Fit Tip Tuesday: Why you should be drinking more water

We've all heard it..."Drink more water!" And guess what? It's true! Water has so many amazing benefits for your health and fitness journey and while you may think you are getting enough water a day, you will probably be a little shocked to learn that you could be consuming quite a bit more.

The process of getting in a good, healthy amount of water daily can be a little trying at first. You may feel a little bloated or full and you will be peeing around the clock until your body is more accustomed to the extra fluid.

But I am here to share with you why you should be drinking more of this clear, tasteless liquid!

• When muscle cells don't have enough water they don't perform as well and you will experience fatique, but with adequate water it helps your muscles be stronger because water carries oxygen to these cells making your muscles able to work longer and harder before fatiguing.
• Water helps maintain your bowels - it keeps things flowing nicely and prevents constipation
• Water is great for keeping your skin hydrated and not dry, it can also prevent the early onset of fine lines and wrinkles
• Not drinking enough water will actually cause your body to retain the water that you do have, therefore causing puffiness and bloating
• Drinking water will help your body burn stored fat
• Drinking water is good for your joints, it keeps them lubricated and flexible which helps to prevent injury and pain. This is especially good for those of living a fit lifestyle

These are just a few of the MANY benefits that water provides.

If you are in the beginning stages of losing weight/getting healthy simply try switching out a few of your diet sodas/sodas/juices/teas etc...for water. This alone is sure to give you a bit more energy and help push toxins out of your body. I would put money on it that it would also likely cause some fat loss/weight loss inititally as well!

How much water should I be drinking? For women the adequate intake is about 9 cups a day or 2.2 liters, but this will go up if you workout/are active due to you sweating and losing water throughout the day. I personally drink a gallon to a gallon and a half today. I will make myself chug 20-24 oz at a time if I haven't been getting enough water in for the day.

Drinking this much water may be new to many of you and will seem hard at first. The best advice I can give you is to just do it! Just chug it. I like to play little games...I will have a snack or meal and make myself drink my 24 oz refillable water bottle before I can chew gum or do anything else! I love gum, so this is a big deal for me haha! You WILL get used to it and you will likely still pee every hour once you are, but oh well! You will get used to that as well!