Water - why it’s so important over the festive period.

If like me your liquid intake has predominantly been made up of wine, tea and coffee these past few days, you'll most likely have not been drinking much water and by now feeling a little crappy! The holidays tend to do that to us, habits that seem to come easy while in the routine of work and school, disappear when we have a few days at home to relax. Not to mention all the rich and salty food! I'm not going to tell you to put down the vino! I like my wine just as much as the next person and our members will vouch for that. Real people, real life and all that! But I will say that by increasing water intake again, you'll start to feel more alert, less peckish and you'll most likely sleep much better too. But why is drinking water so important? As females, a whopping 50-60% of our body should be made up of water. Yet 9/10 of people that come to see me for consultation have their hydration levels well below the minimum 50% mark. In most cases this is due to them not drinking much water which they openly admit, but it can also be down to the quality of the foods we eat. We get a lot of water from the fruit and veg that we eat. So if your diet over the festive period is mainly made of rich or processed food, you won't be getting the nutrients and water that your body needs. We actually need to be consuming 2-3 liters of water per day to ensure we are hydrated. If that sounds like a lot... Why do we need so much water? 1) Regulates our body temperature. 2) Helps carry nutrients and oxygen to our cells. 3) Composes 75% of our brain. 4) Makes up 83% of our blood. 5) Composes 22% of our bones. 6) Makes up 75% of our muscles. 7) Reduced the risk of headaches caused by dehydration. 8) Helps keep our skin hydrated. 9) Helps digestion. 10) Helps reduce hunger.