I guess I’m on a water kick this past week, but it’s such an easy thing to include in your everyday life to help you lose weight faster. We all know getting at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day are essential for your health, but did you ever wonder why it’s also an important ingredient for successful weight loss? Here’s a short list why:
Water is essential to good health
About 70% of our bodies is comprised of water, so getting enough to keep your body running optimally is a must. Water helps keep your skin hydrated, carries essential nutrients to every cell in our bodies, and keeps mucous membranes moist. It also helps keep your mind functioning at its best, helps regulate your body temperature, and prevents dehydration, which can lead to headaches, fatigue, and muscle aches. Keeping you body in optimum condition will help you to be able to lose weight more easily.
Water flushes toxins from your body
It does this by increasing regularity, aiding with your kidney filtration rate (keeping kidney stones at bay) and keeping your body’s waste disposal system running efficiently. Improved regularity helps keep the weight off and your body healthy.
Having enough water prevents water retention or bloat
While this may seem a bit contradictory, the more water you drink, the less water your body retains, and the less water weight you hold. It’s the sodium and preservatives from food, soft drinks and salty foods that trigger water retention, and the water you drink helps flush the sodium from your kidneys, which lowers the amount of excess fluid in your body, leading to weight loss. In the Supermodel Slimdown, it’s a lot of excess water weight that you lose initially.
Water can increase your metabolic rate
It accomplishes in a couple of different ways. For every 8-ounce glass of ice water you drink, you can burn up to 8 calories more than water at room temperature.
Water can also help with losing weight, because sometimes your body interprets thirst as hunger. So, instead of reaching for food and consuming calories unnecessarily when you feel a hunger pain, which you might be inclined to do, try drinking water instead – water that has no calories. Try this when you first begin to diet. It should help curb some hunger pains when you first cut calories. This leads to the next point.
Water leaves you feeling full
Those who drink 16 ounces of water a half hour before their meals eat less calories due to a feeling of satiety. This helps lead to greater weight loss. Try it and see how much less you eat.
Water helps keep you away from sugary soft drinks
Drinking enough water will satisfy your thirst, which will help keep you away from unwanted sugary drinks that cause weight gain. If you’re a big soda buff, don’t worry. In time, you will begin to stop craving the sweetness and opt for flavored or plain water – even sparkling water is okay too.
Water saves you money
Water is much cheaper than any other kind of drink, so it’s not only smart for your body and your weight loss goals, but also for your budget! If you don’t believe me, just try drinking water without any other type of beverage for one month…just see the savings in your checking account.
H2o Alternatives
Water is, by far, the healthiest beverage you can drink. However, not everyone can drink plain water.
If you really can’t stand plain water, then there are alternatives for you- I have a list of my favorite 5 ways to enhance your H2O. You can also drink unsweetened iced or hot tea, black coffee, sparkling water, or fat-free milk.
Really, really, please try to stay away from diet beverages, because there are so many chemicals and sugar substitutes in them that can lead to weight gain if over-consumed. If you must enjoy your diet soda, try saving it only for a special treat.
