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Drinking water: the best weight loss tip ever

So many times people are eating because they are misreading their thirst. What's the big deal anyway?
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Amanda Greenthumb

Amanda Greenthumb

The best weight loss trick — water.

Drink water. So many times people are eating because they are misreading their thirst. What's the big deal anyway?

-proper hydration can reduce muscle pain and stiffness

- Dehydration slows down the fat burning process

- Water flushes toxins out of our bodies

- Water maintains muscle tone

- drinking an adequate amount of water with any meal will help you to feel full sooner

- reduce or prevent hangovers!

Our bodies are made up of between 60-75% water. How much you drink can affect your health and your weight. Too much water can result in mineral imbalances, and too little can cause dehydration, headaches, or fatigue.

How much should we be drinking? How many of you are thinking 8 cups for everyone? Wrong! The thing is that everyone is different, our bodies are different shapes and sizes, are activity levels are so different, and this affect how much water we should drink. As a general guide we should be drinking half our body weight in ounces, everyday.

Clearly there are going to be times we need to increase the amount of water even more. In hot or humid temperatures, high altitudes (above 8,200 feet), during exercise, when you are sick (fever, diarrhea, vomiting), during bladder or urinary tract infections, when pregnant or breast feeding, and after increased alcohol intake.

What kind of water should we be drinking? There are so many types of water such as, tap, bottled, filtered, distilled, and alkaline ionized water. Not everyone has access to the best sources because of cost and availability, so do the best you can. Remember it is more important to drink water, than to have the perfect source.

Tap Water: most readily available, sometimes might not be the safest option. Some cites have great purification systems, while others leave traces of chlorination by-products, lead, and sometimes bacteria. Research your city's water purification system to see if additional home purification is needed.

Water Filters: help to remove contaminants when environmental toxins pose a threat, it is important to know which contaminants are present in your water, to choose the right filter.

Distillation: boiling the water to remove toxins and impurities, however some believe the naturally occurring minerals in non-distilled water have health benefits.

Bottled Water: very popular, however there are growing concerns about chemicals from the plastic seeping into the water, as well as the environmental effects all these plastic bottles have.

Water Ionizers: gaining more recognition to create alkaline ionized water through electrolysis, this may have certain health benefits.

Would you like to learn more about your water choices and how to incorporate more water into your life? Curious about how health coaching can help you make your own healthy changes? Let's talk! Schedule an initial complimentary health history consultation with me today——or pass this offer on to someone you care about!

Amanda blogs at amandagreenthumb.com