In this week’s blog, we are going to go over the importance of drinking water and staying hydrated. 

If there is one thing every physician, nutritionist, dietician and fitness guru can all agree upon, it is how crucial drinking enough water and being hydrated is to maintaining optimal health. 

 Before we get into the real important facts, let’s first talk about what happens when you do not drink enough water. 

Here are a few of the side effects:  

1. Persistent headaches. 
2. Sluggish bowel function. 
3. Dull skin 
4. Fatigue 
5. Weight gain 
6. Dry mouth 
7. Muscle cramps and poor exercise performance 

Now let’s get into the good stuff.  Here are some benefits to drinking enough water and staying hydrated:  

1. Increases energy and relieves fatigue.  Since your brain is mostly water, drinking it helps you think, focus, and concentrate better and be more alert. 
2. Promotes weight loss. 
3. Flushes out toxins. 
4. Improves skin complexion. 
5. Maintains regularity. 
6. Improved exercise performance. 
7. Improved teeth and gum health. 
8. Studies have also shown being hydrated can help with feeling less hungry. 

Finally, one of the biggest questions we get about drinking enough water and staying hydrated is how much water is enough? 

The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men and about 11.5 (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women. 

Another way to calculate how much to drink based on your weight can be found by taking between half an ounce and an ounce of water for each pound you weigh, every day.  For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, that would be 75 to 150 ounces of water a day. 

 I hope you all found this information to be very clear cut and helpful.   

 Be sure to check in again for a very important and informative blog on diabetes. Be well!