Personally, I am terrible at drinking water. Water intake is a constant work in progress for me!
How about you? Do you drink enough water? Do you find it easy?
But, why is water so important – and how do you know if you’re getting enough of it?
Well, 2/3 of our body is made of water and we’re constantly losing it through urine, sweat and breathing – so, it’s important to replenish your supplies!
Water helps keep your digestive system flowing smoothly. It helps lubricate your joints. It helps to regulate your body temperature. It gives your liver and kidneys a helping hand by flushing out waste products. It helps support clear thinking by allowing signals to travel better in your brain and nervous system. It helps dissolve the minerals you eat so your body can use them, and it plays a part in balancing your blood sugars too.
I think that’s quite a compelling list for motivating us to drink enough water!
So, how do you know if you’re dehydrated?
A good test is to think about whether anything in/on your body seems dry – dry hair, dry skin, dry eyes, dry mouth – are all signs you need to drink more water.
Also, if you’re constipated, if your muscles or joints ache or if you have low back pain then increasing your intake is probably a good idea too. If you experience sugar cravings, consider whether dehydration might be playing a part.
How much do we need?
Aim for about 1.5 to 2 litres of water every day.
Try to drink this much even if you’re not thirsty for it. When we’re chronically dehydrated our sense of thirst can dullen and we need to retrain it.
What counts?
Water! Sparkling water counts too but it’s probably not ideal to drink it exclusively.
Herbal / fruit teas do count towards your intake, but caffeinated tea and coffee is a bit of a grey area. Caffeine is a mild diuretic, so it’s probably wise not to rely on caffeinated drinks for hydration.
Because they contain nutrients and calories, and because your body has to adjust its blood sugars to account for their intake, juice and cordial / squash are treated more like a food by your body, and as such ideally shouldn’t count towards your water intake.