As Audrey Hepburn said, “Water is life, and clean water means health”. Well, Mrs. Hepburn was certainly right. Water is an important element for many different reasons. Our bodies consists of approximately 50-75% water depending on body composition. Can water help you lose a few extra pounds? The answer is YES!
Water Health Benefits
Water is responsible for many different functions of the body – it regulates body temperature, carries oxygen and nutrients to the cells, dissolves minerals and nutrients, supports digestion, protects organs and tissues of the body and keeps joints in good condition. You can’t forget that water is an important factor when it comes to our metabolism.
According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, drinking up to 500 ml of water increases metabolism by 30% in healthy men and women.
The maximum effect was achieved 30-40 minutes after the subjects drank.
Researchers from the University of Birmingham in the UK conducted a 12-week experiment in which 84 obese adults were given basic weight loss advice and assigned to one of two groups.
The first group was asked to drink about 500 ml of water half an hour before meals, while the second group was asked to quickly imagine that their stomachs were full before each meal. In conclusion, the experiment revealed that the first group lost 1.5 kg more than the second.
Other Health Benefits of H2O:
– It helps us stay alert
– It prevents headaches
– Increases cognitive abilities
– It protects our heart
How much water should we really drink to get the best results?
If you are one of those people who want to lose a few pounds, staying well hydrated is a key factor. We will give a formula to calculate the optimal water intake.
STEP 1: Check your body weight
We need to know the exact body weight number when determining optimal water consumption. This is necessary because the amount of water increases accordingly with increasing body weight. Round the result shown by the scale to the nearest whole number.
(Example: 50.4 kg = 50 kg, and you round 50.5 kg to 51)
STEP 2: Every kilogram matters
We should drink 30 milliliters of water for every kilogram of body weight. (Example: A person weighing 60 kilograms should provide the body with 1.8 liters of water.)
It’s not over
The amount of water we need also depends on our physical activity. When we work harder, we should drink more. It also all depends on the climate. We should provide ourselves with more water when we are in the heat or when it’s freezing cold outside. Pregnant women and breastfeeding women should also drink a little more water.
The need for water is greater when we suffer from fever, vomiting, diarrhea. If you have high fiber in your diet, you also need to drink more water as it is bound and eliminated faster when it is excreted from the body.
