I was very hesitant to post about the value of drinking water since it seems so obvious. But despite the so-called obviousness of the benefits of drinking water, so many people push on through their busy days without ever having a single glass, instead opting for coffee, soda, and other unhealthy beverages. The benefits of drinking water are numerous. For many years, I was a coffee addict and I would drink unreasonable amounts of coffee each morning. Upon the advice of my doctor, I slowly replaced my coffee with glasses of cold water. The benefits quickly became clear. I felt better in the mornings and throughout the day. I generally felt healthier. Now, if I go a morning without getting my usual intake, I just don't feel as good. I get tired more easily and my body just seems to drag. Drinking a few glasses of water each morning is simple and easy and the effects will be felt almost immediately.
The Diet Channel reports several benefits of increasing water consumption:
"1. Drinking water enhances fat loss
Water is an essential nutrient. All chemical reactions in the body depend upon it. If you’re trying to lose weight, this can’t be ignored. You won’t be able to lose weight without water to flush out the by-products of fat breakdown. When there isn’t enough water to dilute the body’s waste products, kidney stones may form. When the kidneys aren’t working to their full potential, the liver must step in and help. Once this happens the liver can’t optimally perform its other important functions. As a result, burning fat has to wait.
2. Combat ailments by drinking more water
In many cases, fatigue, headaches and back pain may be caused by dehydration. If you suffer from an afternoon nod off, try drinking more water at lunch. If you or your children complain of frequent headaches, the amount of water you’re drinking could be responsible. And, muscle spasms are also caused by not being adequately hydrated.
3. Drinking water can reduce hunger
Experts say that hunger pangs are often misinterpreted cravings for water. Try drinking water before your regular meals and see if it helps you cut down on the amount of food you eat. It really works as an effective appetite suppressant. Avoid counting tea, coffee, sodas and juices in your fluid intake. Coffee and tea contain caffeine which has a diuretic effect and makes you lose water. Sodas and juices are too sweet—because the body must dilute them, they cause more dehydration.
4. Look younger - drinking water hydrates your skin
When the skin is properly hydrated, it looks plump and more radiant. Water will keep the toxins flushed out and help you to cool off through perspiration. Muscles need to have enough water to make them look full too. Deprive yourself of water and you’ll see the difference in the mirror."
The magazine, Chow, also reports the following:
"It’s true that when you drink ice water, your body uses energy (calories) to raise the liquid’s temperature to body temperature. But not very much.
Roger Clemens, DrPH (doctor of public health) in nutrition and biological chemistry, and associate director of regulatory science at the USC School of Pharmacy, walked us through the math. For the sake of simplicity, he didn’t take thermodynamics into account, which would change the numbers very slightly.
You have an 8-ounce glass of ice-cold water in front of you. That’s about 240 grams of water.
When you drink the ice water, which is roughly 4 degrees Celsius, your body will expend calories to bring it to body temperature, which is about 37.5 degrees Celsius; that’s a difference of 33.5 degrees. To raise 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius, 1 calorie is expended. (This is a “little” calorie—what scientists use to measure small units of energy. The calories we refer to colloquially are actually 1,000 of these and are known as kilocalories in the science world.)
Raising 240 grams of water by 33.5 degrees Celsius will take 33.5 calories x 240 grams of water, which equals 8,040 little calories.
Dividing 8,040 by 1,000 gives us 8.04 food calories (kilocalories). Therefore, you’ll burn about 8 calories for each glass of iced calorie-free beverage you drink. That’s equal to about one Life Saver: not exactly a weight-loss miracle."
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