Foothills Physical Therapists are here to keep your body healthy and pain-free, but healthy living is a full-time job and begins with your habits. With so many energy drinks and supplements available for athletes and general consumption, many fail to realize the importance of just plain H2O. Understanding water’s vital role in your body, mind, and spirit can help you remember to drink more water.
Water comprises up to 60% of your body; your muscles, blood, organs, and every cell inside you are primarily water. Your body needs water to replenish itself and function properly. Plus, you lose it constantly throughout the day, be it through going to the restroom, breathing, or evaporating from the skin. Water’s uses are numerous: it is needed to form saliva and assist indigestion; it’s required by the brain to manufacture hormones and neurotransmitters; it regulates body temperature; it allows the body’s cells to reproduce and survive; it helps deliver oxygen all over the body; and much more. But the health benefits of water don’t stop there!
Benefits of Drinking Water:
- Increases cognitive function and energy: The brain is about 90% water, so drinking water helps you think more clearly, concentrate, and be more alert – boosting energy levels.
- Promotes weight loss: Drinking water boosts your metabolism and suppresses your appetite. Drinking water regularly also reduces the body’s need to retain water.
- Cures headaches: Water helps relieve and prevent headaches often resulting from dehydration. As experts in physical therapy in Arizona, we commonly see patients suffering from a headache that could be cured by staying hydrated.
- Prevents cramps and sprains: Proper hydration helps keep joints lubricated and muscles more elastic.
- Improves skin complexion: Naturally, drinking water keeps your skin moisturized, soft, and smooth.
- Flushes out toxins: Water is necessary to remove waste from the body through the kidneys and out as urine, in the form of sweat through the pores and the gastrointestinal tract.
- Boosts the immune system: Drinking plenty of water ensures that your blood cells carry plenty of oxygen to all the parts of your body while washing out toxins. You are allowing your body to absorb nutrients and function at its peak.
- Improves mood: Mild dehydration can alter a person’s mood, energy level, and mental clarity. Staying hydrated ensures your body and mind feel refreshed and ready for the day!
Are you having trouble making regular hydration a habit? Buy a water filter for your home faucet or refrigerator. Invest in a glass, metal, or BPA-free plastic water bottle to take with you. Try setting reminders for yourself on your phone or at work to drink water throughout the day. Keep track of how much water you drink and assess if you need to drink more.
Take care and drink to your health! For some of your most basic health needs, there’s water. For everything else, see your AZ physical therapy professionals at Foothills Sports Medicine!
