Water is life! Over 70% of your body is made of water. This percentage includes the major organs as well as vital parts of the circulatory system. This means that you need to have adequate amounts of water daily. It is recommended that you take about 3 litres of water a day. So, why is this important and how could it benefit you. Find out now.
What Taking 3 Litres of Water Every Day Can Do for You?
Although 3 litres of water is about 12 cups of water, keep in mind that the 3 litres you take does not necessarily refer to pure water, but also water from the liquids that you ingest in your body – fizzy drinks, caffeine, soup, fruits, etc. With that in mind, here are 9 advantages that come with consuming 3 litres of water a day, here goes:
1. Cure Headaches
A headache is a symptom of an underlying issue that the body is dealing with at any one time. Dehydration can causes headaches. If you have bouts of unexplained headaches on what you suspect is dehydration, increase your intake of water.
2. Clean the Skin
It’s always been a long-held secret in the beauty industry that one way to have healthy skin is to ensure that you have a high intake of water. Consumption of 3 litres of water a day has a twofold benefit to your skin. First, it flushes out toxins from your body and ensures you get glowing skin. Besides, it also starves away wrinkles. Wrinkles appear on the skin surface when you are dehydrated and the body draws away water from your organs. The effect of this is that one gets sunken eyes and the skin losses its elasticity plus it feels much drier. Various studies have shown that women who consume at least 3 litres of water a day reduce skin wrinkles in a period of less than 90 days.
3. Help in Bowel Movement
Having 3 litres of water per day has the effect of making your bowel movement easier. This is because as more water is absorbed into your digestive tract, it ends up making the waste less hardy. This way, one is spared the pain and anguish of dealing with piles during a visit to the bathroom.
4. Aid Your Workout Plan
If you work out, water is an essential part of your regime for two reasons. First, it ensures that your body is constantly hydrated keeping away dehydration that would automatically occur on account of losing water through sweating. Second, water acts as a catalyst during the various metabolic processes that require water to fire up energy production.
5. Aid in Thinking
Yes, water is even important when it comes to thinking. If you need to focus on a task for long periods of time, or if you need to apply your mind to solve some issue that requires logic, chances are that you may need to constantly boost up your intake of water. A low water intake will be manifested in headaches and a lack of focus when you need to concentrate. The mechanics behind water consumption and clarity of thought are still not yet clearly understood, but the link cannot be ignored.
6. Help Weight Loss
Research carried out over the years seems to indicate that consuming 3 litres of water a day has the effect of promoting weight loss. The weight is lost for a myriad of reasons. First, you tend to fill fuller when you take water prior to a meal and this ensures that you significantly reduce your intake of calories by eating smaller portions of food. Second, water intake increases the metabolic rate, and this helps in burning more calories. You will, therefore, lose weight much faster. Last, an increased intake of water metabolizes stored fat into energy. This is important because the greater your intake of water, the higher the chances that you will have in getting rid of excess fat.
7. Prevent Infection
Taking at least two litres of water a day can help fight infections in the body. This helps flush out toxins as well as get rid of urine infections and prevent the occurrence of kidney stones. A hydrated system also does wonders for a person battling a cold because it helps clear up the airwaves and get rid of cold sores that pop up on dry areas of the skin.
8. Protect Your Heart
A well-watered system has what could be described as thinned blood due to the presence of water. Thin blood exerts less pressure on the heart vessels and promotes heart health. A survey conducted by Eden found that drinking more than 5 glasses of water a day could reduce your chances of heart attack by more than 41% compared to people who drank less than 2 glasses daily. Think of all the good things that could happen to your heart if you consumed three litres of water daily.
How to Drink Three Litres of Water A Day
To ensure that you meet your quota of 3 litres of water a day, follow the tips listed below:
- Keep a water bottle with you. Drink from it on occasion and not only when you are thirsty. Note the volume of water in your bottle and refill it appropriately until you hit your quota
- Set off an alarm clock that goes off at certain intervals. For instance, an alarm clock could be set of for every hour meaning that every time it chimes, you drink a glass of water until you hit your quota.
- Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. Certain fruits such as watermelons have a high water composition and the intake of such fruits and veggies ensures that you need not consume 3 litres of pure water daily.
- Drink a large amount of water for hunger pangs. Many times you may mistake the need for water as the need for foods or snacks. Drink one or few cups of water to curb your appetite and meet your real need. If water fills to work, you can always opt for watery fruits and veggies.