The Health Benefits of Water

We all know water is important to stay hydrated, but do you know all the ways that water is helping you stay at the top of your game?

With zero calories and a long list of benefits, there are few things that are healthier or more essential for our bodies than water. Check out these lesser-known benefits to keeping your water bottle topped off.

• Reduce Your Calorie Count
  Some confuse thirst for hunger, so staying well hydrated can keep you from reaching for a snack. Substituting water for higher calorie drinks like juice or soda in your everyday diet can add up to a lot, too.

• Energize Your Muscles
  When muscle cells get low on water, they don’t balance their hydration or electrolyte levels, so it causes you to feel fatigued. To get your muscles primed, start hydrating about two hours before exercising with about 17 ounces of water, and sip early and often throughout your workout.

• Keep Your Skin Clear
  Water helps to keep your skin moisturized, which can reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fights breakouts. 

• Flush Toxins
  Your kidneys have the job of keeping the body cleansed of toxins. Keeping a good flow of water running through your body helps your kidneys process better. As a nice bonus, this reduces your risk of kidney stones.

• Keep Yourself Regular
  Water also keeps things moving through your gastrointestinal tract, which helps you stay comfortable and avoid, well, backups.

• Reduce Pain
  A well-hydrated body can better deal with aching joints, body cramps, and a whole slew of different bodily challenges, which means you’ll feel less pain overall when you drink more water.

• Fight Infection
  People who are better hydrated tend to get sick less often, because water helps your immune system stay at its best and more efficiently fight germs.

• Clear Your Thoughts
  Drinking water helps you focus and think better. One study even found a correlation between college students who brought water with them to class and those who got better grades.

The human body is about 60 percent water. So when we don’t have enough, we’re simply not at our best, and that shows itself in a myriad of ways. Fortunately, it’s easy to increase your water intake. Try trading a less healthy drink like beer or soda for a healthier option you like, or substitute a snack with water-dense fruits and veggies.

Whatever you choose, make a swap you can enjoy. You’re more likely to sustain the habit long-term, so don’t punish yourself by drinking tap water if you hate it.