Drinking water -- hot or cold, plain or infused with fruits -- can help keep you hydrated. It is a vital part of digesting, absorbing and transporting nutrients, which is crucial for good overall physical and mental health. Ignoring that fact can make you sick.
Easy Ways to Drink More Water Every Day
Another important benefit of H2O is weight management. Replacing a high calorie or higher sugar drinks -- such fruit juice or coffee with cream -- with water can help. Studies have shown that people who drink more water every day maintain the same healthy weight and lose extra pounds. Water intake is linked to an increase in the number of calories the body burns while it's resting.
About 80 percent of the human body is water. People are dehydrated when it has lost more fluid than it's taken in, usually about 2 percent, resulting in not having enough water to allow it to perform at optimal level.
How much water a person needs depends on his or her physical activities, sweat rate, size and weight. The "eight glasses a day" rule is too generic. The best indicator is urine. It should be clear or light-colored. Dark-colored urine is a sign of dehydration.
Don't wait to drink H2O only when you're thirsty. You are already missing more water volume that you should by then. Reminding yourself that you need more water when you feel perfectly fine is tricky but not impossible. Forming a new habit takes discipline and a few weeks.
- Hristina Byrnes, The Active Times