HYDRATION | Healing Habits Week 2

Welcome to Week 2 of our Healing Habits Campaign! How was week 1 for you? Were you able to figure out what bad habits you wanted to STOP and what habits you wanted to START? Let us know in the comments below!

This week, we’re focusing on something simple to do, yet many of us find challenging and that is staying HYDRATED.

Did you know that the human body is made of up roughly 60% water? That means we need to maintain that! If you’re thirsty, that means you’re already getting dehydrated.

Below are 7 proven health benefits of staying hydrated, as found on Healthline.com

1. Helps maintain and maximize physical performance
   • This is especially important during exercise (like high intensity) and high heat, like summer time! As Healthline states, when you lose too much body water content (aka dehydration), “This can lead to altered body temperature control, reduced motivation, increased fatigue and make exercise feel much more difficult, both physically and mentally”
2. Major effects on energy levels and brain function
   • Many studies have shown that the brain is easily effected when the body is dehydrated. A person can have issues with memory loss (even just short-term), decreased mood, increased fatigue and anxiety, and even loss of motor function!
3. Helps prevent and treat headaches
   • Lack of water can actually trigger headaches and even migraines for some people. Sometime as simple as drinking some water can help alleviate these symptoms
4. Water can help relieve constipation
   • Not exactly something people talk about but it’s so important for your body to get rid of waste and toxins. Water can help loosen things up, so to speak, and make it easier to pass that tummy ache along.
5. May help treat kidney stones
   • Not only treat, but can also prevent! The kidneys act as a filter for our body and if they’re not getting water through them, kidney stones can form. Therefore, drinking water can help prevent them! But in the case that they do form, water can help pass them along
6. Helps prevent hangovers!
   • Many people may not be aware of this, but alcohol can actually make you dehydrated since it acts as a diuretic aka makes you pee! Especially those sugary cocktails. The more sugar, the worse the hangover headache! So if you choose to drink, make sure a few of those are water in between
7. Water can help with weight loss!
   • There’s a myth that drinking more water makes you gain weight. That’s only very partially true. As in, immediately after you drink a few glasses! But as water goes through your body’s systems and does all of the wonderful things it’s supposed to, it can actually increase your metabolism by 24-30% (healthline.com).

So to sum this all up, drink you water!

Throughout this week, we’ll be sharing on our social media some tips and tricks to staying hydrated. Stay tuned!