Water is life.
I've known for years and years the purported benefits of water, especially when it comes to overall health and weight loss. Drink more water, lose weight! Drink more water, feel more full! Drink more water, and improve the look of your skin!
I've heard these benefits thousands of times, in multiple formats from multiple sources, but do you think I ever took it seriously? I have a feeling that I'm not even close to being the only one who heard it all, then promptly filed it away as one of those 'must dos' at some point in life, but then 'life' got in the way, and it fell by the wayside.
Having somewhat jumped off the weight loss bandwagon, I no longer have a vested interest in all the benefits to my waist line, but what did perk my interest in water's benefits was my chiropractor. I've had problems with my hips, back, jaw, and neck (I'm a mess, I know) for several years now, so decided to get back to the chiropractor and giving it a good go to once and (hopefully) for all be relieved of constant pain. We talked about my lifestyle, my habits, any stresses in my life, as any good chiropractor would do, and she gave me a good all over adjustment. Before I left her office, she inquired about my caffeine intake, to which I proudly replied "Only 1 or two cups a day!" (this was a dramatic cut back from my previous 6-7 cups a day). She followed that question with how much water I drank, which I answered with my truthful, but slightly shameful, two cups a day at most.
"Do you realize that your muscles are at a deficit for water?"
It was explained to me that with the diuretic properties of coffee, and the little water that I was drinking, my muscles were basically being starved of water. No wonder I was so sore all the time! I knew water to be good for so many things, but I never looked at it from the perspective of my muscles. My chiropractor sent me on my way with a few excercises to easy my pain, and a verbal prescription of 'Way more water'.
She didn't have to tell me twice! I worked it out in my head on the way back to work after my appointment. If my muscles felt better because of a higher intake of water, I would be far more likely to want to move and be active, thus leading to a much more active lifestyle (in theory). It was enough motivation for me to make the switch.
Two weeks into it now, and my muscles feel better than ever! My aches that I assumed to be incurable no longer ached as much, my whole body moves better and my energy has increased significantly. If that's not enough to convince someone to drink more water, I don't know what is!
It seems so silly now, that one simple thing that I've been neglecting to do for so long, was the answer to so many of my problems. I will definitely be keeping up this habit, and encourage everyone to at least give it a try.
I guarantee you will notice the benefits.
