Our bodies are made up of about 70% of water. We all know drinking enough water is vital for optimal health but not everyone knows how it helps turn fat into fuel and increases Metabolism.
The process of metabolizing fat is called lipolysis. The first step of this process is hydrolysis, which occurs when water molecules interact with triglycerides (fats) to create glycerol and fatty acids to be used as fuel. Without the presence of water our bodies can’t break down the fat to use for fuel. Drinking lots of water will help this process be more efficient and the faster you’ll lose weight.
Drinking water will also stimulate thermogenesis, studies have shown that drinking half a litre of water will increase your resting metabolism rate by 10-30% for about an hour after.
Drinking water is both important to lose and maintain weight loss.
Here are 5 tips to help you get your 2 litres a day in:
1. Get your water ready the night before. Fill up 2-3 water bottles to equal 2 litres and keep one with you as much as possible. This will be a good visual reminder to drink more water.
2. Have a big glass of water first thing when you get up in the morning. Drinking water on an empty stomach in the morning also has health benefits such as rehydrating your body after a long period of time without water and flushing out toxins that have build up as your body repairs itself during the night.
3. Set reminders on your phone, either in your calendar or try out an app like Daily Water or Water Reminder.
4. Associate having a drink of water with daily tasks to build up a habit of drinking water. Have some big gulps after every bathroom break, before every meal and snack, after every phone call. You get the idea. Check out the book Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg.
5. Flavour your water, we love our water enhancers but there are other great ways such as cucumbers and mint and cold steeping herbal tea (put a bag in your water bottle when you prepare your water the night before). In the winter have a thermos of herbal tea to sip from.
Other benefits of drinking water include keeping your skin healthy and radiant, it boosts your brain power, your brain depends on water to work most efficiently—water actually composes 73% of the brain. Even slight levels of dehydration (as little as 2% water loss) impair your performance in tasks that require attention, cognitive functions, physical movement, and immediate memory skills, and it helps regulate blood pressure When you're dehydrated, the plasma/blood cell ratio changes in a way that makes the blood thicker and more viscous. This makes it tougher for blood to flow where it needs to flow, increasing the stress placed on the heart among other things along with other healthy benefits.
Drink up!