We’ve all heard it: drinking enough water is integral to maintaining our health. Despite this being common knowledge, most people struggle to drink the recommended amount of water daily (about ½ gallon, or 2 liters). For a myriad of reasons, people opt for highly caffeinated and sugary drinks in place of the healthiest (and cheapest) option out there. To illustrate why drinking water will be instrumental throughout your Pure 21 journey, we’ve created a list of the 11 most important reasons to drink enough water every day.
- Weight Loss
Water is crucial to weight loss success. With zero calories or sweeteners, water will help suppress your appetite between meals and boost your metabolism for your next meal. Consider drinking ice-cold water, as your body will naturally use energy to heat the water as it goes into your system, helping you lose weight passively.
- Oxygenating Energy
Our blood is more than 90% water. When you don’t drink enough water, your blood is less effective in carrying oxygen throughout the body. Oxygen is important because it allows our body to create more energy from the nutrients in our body than if we did not have ample oxygen. Here’s a closer look into why:
When you eat food, your body breaks it down and turns it into energy. It does this through a process called cellular respiration, which starts with a glucose molecule (sugar), and yields adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which are energy molecules stored away for later use. When your body does not have enough oxygen available, it will break these glucose molecules down via glycolysis, or anaerobic respiration. This process yields 2 ATP molecules per glucose molecule. However, if your body has enough oxygen at its disposal, it breaks down glucose via aerobic respiration, which produces a maximum of 38 ATP molecules per oxidized glucose molecule.
That is to say, when you drink water, your blood can dispense oxygen throughout the body more efficiently, which will allow your body to do more work with less nutrients, aiding in weight loss, increasing your energy, and speeding up your metabolism.
- Digestive Health
Your bowels need water to function properly. Dehydration can lead to digestive problems, constipation, and an overly acidic stomach. Staying hydrated loosens stool and helps stabilize the pH balance of your stomach, aiding in the efficacy of your digestive system. Chronic dehydration can also increase the risk of heartburn and stomach ulcers.
- Exercise Performance
Water is crucial for your success in any strenuous activity. As previously discussed, drinking water helps your body produce more energy from the nutrients you consume. Therefore, you will have more energy available when you exercise, making workouts more intense and effective. Staying hydrated in the hours leading up to your session also helps your body store water in the middle layers of your skin, which helps you sweat, a process integral to regulating your internal body temperature. Further, hydrating your muscles prevents them from cramping, something you definitely don’t want to happen when you have hundreds of pounds of steel hoisted above your head.
- Skin Appearance
When our skin is dehydrated, it’s more vulnerable to skin disorders and premature wrinkling. Water keeps your skin healthy, as it delivers vital nutrients to skin cells, keeps it hydrated, and promotes skin elasticity.
- Joint Health
Cartilage, found in joints and the discs of the spine, is approximately 80% water. Long-term dehydration can reduce the joints’ shock-absorbing ability, leading to joint pain. Skip the over-the-counter medicine and sip some water instead.
- Brain Function
Dehydration affects every organ in the body. Dehydration can even negatively affect brain structure and function. Water is involved in the production of hormones and neurotransmitters. So, the longer you stay dehydrated, the more problems you’ll notice with your thinking and reasoning skills, which will both be integral to keeping you on track with the Pure 21 program.
- Stress Relief
When we’re under stress, our organs need more water to function at a higher level. Interestingly, when the body isn’t given enough water, it goes into a state of stress, increasing Cortisol production. The higher your Cortisol levels, the harder it is for you to lose weight. You’re already under enough stress on a day-to-day basis due to things out of your control, but you do have a say in whether your organs are properly supported.
- Immunity Booster
Drinking plenty of water helps fight against everyday illnesses like the flu and even more severe ailments like heart attacks. When you take in enough water, you give your body what it needs to function at its best. It will more easily get rid of impurities, perform basic bodily tasks, help expel waste through sweat and urination, and reduce risks of kidney stones and UTIs.
- Headache Remedy
Lastly, we recommend staying hydrated to manage all types of headaches. For example, water helps fight fatigue, which can lead to tension headaches. Keep up with your water intake to help prevent headaches from starting in the first place. Even though the quick rush from coffee or a cookie can immediately help eliminate a headache, it creates a vicious cycle of dependency and erratic energy.
- Aids in the Efficacy of Your Supplements
We suggest drinking the recommended amount of water because, on top of the great health benefits outlined so far, it also helps the Pure 21 supplements work the most effectively. Especially as you start taking Pure Start, taking in enough water each day will be integral to keeping your body hydrated while it rids itself of the toxins built up over time.
The easiest way to stay hydrated is to have water on you at all times. The reason people tend toward highly caffeinated or sugary drinks is that they’re always available. Make healthy choices available to you. Invest in a reusable water jug or bottle, and take note of places you go every day where you can refill.