Drink Your Water (Here’s Why)

Water is essential to all life on the planet and is vital for nearly every metabolic function in the human body.  Water makes up a large part of the body by volume and weight. The average human is approximately 65% water.

Water is a vital component in the body for:

• Supporting the excretion of metabolic wastes via the sweat, urine and stool
• Tissue health and protection such as a shock absorber, tissue and joint lubrication
• Assisting in the digestion of food and nutrients
• Temperature control
• Assisting in transportation of nutrients to cells
• Keeping all bodily fluids liquid to allow easy transportation
• Moisture for all tissues including the skin, eyes, brain, joints and all organs

From this list above you can see why it is so vital to ensure adequate hydration to support your health and vitality. Being sub-optimally hydrated has its consequences on your energy levels, mood, health and well-being. It is estimated that 70% of the adult population in the US is mildly dehydrated.

Water needs can vary considerably for each individual and this can depend on many factors such as hormones, sodium intake, electrolyte status, calorie intake, climate, physical activity, age, weight, gender, physical stress and emotional stress.

We lose fluid continuously throughout the day from skin evaporation, breathing, urine and stool output. It is estimated that the average adult loses approximately 64oz/2 Litres per day from these normal bodily functions and this amount may be more. When your water intake is less than your output via these routes you then can become dehydrated. Dehydration can cause fatigue, poor concentration, headaches, mood changes, dry lips and mouth, dark coloured urine and in more serious cases confusion, weakness and hallucinations.

Greater fluid intakes are important when in warmer climates, during exercise, in high altitudes, pregnancy, and lactation and in cases of excess fluid loss such as diarrhea and vomiting.

We highly recommend consuming adequate fluids  during a reboot to reduce symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, fatigue. We need the extra fluid to assist in the cleansing processes and ensure the adequate disposal of these wastes via the sweat, stool and urine. Drinking enough pure water on its own supports our natural ability to detoxify.

We always recommend consuming 16oz of coconut along with 48oz of other hydrating fluids such as filtered water, herbal tea and vegetable broth. We highly recommend at least 4-6 glasses of just pure water each day as a minimum.

It is also very important to understand that you can over hydrate yourself (hyponatraemic) and this can cause a depletion of electrolytes in the tissues which can have serious side-effects. Although this is a rare occurrence.

The ideal colour of your urine to establish your level of hydration is a clear to very light straw colour. This shows the dilution of your urine waste metabolites.

So remember – it is so important to consume the recommended amounts of fluids during your Reboot. Many studies indicate that adequate hydration supports weight loss by supporting overall reduced calorie intake, metabolic function, health and general well-being. It is important to understand that by the time you feel thirsty, then you have already lost around 2% of your body’s water. Mental performance, physical coordination and energy levels start to become impaired before thirst kicks in, typically around 1-2% dehydration. So drink up!

If you don’t like the taste of plain water you can enhance the taste naturally with these simple recipes!