Water is the elixir of life. Know how to drink water at the right time of the day and control your health.
Do you drink water only when you are thirsty? Or by habit–you just want to finish that quota of eight glasses a day that all the health gurus talk about? Worst is when a lot of us snub it aside and replace it with soda, tea, coffee or other liquids.
Were you aware that if you drink water at the right time in a day, it could save your life? Apart from avoiding many related ailments and discomforts that are unknown to most people, knowing when to hydrate can help you achieve and maintain optimal health.
Here is how to ‘time it right’ and unleash water’s miracles.
1. When you wake up: It’s funny how we ignore the best aspect of water–it’s an energy drink!
Our body is like a beautifully crafted engine that needs to be regularly oiled, especially at the beginning of a long journey. Drinking cool water right after you wake up revitalizes your body and your senses. Not only that, it makes way through your body, pushing free radicals and residue from burnt calories collected overnight out of your system.
It is even more important to do this if you have the habit of skipping breakfast, otherwise your body is forced to run on an empty fuel tank. This applies to even when you are exhausted out of your mind. Water oxygenates your body and brain, snapping you to alertness.
2. Before every meal: It takes about 15-20 minutes for your stomach to register the food you eat. When you drink a glass of water before you sit down for a meal, you reduce that time, as well as your chances of overeating.
Water cleanses your palate, awakens your taste buds as well as your stomach and prepares it against tough or acidic food.
3. Before and after working out: There is only one rule for working out–HYDRATE! Everyone has different body temperature, water retention capacity and magnitude of sweating. The key is to steer clear of dehydration, whether you are indoors or outdoors. It is important, however, that you don’t drink too quickly or too much, just enough to avoid dehydration.
Whether it’s a heat stroke in summer or a frostbite in winters, water also ensures smooth blood circulation.
4. While having a snack: In between meal eating is sometimes unavoidable. We have all been there. At times, it is possible, that our body’s signals of dehydration are misinterpreted as hunger pangs–they are both uncomfortable aren’t they?
Having water before/with a snack will fill you up quicker and keep unhealthy eating habits at bay, as well as the associated guilt.
5. When you are sick or around sick people: This elixir of life serves as the best solution–in sickness and in health. When unwell, especially while having medication, doctors always advise you to drink lots of fluids such as juices, tea, soup, and mostly, water. This is because they do not let any excessive toxins, from your illness or the strong medicines, to collect or settle anywhere in your blood or your organs.
It is the same when you are surrounded by sick people, for instance in a hospital or at any public places. Drinking just a little more water keeps bacteria and viruses from nesting or multiplying in your body. It is just like a city transport bus where you have to keep moving along to the front because there’s nowhere else to go.
Now, excess of everything is bad, even water. So you need to know what is enough for you and stick to that quantity.
