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The Drink of Choice Why is water the drink of choice? Simply because it plays an important role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. You may not be aware of the many benefits that water provides for your body. What does water do for me, you may ask? Well for one thing, water suppresses your appetite and helps the body to metabolize stored fat. It has been thought that water may be the single most important catalyst in weight loss. It also helps to keep the weight off. Increasing your water intake will reduce your fat deposits, therefore causing a loss in weight. On the other hand, if you decrease the amount of water you drink, your fat deposits will increase, causing the opposite effect. Without enough water, the kidneys cannot function properly. When they are not doing their job, their work is then dumped on the liver. The liver's main function is to metabolize stored fat. The liver cannot fully metabolize all the fat it needs to if it has to do the job of the kidneys as well. As a result, fat begins to build up and weight loss comes to a halt. What else does water do? Water helps your body to maintain muscle tone. It gives muscles their natural ability to contract and prevents the muscles from becoming dehydrated. Water also acts as a flushing system. It rids the body of waste that may have been the result of tension or stress. You now know that water is the key to metabolism. You may ask...how much water should I drink so it can be benefitial to me? Well the amounts of water that a person should consume on a daily basis varies. Generally an average person should drink 2 quarts of water daily. Wait...before you panic, you don't have to drink this much all at once. And the amount of water that is recommended does not have to be fulfilled by drinking plain water. Foods such as watermelon and soup are foods that can help you reach your daily requirement without drinking straight water. To make sure that you drink the correct amount of water, break up your day into time frames. Figure when and how much you need to drink to maintain good health. Another tip is that the water that you drink should be cold. Cold water absorbs into your system more quickly than warm water. It has also been said that cold water may help to burn calories. Overweight people are recommended to drink an additional glass of water for every 25 pounds of excess weight. Another exception would be for those who exercise. They should increase their water intake as well as on those hot and dry days. By drinking water, you are helping your body in many ways. The following list is only a few things that benefit from the wonderful drink of water. 1. Your endocrine-gland function improves. 2. Fluid retention is alleviated as stored water is lost. 3. More fat is used as fuel due to the liver being free to metabolize stored fat. 4. Natural thirst will return. 5. Loss of hunger How does water help you? Think of the effects it has on your body if you don't drink enough. Now you understand why water can be considered the "drink of choice". [Back]
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