Why You Should Stay Hydrated All Year Long
By Sara Butler
In the summer, it may be easier to understand why staying hydrated is important since the warm temperatures can cause dangerous heat illness that can be life-threatening. But you don’t need to just stay hydrated in the summer. There are benefits to making sure your body has enough water all the time. Here are a few reasons why it’s important to make hydration a priority year-round.
Muscle Function
Your muscles are made up mostly of water, about 70 percent! Just a small loss of fluid in your muscles can impair their function. On top of that, the nerves that control your muscle use electrical stimulation to contract your muscles. This is done via a complex exchange of electrolytes in water that crosses the membranes from the nerve cell to the muscle cell. If you don’t have enough water, and therefore your nerves and muscles don’t have enough electrolytes, then this can make your muscles weak and difficult to control. You may not think this is that big of a deal, but keep in mind your heart is a muscle, and if it’s not working right there, can be serious consequences to your health. Serious!
Toxin Removal
Your liver and kidneys are built-in toxin removers. There are many substances produced in your body that need to be removed via your liver and kidneys and water is the conduit to help that occur more effectively and efficiently. The more water in your system, the faster toxins will leave your body.
Your Brain on Water
If you want to keep your mind sharp you'll need water to help you do it. If you don’t drink enough water, it will impact the performance of your brain. It can impact your short-term memory, ability to do math and even your ability to visually track things. So, stay sharp by staying hydrated.
Your Plan
It would be nice if getting enough water every day was easy for everyone to do, but you really need to come up with a plan to have enough water on hand over the course of the day in order to make it happen. Have a dedicated water bottle available for you to drink from at all times. Make it a priority to drink when you get up in the morning, before lunch, in the mid afternoon and again before dinner. This way, getting in half your body weight in ounces of water per day is easy to do. Well, easier!