Wonders of Water

In today’s blog post I will be talking about 3 advantages of water that I feel you should be aware of. You may already know that water is the essential factor of life. Without it living things cannot grow and develop. I find it tragic how most of the people drink water only when they recognized the need for it (being thirsty) but actually water should be drank much more often than that. There are many advantages we get from water such as: it allows you body to function properly, it prevents cancer, helps in losing weight, prevent headaches, contributing to digestive system, improving our circulation, makes our skin soft… and many more. However, If I were to talk about all the advantages of water this blog post would be enormous and improper for my project. I selected the three interesting facts about water on which this blog post will focus: effects on human brain, contributing to losing weight and maintaining healthy skin.

The Effects Of Water On Human Brain

youIt is very important to always stay hydrated, don’t wait for the last-minute to go get a refreshing glass of water. Your brain needs it to function properly!  Don’t forget that brain is on of the two most vital organs, without it an individual cannot function. Brain has a role to conduct the physical and psychological functions and send them throughout the nerves. Brain cells cannot operate without a balance between water and other elements that make up a cell². When there is not enough water in the cell the balance is destroyed². Therefore, the brain cannot function. There are certain symptoms that occur when the brain is not operating delicately because of the lack of water in the cells. You will feel dehydrated, exhausted, thirsty, lose focus, reduce the capacity to think clearly, the headaches will begin and in the worst case an individual will die¹. No wonder the water is called the source of life. To prevent these consequences from occurring it is recommended to drink an appropriate amount of water according to your gender, age, weight and height. Here is a website where you can do your calculation: http://www.camelbak.com/ko/HydratED/HydrationCalculator.aspx

Losing Weight

For all you girls struggling with losing weight, here is a benefit of water that will help you in your journey. To understand how water contributes to the process of losing weight you have to know that water is the outcome of hydrogen and oxygen (H2O) these are the two essential elements for life¹. Since our cells cannot function without H2O, neither can the rest of our body. Drinking water burns your calories because it increases the resting energy expenditure¹. Resting Energy Expenditure is the rate at which you burn calories when you are not exercising, but resting³. Studies have shown that 60-75% of calories burned on a daily bases are due to the Resting Energy Expenditure³. Adding on to your usual exercises, even small ones such as standing instead of sitting can go a long way. Isn’t it cool that by drinking more than enough water increases your Resting Energy Expenditure, therefore you don’t even have to exercise as much. All of these and a balanced diet (that you can read in my previous blog post) are factors that contribute to a person losing weight¹. 

Healthy Skin

The last thing that I am going to talk about, is how water improves the quality of your skin.   Our skin is an organ made up of cells and they require water to function¹. The moment you deprive your skin cells of water it will turn dry, tight and flaky¹. Tight skin is more prone to wrinkling than healthy elastic skin⁴. To provide your skin cells with enough water, you have to drink more than your body asks for because a only a small fraction of the water you take in goes into skin cells and the rest primarily spreads out to other organs in your body⁴. The larger the mass of your body the more water you should take in. 

DIY Fruity Water

                                                                          Source

Refreshing Fruity Water is just what you need in order to make yourself get used to drinking water regularly. If you have difficulties drinking water on its own and you need a flavor to spice it up, try this interesting DIY and I promise you’ll get used to drinking fruity-water in no time.

Ingredients:

1. Fruit of your choice
2. Water
3. Ice

Preparation process: You need to slice the fruits or vegetables of your choice and put it in a jar. Add some smashed ice and water to it and your drink is ready. I recommend you use a big jar where you can store a large amount of your drink. When you are done using it put it in the fridge until the next use.

This delicious and refreshing drink is very rich in vitamins and minerals depending on the type of fruit you decided to put in. Most importantly, you will get the right amount of water needed for a proper function.

Sources:

1. My mom, she is a pharmacist and she finished her master studies in the field of medicine.
2. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/you-illuminated/201010/why-your-brain-needs-water
3. http://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/exercise-and-weight-loss-the-importance-of-resting-energy-expenditure
4. http://www.uwhealth.org/madison-plastic-surgery/the-benefits-of-drinking-water-for-your-skin/26334