Are you drinking enough water? Most people will only start drinking water when they feel thirsty. But do you know that, your body is probably dehydrated when that happens.

Why is it important to keep yourself hydrated?

Water takes up around 60 – 70% of our body. We need water to help carry out normal functions like flushing out toxins and getting rid of wastes through urination, bowel movements and perspiration.  Water also helps to regulate your body temperature and protects sensitive tissues.

Amount of water to take

You are probably familiar with the suggestion on drinking 8 glasses of water a day. But it may vary for different people. Some people may need 8 glasses of water a day but others may need more. The amount needed actually takes into consideration on your gender, lifestyle and depends how active you are. Another factor to consider is that climate does make a difference in the amount of water you should consume as well, if you are living in the tropical areas or experiencing a warmer climate where you sweat more, you will need to consume more water to stay hydrated.

Benefits of keeping hydrated

Regular digestion

Dehydration can be a cause of constipation. The lack of water causes the large intestine to absorb too much water from the waste liquid to turn it into waste solid. That results to hard and dry stool which makes it difficult to pass. In order to prevent this, your body needs to be hydrated to make bowel movement smoother and easier to pass.

More energy (Increases energy level)

When your body is dehydrated, it can leave you feeling drained, sluggish and fatigue. Instead of drinking coffee or energy drink that will only perk you up for “that moment”, a glass of water may be a better option. It gives you an energy boost and helps fighting off fatigue.

Focus will increase

It is mention that if you are not properly hydrated, you will face symptoms like headaches, short attention span and lose focus. Since water comprises around 70% of our body, we need to constantly keep ourselves hydrated for our body to function.

Skin will be radiant

Our skin relies on water to generate new cells and considering that skin is the largest organ in our body, it is important to constantly stay hydrated. If you want that glow and radiant look on your skin, drink more water and get yourself hydrated.

Have you ever wonder what are the types of water available out in the market? What are the differences in them? And what type of water fit your needs? There is a wide range of water out in the market – mineral water, spring water, distilled water, purified water, and the list goes on. It can be a challenge to differentiate them. To help you better understand and select the water that meets your needs, we are narrowing down a few popular types of water that are often seen in the market.

Mineral Water

Mineral water is water that comes directly from underground sources or mineral spring, it contains minerals like salts and sulfur compounds.  Mineral water is usually marketed as water that is good for your health given the minerals that it contains. But not all mineral water contains the same amount of minerals, which result in the taste of the water to be slightly salty or bitter.

Spring Water

Spring water is water from an underground source that may or may not be purified. It is sometimes called tap water or groundwater. Spring water is similar to mineral water where water is obtained from the underground source but it differs from mineral water as it does not have to contain a specified amount of minerals neither it has to offer any nutritional benefits.

Purified Water

Purified water comes from any source of water. It has a few different purification methods to purify and remove any chemicals or contaminants. Some common methods are reverse osmosis, ultra-filtration, carbon filtration, UV purification, distillation and more. These processes removed the harmful chemicals, but it also removes the minerals at the same time.

Distilled Water

Distilled water is one of the purest forms of water. It goes through a distillation process where pure water turns into steam and is cooled to condense back into liquid. The remains are all contaminants. Distilled water is free from all chemicals, contaminants, and impurities. It is a type of purified water, but purified water has many purifying water methods and that results in the final product to be different from distilled water. Purified water may still have residual mineral deposits but that will not happen to distilled water.