How many times have you heard the advice to drink more water? Almost everyone you know must have imbibed in you the benefits of drinking more water every day. But has anyone told you about the right methods that will help you drink water on a regular basis? Fret not, we will guide you through the 6 principles for something you might have thought had no method: drinking water properly.
Sip, Don’t Chug
You might have noticed there is a huge difference between how our grandparents and your generation drank water. Grandparents or the older generation people would suggest you to sit down and sip water instead of drinking it all at once. Drinking your water all at once causes it to flush through your system faster and can, paradoxically, lead to dehydration. The inside of your body is a delicate, well-controlled environment. Therefore, any fluid you consume beyond what your body needs to stay hydrated winds up in your bladder.
Drink Lukewarm Water
In olden times, people used to quench their thirst by drinking clay pot water. But with refrigeration and bottled water taking over, out went this healthy practice. It is said that cold drinks extinguish the heat and promote the buildup of toxins that develop as a by-product of poor digestion. Cold water clashes with the overall body warmth and energy, causing distress in the tissues and blood vessels. Sipping warm water, on the other hand, improves digestion by stimulating the natural digestive enzymes and improving circulation.
Start Your Day with A Glass of Water
It has long been known that drinking water first thing in the morning purifies the body’s internal systems. Drinking at least 16 ounces (500 milli litres) of warm water on an empty stomach re-hydrates the body after eight hours of sleep, jump-starts your metabolism, and helps to flush out the toxins your body packaged up overnight. The main reason for drinking so much water at once is to cleanse the colon and enable your body to absorb new nutrients from food.
Avoid Having Water with Meals
Drinking while eating is such a common practice that restaurants don’t even ask if you will have anything to drink but what they should serve you. Often, they bring you a glass of iced water even before you order anything. It seems that we have forgotten the natural way of drinking water. Beverages with meals would never be used if we took the time to thoroughly chew our food. Our saliva is the first step to digestion. It contains enzymes to help break down food and stimulate the stomach to release digestive enzymes. When you drink water with your meal, your saliva and digestive enzymes get diluted, and digestion becomes that much more difficult. The best practice is to avoid water 30 minutes before your meal and a minimum of two hours after your meal.
Jazz Up Your Water to Increase Absorption
Natural health experts recommend drinking half your body weight in ounces of water per day. However, more important than how much water you drink is the amount of water that actually makes it to your cells. If you find yourself making frequent trips to the bathroom, you are probably not absorbing much. Rather than drinking plenty of water, you can reduce your water intake and still stay hydrated simply by adding a pinch of unrefined mineralized salt to every glass of water.
Listen to Your Body’s Cues for Thirst
When you start paying attention to your thirst cues and sip warm water throughout the day, you will drink the right amount. That being said, if you continuously suppress your natural thirst, your body can become desensitized and you might forget to drink. So start paying for your signs from your body.