If your goal is to lose those extra pounds and extra fat or even if you want to get healthier, you need to consider start drinking more water; but how much water should you drink every day in order to reach your goals and why is this so vital to your health?
How much water? The first thing you need to know is that The American Heart Association recommends this formula: your weight in kilos divided by 7 is equal to the number of glasses per day of 250ml (in a bottle of water there is approximately 500ml or 8oz). Do you think it is a lot or a little water? If your weight is 110lbs or 50 kilos, you should drink 7 glasses of 250ml or 1.78 liters per day (50 kilos divided by 7 equals 7 glasses), for some people this is a normal day of drinking water and for others it is a lot, but still this formula is too general, you also need to consider how active is your life, if it is summer or winter, and your weight and height.
Energy and metabolism. Of course, drinking water is super important and essential to stay hydrated, your body requires a lot of water in order to get its metabolic functions. Besides, our body is approximately 60-70% water, and with that, you get an idea of how important it is to consume water. Even the chemical reaction that occurs in lipolysis, the process of converting fat into energy, requires water to be possible, or a simple 2% dehydration in the body dramatically reduces your performance when exercising, which takes away energy and you simply cannot function the same.
Don’t get crazy with water. Remember, everything in excess could be dangerous even water. In 2007, Jennifer Strange died after participating at a radio station’s water-drinking contest to win a Nintendo game console. She suffered water intoxication or hyponatremia. A normal level of sodium in the blood ranges from 135 to 145 milliequivalents per liter (mEq / L). Hyponatremia occurs when sodium in the body is below 135 mEq / L. This disease is characterized by the retention of fluids in the body, which dilutes the amount of sodium in the blood and causes levels to be low. Symptoms include nausea, headache, confusion, and fatigue. So be careful and don’t go crazy and think that because something is good more is better.
Electrolytes in your water. The last point demonstrates why it is important to drink water, but not only pure water but make sure that you keep your electrolytes in balance. One great way to do it, for example, is in the early morning when you are more dehydrated, with a cup of water with half a lemon, a pinch of salt from the Himalayas, potassium and if you are going to exercise that morning add some honey.
Water helps fiber. Fiber is also super important in boosting your metabolism and supporting your digestion. When you get enough water, it also supports in pushing all the fiber, when you eat too much fiber and not drink much water, you can get constipated because there is nothing to help it flow there.