Water. One of the most everyday, normal substances on the planet and yet without it we’d be in serious trouble.
As a mom I know that water is important and I’m always telling my children to drink up but you’re more likely to find me with a mug of tea in my hand than a water bottle. Like many of my mommy friends, I’m great at taking care of my kids but tend to be less concerned with my own health. It’s bad I know so I’ve decided to do some digging and find out more about this miracle substance to back up my mommy-sense and convince myself I should make more of an effort for my own health’s sake.
What’s in it for me?
We are made up of 60% water! It makes sense when you see how much of our bodily functions involve fluid. The water in your body transports nutrients, is involved in digestion, circulation, temperature control, saliva production and absorption. Without it your body can’t function properly and by drinking more water you help to keep the balance of fluid as it should be.
Water helps keep your skin looking good. If you’re dehydrated, your skin will become dry and wrinkled which is never a particularly great look. The water you drink keeps your kidneys functioning properly and their primary role is to remove toxins from your body. When your fluid levels are low, your muscles don’t function as well as they can. It’s also important to bare in mind that when using your muscles and doing physical activities you are losing more fluid through sweat.
How much do I need?
Popular thinking is that you need to drink around 8 eight ounce glasses of water a day. That’s about 1.9 litres of fluid. This can vary depending on who you talk to (and on whether you’re in a hot climate or not) but the general consensus seems to be if you’re thirsty, drink! According to the Mayo Clinic, the Institute of Medicine says that the adequate intact for an adult man is closer to 3 litres a day and for a woman 2.2 litres a day.
When it comes to what to drink, water of course is first prize but this isn’t your only option. According to a study conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) the presence of caffeine in drinks has no significant effect on hydration level. That means coffee and tea count as part of your 1.9 litres a day! (cue Happy dance!) Food can also contribute towards your daily fluid intact.
Starting a good habit
This is all good and helpful to know but as we all know, information alone doesn’t change much, you need to apply it, in order for it to have some effect. Here are a few ideas to help boost your intake and make drinking enough water part of your daily routine.
- If you work at a desk, have a bottle of water on your desk. If you’re out and about keep a bottle in your bag. It’s easier to make sure you drink water, if you have water where you are. If you have to go looking for it, you’re less likely to drink it.
- If you struggle to drink water in it’s natural form you can get a bit creative by adding things to it to make it more palatable. Try adding fruit slices like oranges, lemons or berries. Herbs like mint also make a nice addition and fizzy bubbles may also help keep things interesting.
- Try setting yourself a drinking schedule. Maybe have a glass of water at the start of every hour, or every time you go to the toilet take a detour and top up with a glass of water at the same time. If you tie your drinking to something that happens as part of your usual routine, your routine will automatically act as a reminder to grab a drink.
- At the start of every meal drink a glass of water before you eat. That way you won’t eat more than your body needs and you’ll get your water in before you’re too full – double bonus!
- Keep a glass of water by your bed. First thing in the morning before you do anything else, have a drink. Don’t forget to put a glass there before you go to bed the night before.
The best way to increase your water intake is to make it a habit. So which every way you decide to boost your consumption, find something that will fit into your daily schedule and is easy to maintain. It’s probably not going to help completely changing your lifestyle because you won’t stick at it and will most likely only end up feeling defeated in the process.
As moms, it’s very easy to put everyone else first and neglect our own health, but we’re really very little use if we’re not healthy and taking care of ourselves. Our bodies have been wonderfully designed by God but unless put the right things in, we make it difficult for them to function as they should. Our families need us to be around and functioning, because if ‘Mama’s doing ok, everyone’s doing ok’, so look after yourself Mama, you’re a valuable and vital part of your family.