It is primary school knowledge that proper hydration is essential to good health. After all, the average human body is 70% water.
Fun fact: Humans can go for more than three weeks without food — Mahatma Gandhi survived 21 days of complete starvation — but with water, that time frame is cut down tremendously to just 3-4 days.
1. Listen to your body
There is no hard and fast rule to how many glasses you should be drinking throughout the day. Learn to listen to your body. Instead of following a strict hydration regime, (which might not always be possible e.g. drinking 500ml of water just before you go for a run), just drink beyond your point of thirst. This way, you ensure that you are sufficiently hydrated without all the discomfort that comes along with water chugging.
2. Skip that Ice-cold drink
We get it, sitting just above the equator means that we have yearlong summers and it can get REALLY HOT. But the next time you think of reaching for that ice-cold drink, bear in mind that these drinks have the effects of diluting the acid that is secreted from our livers to aid in digestion. Go for lukewarm water instead. Lukewarm water aids in maintaining cholesterol levels, minimizing bloating issues, metabolism concerns, and weight issues.
3. We cannot emphasise this more – Chugging water is a HUGE NO.
Think of your body as a factory, there is only so much water it can process and absorb at any given time. That might be the reason you find yourself visiting the bathroom more than you should. Not to mention, chugging large quantities of water could potentially put unnecessary stress on your kidneys as it struggles to keep up with the amount of fluids being introduced to your body. DRINK SLOWLY!
4. Start your day with a glass of water
Think of it as warming up the engine of your brand-new car. Drinking a glass of water upon waking has the same effect on our bodies as giving 10 mins to warm up car’s engine. In India, this practice has been termed as “Ushapan”.
Stay Healthy, Choose AOX.
