When I wrote my eBook Kinda Crunchy, I included “drink more water” as a self-care baby step because the majority of us don’t drink enough.
Aside from the fact that our body is 100% dependent on water, the benefits of drinking water are astounding. So incredible, that instead of being a New Year’s resolution or a means to losing weight, drinking more water on a daily basis should be an intentional act.
I’ve figured out the one trick to drinking more water too – a water bottle! (Do you like the orange one pictured above? For a few days, you can get one for just $5!)
Go ahead and scroll down and take advantage of this incredible offer now, I’m not going to stop you! But I do want to take a moment to explain the “why” behind the importance of drinking water.
The Benefits of Drinking Water
According to this study from 2012, dehydration can affect the neuromuscular system (how the brain controls the muscle). Dehydration is also known to increase DNA damage during exercise due to exhaustion.
A medical study from 2007 claims that,
A decrease in body water from normal levels (often referred to as dehydration or hypohydration) provokes changes in cardiovascular, thermoregulatory, metabolic, and central nervous function that become increasingly greater as dehydration worsens.
There are many common benefits of drinking water, like improved digestion (and reduced constipation), better skin and a lower risk of cancer. But more specifically, here’s how your body uses water:
- Brain: for memory, mood, motivation, problem-solving and creating hormones and neurotransmitters (i.e. telling the body what to do)
- Mouth: for moisture, prevents bad breath and off-tastes, prevents cavities and forms saliva for digestion
- Heart: lowers blood pressure, provides oxygen to cells making daily activities easier
- Blood: allows the body to release heat at the skin’s surface (i.e. temperature regulation)
- Limbs: lubricates joints, allows nutrients to reach the cells and waste to be removed for better performance
- Skin: provides elasticity (which is different than dry skin)
- Kidneys: filters waste from the blood, prevents urinary tract infections and kidney stones, prevents the build-up of toxins in the body
So then, what happens when we don’t drink enough water? All of these things don’t happen the way they should. Like a car needs gas to run, our bodies need water to operate. Without water, we simply cannot and do not function well.
Keeping my water bottle filled up and nearby helps me stay hydrated so my body can perform at its best.
How Much Water Should You Drink?
There are lots of rules and myths floating around, answering the age-old question of “how much water should I drink?” The most popular answer is the 8×8 rule, which says you have to drink 8-8oz glasses of water each day. This isn’t true though, and the American Journal of Physiology found no scientific studies conducted to support the 8×8 recommendation.
What about the rule that every day, you should drink half of your total body weight, in ounces? This isn’t true either, and this study from 2010 reminds us that we get water from food as well (especially fruits and vegetables). By default, eating produce would reduce the amount of water we would actually need to drink.
On top of this, there’s the thought that anytime you have sugar, salt, alcohol or caffeine, it nullifies some of the water you consume. According to this myth, you would have to drink more water to compensate – on top of what you’re already drinking – equivalent to the sugar/salt/alcohol/caffeine you’re taking in. (Although this isn’t entirely true, it’s not far off.)
Myths are just that though – widely held but false beliefs. Researchers at Oxford University claim that all the “rules” on drinking enough water are flawed, that despite the good intentions, there’s really no adequate way to measure hydration status.
There are simply too many variables that contribute to dehydration to be able to consistently measure it from person to person.
In the end, there are very clear benefits of drinking water. It’s what our body is built upon and every major (and minor) function of the body is dependent on it.
But if scientists and doctors can’t tell us exactly how much water to drink, how do we know we’re drinking enough?
The best way and quite possibly the easiest way to do that, is to listen to our bodies and use common sense.
- What’s the color of your urine? If it’s darker than pale lemonade, drink water.
- Are you thirsty? Drink water.
- Have you not used the restroom much today? Drink water.
- Are you sweating more because of heat or exercise? Drink water.
- Are you pregnant or nursing? Drink water.
- Does your birthday classify you as a senior citizen? Drink water.
- Are you sick? Vomiting? Have diarrhea? Drink water.
- Do you tend to eat more processed foods and less fresh produce? Drink water.
- Feeling moody and not sure why? Drink water.
I have a personal goal of filling up and drinking my water bottle twice every day. The bottle is super convenient of course, but it’s also an easy way to track how much water I’ve had versus how much I need to drink. And I’ve definitely noticed a difference when I don’t reach my goal every day.
How to Drink More Water (and Make it Taste Good)
The two biggest issues people have when it comes to drinking water is viability and taste.
For some, they’re legitimately trying to drink more water but can’t seem to do it. There’s coffee in the morning, water for lunch and dinner but no time in the middle to chug big glasses just to meet a quota.
For others, it’s the taste. Plain water is very – well, plain – and not everyone’s taste buds enjoy this.
Regardless of the reason why you don’t drink enough water, I have a solution: get a water bottle.
Earlier this year I bought myself a water bottle. It’s made of glass, has a silicone wrap around it (in case I drop it) and is dishwasher safe.
And wouldn’t you know, I take it everywhere I go. Suddenly I’m drinking more water.
Rocket science? Miracle bottle? Mind games? No.
Now that I have a water bottle, I drink more water because I:
- Invested in my health – I can’t justify the expense of a nice water bottle and then not use it
- Bought a water bottle I knew I’d love and enjoy drinking out of
- Have no excuse not to have water with me when I’m out running errands
- Can track how much water I’m drinking as the day goes on
- I know the bottle is MINE – I’m not getting my glass mixed up with anyone else’s
- Enjoy not tasting the plastic-y or metal-y taste that you can get from other bottles
- Can flavor the water naturally with herbs, fruits and vegetables to make it even easier to drink more (more on this below)
The Benefits of Drinking Water for a Fraction of the Price
MightyNest is a family-owned online store who makes it their mission to take the guess work out of healthy living products by stocking only the very best environmentally friendly products. They’re helping families make sustainable and non-toxic living a reality through their MightyFix program.
When you become a member of the MightyFix, you get a tried-and-true product delivered to your door every month. Every month it’s something new, and every month you can make a practical change you can make in your home without being overwhelmed. Since the items in the MightyFix are worth more (usually a lot more) than the nominal $10 monthly fee, you’re saving money every month too!
When I started this program, my goal was to replace plastic baggies with re-usable (and dishwasher-safe) Lunchskins. I did it!
We’ve partnered again with MightyNest and this time we’re making “drinking more water” something you can do on a daily basis with a Lifefactory water bottle for just $5. SO much better than a plastic water bottle,
- These glass bottles offer a pure taste with no leaching from plastics or metals
- Wide-mouth access makes it easy to add ice cubes, citrus slices or tea bags
- Protective silicone sleeve provides a non-slip gripping surface and helps prevent breakage
- Dishwasher safe (place cap on top rack/no need to remove silicone sleeve)
- Product assembled in the U.S.
- BPA/BPS-free and phthalate-free
Plus you won’t be filling up landfills with icky plastic. Did you know that plastic never goes away? It can be made into something else, but the material itself will not ever disintegrate!
Valued at $17.99, the Lifefactory water bottle can help keep you hydrated all day, and it’s yours for just $5 when sign up for their MightyFix program before November 15, 2016! That’s a savings of over 70%!
How to Get Your Lifefactory Water Bottle for $5
Here’s how you can reap the benefits of drinking water and get a Lifefactory water bottle as your first fix:
- Join the MightyFix here. By clicking this special link, the Lifefactory water bottle will automatically be in your cart and the discount will already be applied. There is nothing to do once you click this link other than hit the orange button that says “sign up!”.
- Once you sign up, you’ll get your Lifefactory water bottle – and be equipped to drink more water – delivered to your door within a week!
Note: This offer is for new MightyFix users only and shipping to Canada and Australia is available. Please see the FAQ section on the MightFix page here.
As if a $5 water bottle wasn’t enough, there are other great perks to joining the MightyFix too:
Free Shipping
Your MightyFix always ships free, but so does anything else you add to your order.
There are 2000+ products in their store, so if you are in the market for natural feminine products, upgrading your storage to glass containers or out of natural deodorant, simply add them to your order and the whole thing ships free.
School Fundraising
15% of your $10 MightyFix goes to a school of your choice – every month. If you add more items to your cart, 15% of those goes to the school too.
No Commitment
I like the idea of having a surprise show up at my door every month, knowing that it will help me reach my healthy living goals AND knowing I got it for WAY LESS than if I had bought it the store. But if for whatever reason you have to cancel your MightyFix, you can without penalty. There is no minimum subscription period and no charge to cancel.
27 Ways to Flavor Water
Inside every MightyFix item comes a notecard with ideas to help you implement the item into your home. The BeesWrap comes with a jam recipe while the dryer balls come with stain remover and laundry detergent recipes. The Lifefactory water bottle comes with 27 different ways to flavor your water naturally. I’ve tried the cucumber basil and cilantro lime flavors and they’re so good!
Ready to reap the benefits of drinking water with your own Lifefactory water bottle? Here’s how you can join the MightyFix today:
- Click this special link before November 15, 2016 and then click on the orange button that says “sign up!”.
- Verify that the “MightyFix – 1st Month Lifefactory Water Bottle” is already in your cart and the discount has already been applied.
- Expect your Lifefactory water bottle to arrive in a week!
Every time we go to the any doctor and my daughter complains of a headache the first words out of their mouths are “have you been drinking enough water?” Luckily her school lets her have a water bottle at her desk as long as the bottle is clear (so the teachers know they are only drinking water) and it has to have a straw or spout that will not spill everywhere.
I found it interesting that you state that dehydration can cause changes in cardiovascular and different nervous functions. My brother and his wife are moving out to the country to run a ranch and want to be able to have good water. I will send them this information so they can make sure to look for private sources of water and contact a drilling service for a well.
Interesting post! I definitely need apply this in real life. I’ve started to drink more water by putting lemons in it, to give it a little bit of a flavor and it’s definitely making a difference.
It is amazing to think how many benefits come from drinking water that affect the brain alone. I never realized that it helps with memory, mood, motivation, problem-solving and creating hormones. That is a lot of things! Just for that reason alone I am going to start drinking water more. I know it is so good for us.
Water is really the only drink you need. Thanks for the post.