My husband and I have recently made some health goals together, and one was to drink more water. Initially, I decided to set a goal to drink enough water to fill my lovely Intermountain Healthcare water bottle (every mom’s souvenir for having a baby;) ) 3 times- that would be almost 100 ounces of water each day! I thought it would be rough to drink that much water, but I was sticking to the goal.

I found out I drink a lot of water. Like, a lot of water. I filled that bottle up 3 times and then some. Apparently I guzzle a lot more water than I thought! But I’m pretty happy about that. I have a lot of ways I could improve my health in many areas of my life, but drinking water is certainly one aspect I succeed in!

As it’s getting warmer and things are heating up outside, I’m sure we’re all starting to plan all the fun activities we’ll be doing with our loved ones this season. But whatever your family is doing this summer, make sure drinking water is one of them! Dehydration can be a big problem, particularly during the hot months of the year. Load up on water bottles, keep a cooler in the car- do whatever you need to do to ensure your family has plenty of water to keep hydrated.

As if hydration wasn’t an important enough reason to drink water, I decided that as I sit here drinking from my 32 oz water jug, I should share several more health benefits from drinking water.

  Keeps your brain functioning! Our brains are made up of over 70% of water, and so when we are dehydrated we get headaches and our brains literally cannot function at their full potential.

  Our muscles are 75% water, and so they need to be hydrated as well! You can prevent a lot of cramps by drinking up!

  It helps keep bacteria out of your mouth- which helps keep away bad breath!

  You’ll have healthier looking skin. Water hydrates our skin cells as well, so our skin is less prone to wrinkle and we are less prone to have break-outs of acne because the water flushes all the bad stuff out.

  Prevents a bloated stomach, constipation, and other unpleasant bowel problems.

  Your kidneys need lots of water to function- trust me when I say a kidney stone is NO FUN. Not only that, but when your kidney is functioning at full capacity (which it can’t do without plenty of water), you can actually lose more weight because your kidney can help turn more fat into energy!

  *You can lose more weight by drinking water. If you start each meal by drinking a big glass of water first, you aren’t going to feel as full, and so won’t be eating as much. In addition, if you are well-hydrated, your body is going to have a lot more energy and as a result you will get a lot more from your workouts! More energy during a workout = more calories burned!

  When you are hydrated, you naturally feel more energetic! Water helps to carry oxygen to all your different body parts. When all your organs and everything in your body are able to work at their full capacity because they’re hydrated and have all the oxygen they need, you are going to have a lot more energy and be able to accomplish so much more! And honestly, who doesn’t need that?

Is anyone else feeling thirsty?! Basically when you are drinking lots of water, you will be healthier, have more potential to lose weight, feel more energetic, and will feel happier!

These are just a few reasons we should all be drinking more water. And I’d say it’s a pretty good list of reasons! Go pour yourself a big glass of water and keep that body healthy!