Have you ever wondered whether drinking a good amount of water each day can help you to lose weight? Well a study conducted by specialists discovered that drinking plenty of water can actually mean that you will burn daily about 50 calories more for every litre that you drink. It may not appear very much, but benefits of drinking water do not stay here.
A study conducted by researchers from the Berlin Institute in 2003 noted that consuming 500 mls of water increases metabolic functions for about half an hour afterwards. During this time 25 more calories are burned. The explanation given by researchers includes the fact that the stomach heats the water, so it needs more energy to complete this task.
Why should you drink more water to lose weight
There are a number of reasons. Firstly, it will affect the amount of food you consume. Once you start eating, it takes up to 20 minutes for the stomach to “realize” that it is being satisfied and for the feeling of hunger to dissipate. But if you drink a large glass of water just before you eat, your stomach will feel satisfied sooner and as a consequence you will eat less.
Another consideration is kidney function. You’d be amazed how much the kidneys play a part in regulating our metabolism and general overall health, including blood pressure etc. You need to do everything you can to “take the load off”. The metabolic process of burning fat means that your body will produce waste that must be removed through the kidneys. It is essential therefore that you drink more water to help the kidneys to fulfill their function.
For diets that include high protein consumption, water is even more important because with these diets the body produces more waste. You may even find yourself feeling more thirsty, which is confirmation of this. Remember that water cleans only body residue, not the fat.
Drinking lots of water also has the effect of “flushing out” your large intestine, which is good for overall health and a more efficient metabolism. In fact, those who are in favour of colonic irrigation would suggest that drinking 6 glasses of water first thing in the morning can have the effect of taking an enema. This “colonic detoxing” to start your day will get rid of many substances which lodge and breed in the bowel mucous. You should notice a substantial difference to your overall health within 30 days.
8 glasses of water per day
The Berlin study mentioned above recommendation we consume 8 glasses of water daily which adds almost 1.5 litres to normal water consumption. Consequently, you should burn an average of 100 calories more than normal. Combined with nutrition and diet this helps significantly with weight loss.
Dangers of excessive water consumption
However drinking water should not be excessive because it can have negative effects. Water consumption should be proportional to the existence of salt in the body for the electrolysis process.
The salt level should be maintained otherwise it may result in hyponatraemia which is usually followed by heart attacks and even death. Too much water can dilute the salt in the blood and tissues. Among athletes many deaths have been from this cause.
Exercise and water
As has been pointed out, water consumption is very important when we exercise. It is good that every time you walk, run, workout, or even dance (great exercise), you remember a container of water.
Water is so important to health that we can not replace it with anything because over 60 percent of the human body is composed from water.
Remember these things when you decide to start a regime and even if you are not thirsty, drink water with confidence.
It may be difficult to drink enough water during one busy day , but keep close to you a bottle of water to drink and you can add a little lemon for a change of taste. Enjoy!