I’m sure you’ve heard how important hydration is for your health and wellness. This is one of the easiest ways we can improve our fitness and health on a day-to-day basis with very minimal changes.
How Does Drinking Water Help You Manage Weight?
Drinking water doesn’t directly affect your weight. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t important when you’re looking to manage your weight.
Drinking more water can help in a number of different ways:
- Water intake reduces your appetite: The hormones that create the feeling of hunger are very similar to those that signal thirst. By keeping yourself hydrated, you can reduce your hunger and cravings, leading to fewer calories consumed overall.
- Drinking more water reduces the intake of calorie-dense beverages: When you drink more water, you’re likely to consume fewer beverages with calories like soda, alcohol, or specialty coffees (which can be loaded with calories).
- Staying hydrated keeps your body functioning optimally: Proper hydration helps with nutrient transport, digestion, and energy production. This not only aids mental clarity but also helps with post-activity recovery and allows you to work harder in the gym.
Drinking Water to Get Rid of Water Retention
Water weight and water retention can directly affect your weight. Your body can retain more water for several reasons. These include consuming higher amounts of sodium, eating more carbohydrates, lacking in physical activity, different times of the menstrual cycle, or as a result of certain medications.
You can reduce water retention by staying active and watching what you eat. To further reduce the amount of water retained, you’d actually want to increase your water intake. While that might seem counterproductive, dehydration will cause your body to hold onto water. Drinking water allows you to flush your system.
How Much Water Should You Drink?
Now – this doesn’t mean you have to drink so much you become Hydro-Man… Ideally, most men should consume about 3 litres of water daily. On the other hand, women should aim for roughly 2 litres. Including electrolytes throughout the day is also important to ensure the water you’re consuming isn’t just being flushed.
While drinking water doesn’t directly affect your ability to drop body fat, it can certainly help in a lot of indirect ways. Don’t sleep on the power of being hydrated when you’re working towards your fitness goals!
Author: Rich Hill, Trainer at RK Athletics
