Many things can affect the appearance of your skin, even affect how well or not we age. How much water you intake a day, ranks right up there at the top of the list. Are you drinking too little too much water? How do you know you are getting the right amount? Our bodies are made up of 60% water, our blood 90%. Water is essential to flush the body of toxins, decrease inflammation, even prevent acne and just give the skin an all-over glow. In what way does water affect the largest organ in your body, your skin.
- Improves skin tone/ Slows the aging process
Enough H2O creates a more even skin tone. Staying hydrated flushes toxins out of the skin and increases blood flow to the surface of the skin evening the skin tone. It increases elasticity and moisturizes the skin longer, which will help prevent sagging skin, and delay the aging process.
- Reduces puffiness
Say what? Does drinking water reduce water retention? YES! If you are retaining water, this is your body telling you it does not want to be dehydrated. Drinking water helps excess fluid release giving the face a less puffy look.
- Reduce Acne
Drinking enough water helps to balance the oil to water ratio in the skin. Staying hydrated will help reduce the sebum production in the skin that clogs pores and causes acne. Acne is not just a teenage problem anymore, many more adults are dealing with acne-prone skin. It looks like the mask is here for a while folks, this alone is a recipe for bad skin- drink your water and help your skin out.
- Dry/Tight skin
It’s January. Many of us live in an environment that wreaks havoc on our skin. In summer it dawns on us a lot more to get the water we need. Don’t forget that the winter months are damaging due to water loss too. Dry, itchy skin, tight skin is not conducive to anti-aging.
- Maintain a healthy PH
Many skin issues, such as sensitive skin or acne-prone skin can be greatly improved by a balanced PH. Healthy water can balance your body’s PH, preventing many skin eruptions. Your skin is a canvas telling a story of what is going on in your system.
- Healthy Gut
Drinking enough water will help maintain a healthy gut. Allowing your digestive system to flush toxins out of the body is critical to a healthy belly. Studies show gut health is critical for not only major organs such as the skin, heart, kidneys, and brain, but also for mental health and immunity. (https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/ss/slideshow-how-gut-health-affects-whole-body)
How do you know if you are getting enough water?
- For men, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends a total of 13 cups (about 3 liters) of fluid each day.
- For women, they suggest 9 cups (a little over 2 liters) of fluid each day. Pregnant women should drink about 10 cups of water daily. Those who breastfeed need about 12 cups. (https://www.webmd.com/diet/how-much-water-to-drink#1)
If you live in a hot climate, engage in physical activities that result in sweating you will need to adjust and drink more. Making healthy habits can be hard- being successful with healthy changes only comes from finding out what works for you. Set an alarm, add a squirt of lemon or lime, have a special glass, a certain time of the day- whatever sets you up best, and get to drinking!
You Are Beautiful!
Love Krista S.