3 Free Ways That Water Supercharges Your Health
We are born with as much as 80% of water in our bodies. However as we age this water content reduces to as little as 45% by old age. That is a 35% decrease, in a 60kg person this is a loss of up to 17kg of water content! Staying hydrated throughout our lives is one of the most effective ways to maintain health. The first 4 episodes of my Season 1 Healthy Foundations podcast explores the role of water in our health in detail. Here are 3 ways that water supercharges your health:
- Water is part of every chain of biochemical processes – Every biochemical series of processes in our bodies requires water, using chemical reactions which add water to bring together molecules or break apart molecules often releasing or splitting water. Being sufficiently hydrated just makes it easier for our bodies to work, and this naturally increases energy. Often instead of drinking a cup of coffee or tea to stimulate you, try drinking a few glasses of water!
- Water prevents constipation – When we are dehydrated our colons hold onto our faeces to extract water. This is why people often have pebble like faeces and find it difficult to expel their stools. Drinking sufficient water prevents this emergency measure constipating you. This leaves our bowels clear and as a result the blood transporting our food to the liver is cleaner. This gives us cleaner blood and less pressure on our livers and kidneys. This is a natural easy way to supercharge your health.
- Hydration prevents high blood pressure – Our cardiovascular systems increase tension when blood pressure falls to ensure that sufficient blood passes through the kidneys. This is called the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldesterone mechanism and it works to maintain blood flow through the kidneys. When we are dehydrated, blood volume is reduced and this requires tension to raise blood pressure as an emergency measure. Heart rate is raised and tension increases. Drinking sufficient water increases blood volume and allows the body to stop its hypertensive emergency measures. This is another simple way to supercharge your health.
Keeping hydrated is perhaps the most effective, simple, free and natural way you can supercharge your health. Click on this link to listen to the podcasts – there is a lot more in them.