Why Hydration is Key to Overall Health and Wellness

Hydration is an integral component of health and wellness, impacting everything from energy levels to memory function.

Dehydration can leave your body vulnerable, leading to headaches and fatigue as well as hampering performance during physical activities and even leading to heat exhaustion.

1. It Keeps You Hydrated

Body water accounts for roughly 60 percent of our weight, so staying hydrated daily is vitally important to maintaining overall health and wellness. Aiming for eight 8-ounce glasses daily as a rule will likely suffice, though your needs will likely depend on climatic conditions, amount of physical activity you engage in and personal medical history.

Dehydration can bring on various symptoms, from headaches and lethargy to dizziness and even heart valve issues that slow circulation and impair brain functions.

Maintaining optimal hydration levels is especially essential for older adults and those living with chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease or cystic fibrosis. They are at greater risk for dehydration due to lower perspiration levels, reduced kidney function or the use of medications that act as diuretics.

2. It Helps You Burn Fat

Water can do more than quench your thirst; it also plays an essential role in maintaining body fluid balance. Be it at the gym or home, be sure to drink enough liquids so your cells can function optimally.

Dehydration can wreak havoc on how we think and feel, impeding activity levels and leading to long-term health issues. If this occurs in your life, this may impact both performance and ultimately health problems down the line.

If you’re trying to shed pounds, drinking more water could help keep you hydrated and speed up metabolism – however, more research needs to be conducted into the relationship between hydration and weight loss, according to Jackie London, RD (head of Nutrition & Wellness for WW).

Keep a bottle of water within reach to remind yourself to drink more regularly during the day, or invest in an attractive water bottle as a visual reminder to drink regularly. Also consider setting alarms or notifications on smart devices as necessary to remind yourself.

3. It Keeps You Healthy

Water is one of the key components to human survival and an indispensable resource. We depend on it for temperature regulation, producing tears and saliva production, urination, digestion of food and maintaining blood pressure as well as eliminating waste through sweat and stool production.

Maintaining proper body fluid levels also keeps us functioning normally and prevents illness. For instance, when suffering from fever, vomiting or diarrhea, fluid loss increases rapidly; you will require replenishing these stores quickly to maintain good health.

Stay hydrated by drinking enough water according to your weight and lifestyle, eating hydrating foods throughout the day and exercising to balance electrolytes – half your bodyweight in ounces should be consumed each day as either water or other hydrating beverages! A good guideline would be drinking at least half your weight in water or other hydrating beverages daily.

As an easy way of checking whether you are properly hydrated, consider the color of your urine. A dark yellow to amber hue indicates dehydration while pale yellow indicates adequate hydration levels.

4. It Keeps You Active

Hydration is essential to overall health and wellbeing, particularly among older adults. According to studies, proper hydration may help slow the aging process while also decreasing risks such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Our bodies contain trillions of cells that require water for structural integrity and proper functioning, so ensuring adequate cell hydration requires daily fluid replacement with enough electrolytes consumed. To maintain cell health and achieve adequate cellular hydration.

Dehydration can occur for various reasons: exercise at high intensity in hot conditions for too long; being sick (fever, vomiting and diarrhea); pregnancy or breast-feeding; as well as other circumstances which require additional fluids intake.

Hydrate before, during, and after exercise to replenish any sweat-induced water loss. Aim to drink one and a half times what was lost through sweat during your workout session.