Water is referred to as the “magical drink” of fitness and health, and for good reason!
Water is like a unicorn – something everyone knows about, but not everyone believes in its power.
Of course, water is an actual element of earth and not a mystical creature (as far as we know). Surprisingly though, many people take water for granted considering its magical ability to cure many ailments.
One of its greatest super powers is its ability to help you shed pounds and emerge as a stronger, better version of yourself. Like a phoenix!
Alright, there’s been a lot of mystical talk here, but in all seriousness, drinking more water every day can improve your body’s functions and help you lose weight – and keep it off!
It’s a common struggle, constantly trying to remember to drink water as you go about your day.
We’re going to tell you right now that taking the extra effort to carry a water bottle with you doesn’t even compare to the victory you feel when you watch the pounds melt away!
Here’s five ways drinking water will help you lose weight, and hopefully inspire you to reach for that extra glass of H2O!
Speeds Up Metabolism
When losing weight, most of us are looking for fast and efficient ways to speed up our metabolism and burn more calories.
Well we’ve got good news for you, drinking water is one of the fastest ways to speed up your metabolism, and requires the least amount of work!
Any time your body needs to use energy, you’re burning calories. This includes day to day normalities like eating and drinking (a.k.a resting energy expenditure). As you consume water, the act alone is causing your body to do some work and burn calories.
Studies have shown that resting energy expenditure in adults increases between 24-30% within 10 minutes of drinking water, which goes on to last 60 minutes.
If you really want to up the calorie burn, stick with drinking cold water. The cold temperature entering your system will cause your body to burn extra calories as it tries to return to its normal body temperature.
Keeps You Hydrated
How many times have you felt tired and sluggish throughout the day for what appeared to be no reason at all?
You got enough sleep the night before and had a protein packed breakfast, what could possibly be making you feel tired?
Most likely, what you were feeling was dehydration.
When your body is dehydrated, you can experience fatigue, headaches, dizziness, and in severe cases, fainting.
When your body is running on fumes like this, you’re not going to have the motivation or energy to keep up with your workout routine.
In fact, you don’t show signs of dehydration until you’ve lost about 2% of your body weight in water. This has a negative impact on your workout by causing you to feel less energized and weaker.
One way you can track if you’re drinking enough water is to weigh yourself before and after a workout – if your post workout weight is 2% or more less than your pre-workout weight, you need to increase your water intake.
Dehydration can also cause you to eat more!
Because your need to satisfy hunger trumps over your need to replenish your body with fluids, you tend to reach for the snacks before the water.
The second we feel hungry, we bust a mission to find food to satisfy our hunger. But when we’re dehydrated, we often don’t realize it until the symptoms smack us in the face.
Next time hunger strikes, try drinking a glass of water first and then wait 30-60 minutes, or until you’re really hungry, before eating.
Wards Off Hunger
We all know that all too familiar feeling when your stomach is growling like a bear (and somehow it seems to happen during the worst possible times).
But did you know that when your body is low on water, you can have the same grumbling tummy, low energy, and headache symptoms you have when you’re super hungry?
Because these symptoms are so similar, people will opt for eating a meal when really, they just needed to drink some water! Something like this could potentially lead to overeating, and under-drinking.
This is why it’s suggested that when you feel hunger coming on, drink a glass of water to test how starving you actually are.
Additionally, drinking water before meals will help fill you up and prevent you from overeating.
A study from the University of Oxford found that their subjects who drank 16 oz of water 30 minutes before their meals ate fewer calories and lost 2.6 more pounds than those who simply visualized themselves being full before their meal.
Keeps You On Track
We’ve talked about how drinking water biologically helps you lose weight, now let’s talk about its positive effects on you psychologically!
Let’s say you’re trying to get used to drinking water throughout the day, just simply bringing a water bottle with you to work or as you run errands will keep you motivated to make good choices.
How you start your morning makes a big impact on how you carry out the rest of your day – if you start with a glass of water and a healthy breakfast, you’ll be more likely to continue choosing healthy options.
Here’s something else that’s pretty great – once you get into the habit of drinking water, your desire for high calorie drinks will diminish.
When you make the conscious effort to swap the sugary drinks for a glass of pure water, you save yourself a lot of empty calories and fat intake.
Final Thoughts
Among weight loss, drinking water has an infinite number of benefits – including improved skin complexion, boosted immune system, cleansing toxins out of the body, etc.
While it’s important to drink plenty of water in general, be sure you’re increasing your amount when you workout. The more you sweat, the more water you lose, and it’s important to replace that lost water to avoid dehydration.
When you’re not used to drinking a lot of water, it can be challenging to remember to increase your daily intake. However, with some dedication and willpower, you can make this important lifestyle change and achieve the fitness goals you’ve always wanted!
