My roommate recently told me that she doesn’t like water. Yeah, you heard me right. She just doesn’t like it. The thought of this baffled me because I drink so much water. I might as well be a mermaid…a girl can dream right? Anyway, this conversation with my roommate got me thinking. Water does so many amazing things for us. It is the purest essence of life. Our planet is made of it. We are 70% water people. We need to start start acting like it. Sugary sodas have taken over America’s diet and water is left behind. If you get anything out of this article, I want you all to at least drink a glass of water after reading this. When I tell you that drinking water makes you more awesome, I’m not lying. After just a week of drinking water daily, you will notice a difference in your health, energy levels and mood.
But how much do I need to drink to become awesome?
Drinking the right amount of water has been an age-old debate.
Many say you have to drink eight cups a day to be properly hydrated. Some say to drink the same amount of fluid ounces per day as your weight. Some say drink water right as you get up.
Stop listening to them. The thing about water consumption is that it’s different for everyone. Your weight, height and gender can effect how much water you need. Here’s my tip: as long as you are drinking water every two hours, you will stay hydrated.
Now that you know how much water to drink, we can talk about the ways that drinking enough water can make you an awesome person and some problems you can solve by staying properly hydrated.
- Headache? You need to drink more water. Put down the Advil and pick up a glass of water to cure any headache. One of the main sources of headaches is dehydration. If you feel a headache coming on, fill up a full glass of room temperature water (not cold) and chug. If the headache doesn’t go away after 10 minutes, try drinking another glass. If that doesn’t solve it, then grab the meds.
- Tired? Another main symptom of dehydration is tiredness. Do you find yourself struggling to keep your eyes open, even after a cup of coffee? You need more water. Like the headache, if you feel a surge of sleepiness hit you, grab yourself a large glass of water and chug away.
- Stressed? Are you feeling swamped by finals coming up? Heat up a glass of water and drink it like tea. The warm water can calm down anything stressing you out
- Water can help you lose weight. Water speeds up your metabolism and can curb appetite cravings. Before a meal, drink a large glass of water and see how much less you will eat. Keep it up and you can significantly decrease snack cravings.
- It keeps you moving… you know, digestive-wise. No explanation needed, water just keeps things moving like they are supposed to.
- Water can actually improve your mood. Even mild dehydration can put you in a bad mood. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, your body could be telling you something.
- Water will literally kill your hangover. Alcohol is a diuretic (that means it makes you pee more). That ringing headache you get when you wake up after a night of drinking is because you’re dehydrated. If you want to look like a queen after a night of drinking, you have to hydrate. Drink some water at the bar. no one will judge you for drinking water! Before you go out put a water bottle on your bedside table. When you get home drink the whole thing before you go to bed.
- You can make it delicious. If water isn’t your thing, flavor it! Add fresh fruit like strawberries, pineapple or limes. This way you get flavor without the sugars of soda and juice.
Drink more water, Biebs.