, but it’s highly common in people with terrible water intake. So, drinking more water can give you a natural energy boost when you feel faint and lethargic.
Prevent constipation
Yep, water helps you go to the toilet without straining for half an hour. When you drink water, it helps your digestive system function and is part of forming your stools, making them more passable.
In essence, it’s a natural stool softener that can prevent things from getting stuck and hard to pass. We don’t need to spend more time going over this point – you get the idea! For a more comfortable toilet life, drink more water.
Speed up muscle recovery following workouts
You can try all the workout supplements in the world, but a few glasses of water can outdo them all! Water is essential during the muscle recovery process as it helps to flush toxins from your body. When you exercise, your muscles start building up lactic acid, which is basically what causes soreness the next day.
If you drink a lot of water after your workout, you basically get rid of lactic acid through peeing lots. The water flushes it from your muscles, meaning you recover faster.
Promote weight loss
Now, drinking water won’t magically make you lose weight, but it can help! Firstly, having water in your stomach will make you feel full, which prevents cravings between meals. Therefore, you have less chance of binging on calorific snacks that make you put on weight. Secondly, water is a brilliant alternative to fizzy drinks and alcoholic beverages.
If you switch to drinking water with meals, you can save yourself a good few hundred calories a day. This can be all it takes to help you lose weight. Remember, it’s not a magic liquid that will shed fat from your body – you still need to put in the work, but it will help!
This should be enough to convince you that water is absolutely essential. If you want to see all of the benefits shown in this post, you need to start upping your water intake. Likewise, if you see any symptoms mentioned above, it’s a sign you need to drink more water.