Not another article about water!

I know, we've all heard this one over and over again. Why is that so? Because it's true! And it really works! There are a billion good reasons why you should immediately start consuming 6-8 glasses per day (that's between 2-3 liters a day). But how many of us really drink enough water? Most people don't.

Apart from 60-70% of your body being composed of water, water has an extensive range of functions essential to life.

Water is a natural appetite suppressant. Lack of water can lead to over eating. Your brain does not differentiate between hunger and thirst. So, when you think you are feeling hungry, your body may in fact be signalling to you that you are thirsty!

How do you know whether you are drinking enough water each day? The average person needs around 6-8 large glasses every day. But if you're overweight, you should drink another eight ounces for every 25 pounds of excess weight you carry. You should also up this if you live in a hot climate or exercise very intensely. And how should you drink the 6-8 glasses per day? The aim is to drink water consistently. If you drink too much all at once or too fast, it will simply pass through you, with little or no benefit to your body. Too busy to count how many glasses a day you drink? There are other ways to calculate if your intake is sufficient. Dark-colored urine often suggest you aren't drinking enough water. Get into the habit by starting a day with a glass of water, have one with every meal and one between meals. Place it on the desk at work in front of you as a constant reminder to sip continuously throughout the day.

Though many decide to increase their water intake, very few stick with it. During the first few days of drinking more water than your body is accustomed to, you're running to the bathroom constantly. This can be very discouraging, and it can certainly interfere with an otherwise normal day at work. It seems that the water is coming out just as fast as it's going in, and many people decide that their new hydration habit is fruitless. What is really happening is that your body is flushing itself of the water it has been storing throughout all those years of "survival mode". It takes a while, but this is a beautiful thing happening to you. As you continue to give your body all the water it could ask for, it gets rid of what it doesn't need. It gets rid of the water it was holding onto in your ankles and your hips and thighs, maybe even around your belly. You are excreting much more than you realize. Your body figures it doesn't need to save these stores anymore; it's trusting that the water will keep coming, and if it does, eventually, the flushing (of both the body and the potty) will cease, allowing the human to return to a normal life. It's true. This is called the "breakthrough point."

When you start drinking enough water regularly, there are great benefits. You may notice your skin significantly improve and even tired muscles will thank you. It flushes out impurities in your skin, leaving you with a clear, glowing complexion. It also makes your skin look younger. Skin that is becoming saggy, either due to aging or weight loss, plumps up very nicely when the skin cells are hydrated. It improves muscle tone. You can lift weights until you're blue in the face, but if your muscles are suffering from a drought, you won't notice a pleasant difference in your appearance. Muscles that have all the water they need contract more easily, making your workout more effective. Many people find their energy is increased and constipation and headaches are reduced, as well as hunger pains.

The body needs a lot of water in order to maintain its daily functions efficiently. In addition, water helps to flush out harmful toxins, as well as prime the body for fat loss.

If you eat right and exercise at the intensity, frequency and duration proper for you, but still can't get rid of a little paunch here and there, you're probably just not drinking enough water.

In fact, the essential place of water in our diet extends to everyone - whether they want to lose weight, gain weight or stay the same weight!

Many people notice a reduction in weight and centimetres, as their body's water store become redundant and so decrease. If your diet has been one that did not provide you with adequate water, your body will have developed a pattern of storing water. It's part of the body's in-built survival mechanism - to store up the essential nutrients in short supply - just in case they aren't available in the future. So if you don't drink enough water, you are 'conditioning' your body to store water. And water is bulk and unwanted centimetres.

Drinking water during exercise reduces cardiovascular stress and improves performance. After a workout, you have to replace the fluids you have lost. Otherwise, you will suffer chronic dehydration. Drink water before, during and after exercising, and remember that water reduces body temperature thus making the whole exercise process safer.

Caffeinated drinks cause the body to lose water. They are what's known as diuretics as they cause your body to dehydrate. You will do your body an enormous favour by cutting back. For every cup of coffee you drink you will need to drink another TWO glasses of water to counter the diuretic effect. Explore the world of herbal teas instead.

One recent finding, as irresponsible as it may be, that caffeine increases the body's fat-burning potential has many people loading up on coffee before going to the gym. This finding may hold some degree of truth in it, but caffeine is, in essence, a diuretic, and diuretics dehydrate. Caffeine may increase the heart rate, causing a few more calories to be burned, but this is at the expense of the muscles, which need water to function properly. This isn't doing your heart any favors, either. It's already working hard enough during your workout. Never mix caffeine and exercise.

Room temperature or cold water, even warm as some people like - whatever you prefer. On the other hand, warmer water is easier to drink in large quantities, and you might drink more of it without even realizing it. But drinking ice cold water has some additional benefits. The body needs to heat up this water in order to be able to use it properly and doing so takes energy, i.e., calories. You can burn 50 to 100 calories a day by drinking one half gallon to a gallon (2-4 liters) of ice cold water per day. Not much? You can drop almost a full pound of fat each month, or 12 pounds per year. Not too bad, if you ask me.

People who find water boring, there are many alternates available. Try a slice of lemon or unsweetened herbal and fruit teas or mixtures of sparkling water and fruit juice. There is also a flavored water. Drinking other fluids will certainly help hydrate your body, but the extra calories, sugar, additives and whatever else aren't what you need. Make sure you read the labels. Remember that you're going to be consuming a lot of this fluid.

If you're serious about becoming leaner and healthier, drinking water is an absolute must. It's so simple!
Try it! You have nothing to lose, except some weight.