The Real X-Factor in Your Weight Loss Journeys: Hydration!

You must certainly have heard of it. That you need to drink at least 8 glasses or roughly 2 litres of water each day to stay adequately hydrated, but despite its simplicity, this is still easier said than done.

Water is beneficial for weight loss. For one thing, it is 100 percent calorie-free. Then, by drinking water, you keep yourself away from sugary, calorie-rich beverages that are essentially harmful for your weight loss goals. Then again, health sites such as WebMD suggest that drinking water before meals ensures that you take in at least 75 calories lesser per meal, that’s 27,000 calories per year and almost 8 pounds in weight loss!

Drinking water and keeping yourself well hydrated also keeps your metabolic rate up, helping you burn far more calories than you would in a dehydrated state. But enough about all these, let’s get right down to it and discuss hydration in detail.

How Do You Know if You’re Well Hydrated?

Water promotes cardiovascular health, so if you get breathless from just one flight of stairs, chances are, you are drinking less water (among other things). There are some ways to know whether you are well hydrated or not though. And one of them is by checking your pee.

If you urinate every 3 or so hours, chances are, your body is well hydrated. Of course your pee will be pale yellow (or colourless) and odorless for you to confirm that your frequent pee-breaks are not caused to underlying illnesses and are indeed because you are well hydrated.

You can also gauge your level of hydration from your breath. If your breath smells bad, without you having eaten onion, garlic or other regular culprits, your body is probably craving more water.

Advantages of Being Well Hydrated

• Water helps in keeping your physiological bodily functions healthy. Staying well hydrated helps in keeping your internal organs healthy, helps to keep your digestion healthy and helps your cells to flush out toxins.
• Water has zero calories so you can safely drink water even when you are watching your calories. Water also acts as an appetite suppressant by making you feel full, ensuring that you stay on your weight loss diet.
• You look younger. Dehydrated skin ages quickly and appears taut and lifeless. Giving your skin good amounts of water throughout the day keep it looking fresh and energized, the best anti-ageing treatment out there.
• Water helps combat skin disorders, even wrinkles. If you suffer from extreme skin dryness or have eczema or psoriasis, try drinking a lot of water for a few months.
• When you body is dehydrated, your heart has to work that much harder to supply oxygen to all of your body’s cells. Staying well hydrated helps you maintain a good cardiovascular health, and a healthy heart is half the health battle won!
• Water helps ease headaches, migraines and back pain, which are common symptoms of dehydration.
• Since water dilutes cancer-causing agents in your urine, drinking enough water means you are less at risk when it comes to bladder and colon cancers.
• Drinking adequate water helps you maintain a healthy Ph level. Drinking enough water daily helps your keep up your body’s mineral levels and also prevents hormonal imbalances.

All in all, whether you are looking to lose weight or if your target is just getting healthier, drinking adequate water is mandatory. Water is the best drink for hydration even when compared to fruit juices. Coconut water is another great drink for hydration.

Drinking too much chlorinated water can also lead to complications such as thyroid hormonal imbalances, so stick to filtered water.