Staying Hydrated – Why is it important to drink enough H20?

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Amanda Benko | Intern UAB School of Education – CHHS

Photo by Sasha Kim on Pexels.com

Staying Hydrated – Why is it important to drink enough H20

Did you know that water makes up most of your body weight and involves several vital functions, including removing waste from the body, regulating body temperature, and helping with brain function? It is essential to note that water plays an important part in our body’s functioning. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022), getting enough water daily is necessary for your health. Drinking plenty of water every day can help you stay hydrated. It can help regulate body temperature, help keep our joints lubricated, prevent infections, deliver nutrients to cells, and ensure that organs function properly. In addition, being well-hydrated can help you improve the quality of your sleep, mood, and cognition. According to experts, one should drink approximately 11 cups of water daily for an average woman and around 16 cups for men. Water plays a vital role in various body functions, such as the digestion of food, absorption, circulation, and excretion. Research has shown that drinking plenty of water helps aid the transportation of nutrients, oxygen, and hormones all across the body, regulating body temperature, lubricating joints, and assisting in waste control.

Drinking plenty of water also helps in the hydration of cells and tissues. As earlier noted, our bodies are composed mainly of water, and every cell, tissue, and organ depends on water for proper functioning. Proper hydration can help you maintain the balance of fluids within the body, enabling you to maintain optimal energy levels, enhance concentration, and improve one’s overall productivity. Studies also reiterate that drinking plenty of water is good for skin health. It can help keep your skin hydrated and moisturized, reducing the risk of dryness, wrinkles, and disorders affecting the skin. This helps promote a healthy complexion, possibly contributing to a more youthful experience.

In conclusion, water is essential to almost every part of your body. Drinking the recommended daily amount of water will help you maintain your current state of health and improve your overall health. If you are exercising or living in hotter regions, it is vital to increase your water intake to avoid dehydration. What steps do you find helpful to stay hydrated?

References

Water and healthier drinks. (2022, June 6). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/water-and-healthier-drinks.html

Strike a Pose – The Health Benefits of Yoga

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Amanda Benko | UAB Intern School of Education – CHHS

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Health Benefits of Yoga

Yoga is an ancient practice and popular form of exercise involving physical poses, concentration, and deep breathing. It is a posture-based physical fitness, stress relief, and relaxation technique. Regardless of your yoga expertise and with regular practice, yoga can make you feel better from head to toe. If you’re living with a chronic condition, recovering from surgery, or going through an illness, practicing yoga can be a critical part of your treatment journey and speed up your healing process. Yoga enables you to build strength, awareness, and harmony in both the mind and body (Diamond, 2012). Maintaining a regular yoga practice can provide mental and physical health benefits for all.

There are various physical health benefits you will get when practicing yoga. The relaxation approach used in yoga can reduce chronic pain, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and headaches. It can also lower blood pressure and insomnia symptoms. There are also several other physical benefits associated with yoga, including improved body flexibility, increased muscle strength and tone, and maintaining a balanced metabolism (CDC, 2017). It can also improve respiration, vitality, and energy in your body. Yoga can also help reduce body weight and improve cardio and circulatory health. The National Institutes of Health (2020) adds that yoga improves athletic performance and protects you from injury. Besides, yoga helps one develop inner awareness. It can enable you to focus your attention on the body’s abilities at the present moment and boost your fitness.

Besides the physical benefits, yoga is instrumental in building strong mental health. It can help you manage stress. We all know that stress can have devastating impacts on our body and mind. Yoga can be effective in developing coping skills and approaching life more positively. Incorporating breathing and meditation in yoga can help improve one’s overall mental well-being (Pascoe et al., 2021). Practicing yoga regularly enhances mental clarity and calmness; relieves chronic stress patterns; helps relax the mind; enhances mind awareness; sharpens your concentration; and focuses your attention.

At 19, I was involved in a car wreck that herniated two disks in my cervical spine (neck). The following year I was in a four-wheeler wreck that crushed a vertebrae in my lower back. For years I was in chronic pain; the slightest thing hurt my back or neck. Then at 23, a friend introduced me to yoga, but I didn’t start doing it regularly until I was 26. After two weeks of regular practice, I realized I was no longer hurting. Yoga gave me some much-needed relief. So start slow and stay with it; you will be glad you did.

Yoga is fun. Yoga is mentally and physically healthy for you! Do you know of a good Yoga Studio in your area? If so, please share!

References

CDC (September 14, 2017) Yoga Activity Card. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/bam/cards/yoga.html#:~:text=Most%20yoga%20practices%20focus%20on,to%20concentrate%2C%20and%20decreased%20stress.

Diamond, L. (2012). The benefits of yoga in improving health. Primary Health Care, 22(2).

NIH (February 2020) Yoga for Health: What the Science Says. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/providers/digest/yoga-for-health-science

Pascoe, M. C., J de Manincor, M., Hallgren, M., Baldwin, P. A., Tseberja, J., & Parker, A. G. (2021). Psychobiological mechanisms underlying the mental health benefits of yoga-based interventions: A narrative review. Mindfulness, 1-13.