This post is a continuation of a prior post in our Functional Fitness Series. Here is part I.

Why are we constantly downing energy drinks, coffee, and juices when we’re thirsty?  We need to drink more water.  That’s been a well-known fact for years, and has been aired on every single health channel and news station intermittently for ages.  But, why should we drink more water?  Here are the final four reasons to drink water

5. Helps your kidneys and bowels work

What goes in must come out in some form, and when you drink enough water, the kidneys are able to filter out the bad stuff from your system more effectively.  Your urine won’t stink and it will be the clear color that many physicians say you should have.  In addition, drinking enough water helps relieve symptoms of constipation, which can cause a great deal of abdominal discomfort.

6. You avoid extra sugar consumption

While many of us may prefer to drink juices, coffee or soda to quench a thirst, water is the best thirst quencher going, because it’s not packed with a bunch of extra sugar that your body doesn’t need.  It helps keep muscles moving properly and various organs functioning at their best.  While some fruit and vegetable juices are great at quenching thirst, or at providing our bodies with extra nutrients, they may have extra sugar which we don’t need.  Water is clear and has a multitude of benefits; why not drink some?

7. Improves your mood

When you drink enough water, your body will function efficiently.  When your body functions efficiently, you feel good.  When you feel good, your mood is going to be elevated and you’ll be less likely to feel down, because who wants to feel bad?  Drinking enough water on a daily basis ensures you will be in a good mood, because you won’t have to worry about increased stomach ailments or other like issues.

8. It’s free!

Perhaps the best reason of all to drink a lot of water is because it’s a free thirst quencher.  You don’t have to buy bottles of water; we choose to do so because there’s something very convenient about it.  However, you can always borrow a cup out of your staff room or buy a reusable water bottle and continue to pack a water bottle with you daily in order to ensure you stay hydrated.  You don’t – and likely shouldn’t, for environmental reasons – need to spend a fair bit of money for a flat of water bottles when you can get a cup out of the cupboard and drink it for free. However, it is very important to get your water tested to make sure that it is okay to drink. If there are problems you can call a bulk water company to bring you clean water tanks for your home.

As you can see, there is a wide range of health, financial and personal benefits that come with drinking water.  It’s not just for , swimming or washing anymore – drink some today.  I have a tough time drinking a lot of water my wife doesn’t.  So what I do is get an hydration drink from the NBAC Café and then I add a quarter of water, I drink half and fill it again.  I will continue to do this for three or four times to make sure I drink enough water.  Make sure to check hydration drinks for sugar content, they tend to have a lot of sugar, so chose one with the least amount of sugar.

Reference: B2C, January 24, 2013,  Adelaide Irene

NBAC | FUNCTIONAL FITNESS TRAINING: WHAT DO I DRINK?Fat burning sarcopenia