You’ve probably heard all your life that you have to drink a lot of water. It’s true, water is very important to our bodies. The human body is around 60% water and a drop of a mere 2% is enough to cause symptoms of dehydration. You probably know all the signs already – dizziness, dry mouth and dry skin. In extreme cases, it might even lead to fainting and organ damage!

Health and beauty benefits of drinking enough water

1. Water acts as a lubricant and makes sure all of your bodily functions work properly. From digestion to chewing, it lubricates your joints, so if you’re lacking water, you’re much more likely to feel joint and back pain, and to have problems with a lot of your bodily functions.
2. Water also regulates your body temperature, which is why you always want to drink more water in the summer. Your body will sweat it out to cool itself down when it gets too hot. Water is also a perfect way to get anything bad out of your system. It flushes out toxins and refreshes your entire body. So if you think you’ve eaten or drank something that is bad for you, drink a lot of water to flush it out. It also helps after drinking a lot of alcohol.
3. Water will make you look a lot better too! It will make your skin glow, your hair shiny and your nails strong. If you notice that your skin feels dry, don’t slather on all kinds of creams on it, just drink more water! It will hydrate you from the inside out. The same goes if you notice that you are breaking out more or have heavier dark circles.

Why water?

There are a lot of excuses we have for not drinking water: it’s boring and tasteless! I’d rather drink tea, or coffee, or juice! I don’t feel dehydrated!

All of these are not good enough of an excuse for not to drink more water. Juices are full of sugar and drinking excessive amounts of coffee and tea isn’t that good for you. Well, you may have heard that you should drink 8 cups of water per day, but that isn’t completely correct either. The things you eat also count, so eating fruit that contains a lot of water can make up for some of the water – but doesn’t remove the need for it entirely!

How to get yourself to drink more water

There are a lot of tricks that you can use to make yourself drink more water, so here are some of them to set you on the right track.

Carry a water bottle with you at all times – Get a good bottle that can fit into your everyday bag and keep it with you at all times. You will drink more and won’t down five glasses upon coming home – which is the worst way to get your water in, you won’t get any sleep!

Infuse your water – To make your water taste better, put some fruit or herbs into it. When you fill up your water bottle, putting in a few raspberries, some mint, or lemon slices will infuse the water with flavor without adding any calories or sugar. It gives you the satisfying feeling of drinking a fruity juice, without the guilt or the extra pounds. 

Set a reminder – There are a lot of apps that you can download on your phone to remind you to drink water, because let’s be honest – sometimes we just forget. Set it for every 15 minutes and take a few sips whenever it goes off. You can also track your water intake in your journal or diary to see if there are any patterns where you drink more or less water.

Water Quality

If you want to make sure that you’re getting all you need, and avoiding the things that are bad for you, then make sure you are drinking good quality water. If the water in your town isn’t safe to drink, you should stick to bottled water, or get a new uv home water treatment system. If you’re travelling, ask the locals about the quality of water in the town and if you feel any signs of a stomach problem, make sure you switch straight to bottled water. Water will make you feel good only if it is clean, uncontaminated by harmful bacteria.

So, start drinking that H₂O and get your body all the hydration it needs. Keep a water bottle at your side and take a sip any time you see it; you’ll enjoy all the benefits and the refreshing taste as well!