A Beauty Tonic On Tap

Water works wonders. Drinking eight glasses a day can boost your energy and make you slimmer, cleverer and more positive.

Water is involved in nearly every bodily function, from circulation to body temperature and from digestion to waste excretion. It helps your body to absorb the nutrients from food , too. When you get dehydrated, vitamins and minerals aren't absorbed optimally and toxins can't get excreted as efficiently. Also, when you are not getting enough water, your blood volume drops, which stops you from firing on all cylinders. I have to admit, I find it's really hard to drink eight glasses of water a day, I can rarely manage three glasses. But you can also get this water from the foods that you eat. So no need to line up eight straight glasses by the sink straight away to drink.

So how much water should we drink a day?

According to the Natural Mineral Water Information Service, around 90% of us don't get enough fluids. The best way to test if you are getting enough fluids is to gauge the colour of your urine. If it is a pale, watery colour with a tinge of lemon, thats fine. But if your urine is yellow, you should probably drink more water, as this is a good indicator that you are dehydrated.

Water can help you lose weight!

I often confuse hunger with thirst and end up reaching for food instead of drinking. This is very common and alot of people don't now that they are doing this. Research shows that 75% of all hunger pangs are actually thirst pangs, so if you get the munchies and fancy a Mars Bar or packet of crisps to snack on, try having a glass of water instead and save yourself some calories. You can increase your metabolic rate by about 30% simply by having a big 500ml glass of cold water after each meal. This comes down to a process called thermogenesis, in other words the rate at which your body burns calories for digestion. Apparently, drinking cold water means you'll burn off your supper that bit quicker. Also if you drink 2 litres of water daily, you can help your body to burn off an extra 150 calories a day. This can also help to flatten your tummy because it can help you beat water retention that causes bloat in your stomach. You can also find fluids in your food too. Fruit and vegetables are largely water. Apricots, grapes, melons, peaches, strawberries, cucumbers, mangoes, oranges and peppers all comprise of over 75% water. Fish such as sardines, mackerel, salmon and tuna is also 50%. So if you are struggling to drink your eight glasses, you can also get some help by eating food that contains lots of water. The best thing about water is it is on tap and ready for you to use when ever you need it, plus it is free (sort of) so drink up folks!!!