Staying hydrated and drinking plenty of water is essential to maintaining optimal health and wellbeing. So why is it that most of us are negligent of consuming enough fluids each day?

With such a huge variety of refreshing beverages available on the market today, it is all too tempting to grab an ice cold can of diet coke thinking it will be sufficient hydration. As an added bonus, it satisfies out sweet craving and won’t make us fat.

Perhaps it is the omnipresent nature of H2O that causes most of us to be thoroughly disinterested in the importance of drinking enough of it. For some reason drinking water seems more of a chore than consuming any other beverage and therefore drops down the list of things that are inclined to do.

Like so many other things in life, we often take our health for granted and if we don’t feel ill, then everything must be fine. Unfortunately, many conditions do not manifest themselves until they have already had a grave impact on our health and the ironic thing is that many of these could be avoided if we simply drank enough water on a regular daily basis.

It sounds horribly cliche, but drinking enough water really is the best way to ensure that your body is functioning just as it should be. It can be hard to believe that something so simple can yield such astounding benefits and results. Dehydration causes your kidneys to struggle to eliminate unwanted toxins and let’s face it- no one enjoys dealing with constipation and fatigue! If you have been suffering with pesky headaches or migraines, you will often find they dissipate as soon as your increase your intake of agua.

Aside from feeling more energetic and vibrant internally when you are hydrated, your skin will appear more youthful and fresh. Hair and nails that were once lacklustre and prone to breakage will have a new lease of life and with the added bonus of weight loss, you will feel like a million bucks.

The world is more privy than ever to new viruses and ailments intermingling in society and a healthy immune system is one of the most effective and natural ways to protect yourself. Not only does water carry oxygen to your cells, it also ensures that your organs function correctly to eliminate toxins from your body. The quicker your body is capable of flushing through germs, viruses, dead or mutant cells, the more likely you are to maintain a clear bill of health. For this to happen, water is essential.

Whilst exercise and diet are essential to losing those pesky extra pounds, water is also a huge component of helping you achieve your weight loss goals. Most of the time when you feel hungry, you are actually thirsty and in satiating this thirst with water, your appetite will diminish. Water is an integral part of the digestive system as an aid to process your meals by absorbing the nutrients you require and quickly discarding any waste. Water will also help to reduce bloat by clearing your body of inflammatory food debris.

As an added bonus, your metabolism will benefit from a boost meaning that you will burn more calories consistently and efficiently.

Whether you are suffering from muscular and joint pain, or you are prone to headaches, it is likely you aren’t drinking enough water. If you are dehydrated your body will alert you by sending signals to your brain in the form of pain to give you a necessary heads up that it needs hydration stat!

Surely a few more glasses of water a day is worth it to eliminate the suffering? And guess what, without those niggling aches and pains, you are more likely to move around and exercise more, which you guessed it will help with weight loss and your overall physical health.

None of us like looking in the mirror to find our skin looking washed out, wrinkly and dry. We always tend to look for a quick fix by slathering on the most expensive serums we can find, when really most of the problem can be rectified by upping our water intake.

Water enhances your skin’s elasticity, as well as hydrating you at a cellular level. The more elasticity, collagen and moisture you hold in your skin, the younger you will appear. Hydrated skin is happy skin!

Saving the most important point for last will hopefully provide you with a lasting reminder of just how important drinking water is. Dehydration can become incredibly dangerous when left untreated. Your organs will function less efficiently, which has several knock-on effects on your mental and physical health. Lack of mental clarity, dizzy spells, constipation and kidney stones are all frequent occurrences when you slack on your water intake!

Providing you with both knowledge and power when it comes to health and fitness is in the forefront of our minds when we plan retreats at the Sanctuary. Drinking water may seem like a minor point but understanding the beautifully simple fundamentals of health like providing your body with the right fuel is something we look forward to sharing with you as we guide you on your journey to wellbeing.