Are You Drinking Enough Water to Support Your Fitness Goals?
What is ONE easy way to help burn fat, aid overall health, decrease risk for injury, and increase performance? Water intake. Yes, the answer is pretty simple. Are you drinking enough water? Probably not. So let’s dive into the facts about adequate water intake and its benefits.
How Much Water Is Enough?
In 2005-2010, U.S. youth drank an average of 15 ounces of water on a given day and adults only about 39 ounces. You may be thinking, “that cannot be right, I definitely drink more water than that!” You may be right, but do you get enough water per day? The recommended water intake per day is about half an ounce to an ounce per pound of your body weight. Active people are going to be on the higher end of the spectrum verses those that live a more sedentary lifestyle. However, this still puts the minimum amount of water at a much higher level than the current average intake. Here’s just some of the benefits you will experience by upping your water intake:
- Lessen migraines and headaches – a lot of what causes these is dehydration because your brain is made up of mostly water!
- Improve mental clarity and focus
- Flush out toxins
- Boost your immune system by making sure you are producing enough blood cells
- Keep your skin healthy and clear (Best anti-aging agent EVER!)
- Allows for better recovery
- Better performance in workouts
- Increase fat burn
It’s clear to see the importance of adequate water intake and its role in helping you reach your goals. But, you may be thinking, “I can’t drink that much water in a day.” Some simple steps to help you with that is to have a water bottle with you wherever you go, including one at work and one in your car. Another step is to set an alarm on your phone to remind you to drink water. Lastly, you could swap out a soda or coffee drink for water instead.
A lack of water may just be the limiting factor in reaching your goals – so drink up! Just make sure you are also filtering your water and drinking it out of a good stainless steel or glass bottle. If you need a little extra flavor, try adding a wedge of lemon or lime to change it up.