Water is one of the key components to a healthy diet and a long-term weight loss undertaking. It not only nourishes your body by keeping your cells hydrated, but it fills your stomach so that you are less hungry. Here are some quick tips for consuming a weight-loss-friendly amount of water without feeling like you are a human water drain.
8 Glasses a Day Just about everyone has heard that it is important to consume at least 8 glasses of water a day as part of a well-balanced diet. The 8 glasses of water will help to hydrate your body and leave your skin feeling moist and supple. What's more: it is important to understand exactly what those 8 glasses of water are doing to your body.
As the water enters into your system, it hydrates your cells. Not only will you feel more energized, but it will help to keep your cells strong against illness, headaches and fatigue. Imagine that the body's cells are a plant. Without water, the plant will wilt and be less strong against daily elements. However, with the proper amount of water and care, the plant will be strong and healthy.
Water relieves the body of harmful toxins, such as those that are caused by illness and stress. By infusing hydration into your system, your body pumps out unwanted chemicals that will slow you down and make your body function less healthily. 8 glasses of water is the minimum if you wish to retain a properly functioning machine.
Fruit Many people get their water from fruits, such as apples, watermelons and berries. One piece of fruit, depending on the size, can count for as much as half of a glass of water. The added benefit of fruit is that in addition to helping to hydrate you, fruit can add healthy amounts of vitamins and minerals to your core diet.
Fruit also fills the stomach and energizes you. Because fruit contains very few calories, it is a good food to fill up on. However, fruit does contain fructose, which is a type of sugar. Fructose will spike the level of sugar in your blood stream, which will give you energy. Yet, if that energy is not consumed readily, the fructose will turn to fat (if only a small amount of it.)
Dehydrators There are beverages and activities that dehydrate your body quickly so that your essential amount of water intake needs to be increased. Beverages that deplete water from your body include sodas, coffee, tea and alcohol.
In order to ensure that you stay properly hydrated, drink one glass of water for every glass of soda or other dehydrating beverage. Also, for every half-hour of sweat-inducing exercise, you should drink at least one cup of water. If you are exercising in a particularly humid environment, you may have to drink more water in order to avoid headaches, illness and overall dehydration.
Water truly can aid your weight-loss process if you are diligent about consuming generous portions of it. Many people find that carrying a water bottle with them everywhere they go is the best way to remain tempted to treat your body right.
But did you know that drinking enough water can also help you lose weight? It's not a miracle cure, of course ? no more than a handy little trick, really. But if you're trying to lose a few pounds, or to break some unhealthy eating habits, consider the following:
A lot of people think that they're hungry when they're actually thirsty. And they say that by the time you feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated ? so prevent dehydration and hunger confusion by drinking enough water in the first place! If you find yourself craving ?wet? food ? such as ice cream, or something that's ?dripping? in butter ? do yourself a favor: drink a glass of water first. Did the craving go away? Chances are that it did ? and that's a sure sign that you have a tendency to mistake thirst for hunger. Make it a habit to stay hydrated by drinking throughout the day, and drink a glass of water before you eat.
Furthermore, drinking enough water can make you feel fuller. For some people, this is enough to keep from snacking between meals and eating excessively. If you're eating food with a high fiber content ? which is, by the way, another great way to lose weight ? then drinking enough water is an even better idea. It causes the fiber to expand in your stomach, giving you the illusion that you've eaten more than you have. You could say that fiber and water together act as a sort of appetite suppressant, in a sense.
If you have a habit of snacking or ?picking? at food while you do certain activities, try a glass of water instead. Many of us are overweight because of a very bad habit ? picking or ?grazing? at food, maybe while cooking or watching TV. The calories that you eat in this way add up very quickly, and the worst part is that you're probably unaware of how much you're eating. One of the best ways to kick this habit is to give your hands and mouth something else to do. Presumably, in this day and age, you don't want to take up smoking ? giving up excessive eating for potential lung cancer is hardly a fair trade. But taking sips from a nice cold glass of water just might do the trick ? there are so many benefits to it that it's worth a try, anyway. Put the water in a nice glass and add an ice cube. For a change, you can try fizzy mineral water with a slice of lemon.
Whether or not these weight loss techniques work for you, it is well worth your while to get into the habit of drinking enough water. Eight to ten glasses a day might seem like a lot at first ? you might need to force yourself to finish them. After a while, however, your body gets used to it and you miss those eight glasses if you fall a little short one day. There are multiple benefits aside from weight loss. For instance, drinking enough water helps keep your skin hydrated and pure. If you wear contact lenses and suffer from ?dry eyes?, you may be surprised to find that this problem goes away after you start drinking enough water. The reason some people don't have enough tears is simply because they don't have enough water in their systems to produce enough.
As long as you drink enough water, it generally doesn't make much difference whether you buy it, filter it at home, or drink it straight from the tap (provided that the drinking water in your community is safe, according to the local health authority). Over the past few years, the emphasis on bottled water has become a little excessive. There's really no need to spend money on your water, however.
All in all, there's no reason not to drink enough water, and every reason to do so. It may very well help you lose weight, but even if it doesn't, your overall health will still benefit.
Both Joey Dweck & Michael Bens are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Joey Dweck has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight, Health and College Education. Author : Joey Dweck is the Founder & CEO of http://WeightLossBuddy.com a website committed to 24/7 support, expert advice, and helping people find a buddy(s) who will support their effort to lose weight, and live a healthier lifestyle. And it's all Free.. Joey Dweck's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.
Michael Bens has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight, Fitness and Lose Weight. Authored by Michael Bens. For more great information on weight loss, diets, nutrition, and living a great healthy life style visit . Michael Bens's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.