Glowing skin, more energy, a better mood, even weight loss… All those things sound great to me! What about you?

The simple habit of increasing your water intake could be the solution! Believe it or not, drinking water has many benefits for your body and can be the answer to your health problems.  Unfortunately, many people don’t realize how important water really is.  I used to be one of those people.  Seriously I’d be lucky if I got in 24 ounces of water a day! Research shows that as little as 1% dehydration negatively affects your mood, attention, memory and motor coordination. 

My fitness journey drove me to concentrate on my water consumption and it literally changed so much for me. Now… I’m a believer! Are you?

Let’s talk benefits…

 Dehydration can affect our mood and make you feel depressed, nervous, angry, grumpy and confused.  It can also contribute to stress.  By drinking more water you make sure you mental health benefits from it.

The first sign of dehydration is the feeling of tiredness.  When the body begins to dehydrate, it means we are not getting enough water to allow us to feel like doing anything. 

Often we think we are hungry when we are actually only thirsty.  There is a high correlation between drinking water and weight loss.  Plus increasing your water game leaves less room for other calorie dense beverages!

Dark circles, puffiness and under-eye bags (looking in my mirror!) are commonly caused by the retention of water. Drinking more water will help flush out the waste from your system, which will reduce the puffiness and make you look younger and fresher. 

 Our skin is the largest organ in our body.  Regular water consumption helps to plump skin, fills in fine lines and wrinkles, and brightens up a dull complexion. 

Toxins are flushed from our bodies in the form of urine or sweat.  If we don’t drink enough water, we don’t flush out toxins and it collects in our body.  

Drinking a big glass of water right before a meal is a great way to prepare your body for the food to come.  Proper hydration can enhance nutrient breakdown and reduce constipation. 

Did you know the brain contains 90% water?! Being properly hydrated restores the brain to its normal size.  There are many different studies out there that get rather scientific but I'm not going to get into that; however, I can say from personal experience - when  am properly hydrated, my focus is definitely increased.  

Dehydration can trigger headaches an even migraines in some individuals.  This was a huge benefit that I saw when I started drinking more water.  I used to suffer from headaches regularly and the increase in water practically made them non-existent.  

Dehydration can lead to weakness, fatigue, dizziness, and electrolyte imbalance.  Increasing your water consumption will improve your performance and also help your muscles recover faster. 

There are so many different recommendations on the amount of water that we should drink in a day and you can choose to do your own research.  I just know for most of us, we need more!  So whether you are shooting for the long time recommendations of eight 8-oz glasses, a gallon, half your body weight in ounces jut set a goal and start chugging!