Did you know the body is around 60% water for adults? It varies depending on age. Babies and kids have a higher percentage. It should come as no surprise that drinking water is considered one of the essential requirements of your body on a daily routine.
Some medical professionals suggest you should be drinking water all day, and the generally agreed rule of thumb is to drink about 2 liters of water a day.
However, our Chiropractor in West Vancouver understands that each individual will react differently to the amount of water they drink every day.
Depending on your general health, existing health conditions, or the frequency of pain like headaches or lower back pain, we’re able to offer you in-depth advice on how much water you should be drinking every day. If you have a health condition like urinary tract infections, gout, or kidney stones, you should probably drink more water then the average recommendation.
Drinking Water to Improve Your General Health
Drinking plenty of water is not a miracle cure for your ailments, but there is no doubt that if you drink more water, you will start to see improvements to your general health.
Simple things, like a reduction in headaches, weight loss, and eliminating the harmful effects of dehydration, can all be achieved by drinking more water.
However, there is some evidence that drinking water can also have a positive effect on conditions such as kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and constipation.
How Drinking Water Can Help Your Back Pain, And Other Muscle and Joint Problems
As Chiropractors, we focus on how drinking water can help alleviate back pain and help with other aches felt throughout the body.
Lower back pain is a debilitating condition and is adverse past the age of 45. If you suffer from chronic back pain, drinking water does offer a chance of alleviating some of the pain.
Your spine is made up of discs and vertebral bones. Both work together to maintain the structure of your spine. When you’re dehydrated, the discs that act as mini shock absorbers for the spine and provide cushioning throughout everyday activities shrink and become more prone to injury.
That means simple activities, like walking, bending, or running, can feel like a chore. Thankfully, drinking lots of water can have a significant impact on the health of your spine.
How Drinking Water Can Help Your Lower Back Pain, Advice from Your Chiropractor in West Vancouver
Water keeps your spinal discs hydrated, meaning they maintain their structure and shape. The benefits of a healthy disc means better cushioning for when you’re moving around or doing exercise. This type of shock absorption offered by your discs is especially important in activities that are high impact like running, jumping, or even mountain biking.
As well as the spinal discs, keeping a good routine with drinking plenty of water makes sure that the muscle around your joints and spine are not developing lactic acid. Lactic acid can cause painful inflammation and compression of the nerves. An increase in Lactic acid in your muscles will have you feeling sore and achy in those muscles.
Head To Your Chiropractor in West Vancouver if Lower Back Pain Continues
Drinking plenty of water is just the first few steps towards making sure your body feels healthier; it doesn’t guarantee that your lower back pain will magically disappear.
If you experience lower back pain consistently, especially if it continues after a few weeks, it’s a good idea to visit your chiropractor. Our Chiropractors in West Vancouver can offer personalized advice on diet, exercise regimes, and stretches that can help you with your lower back pain.
How Much Water Should You Drink While You Exercise?
There is a lot of differing advice on how much water you should drink before, during, and after an exercise session. The truth is that drinking too much water during exercise can actually be detrimental.
An excellent general rule to take is to drink water before you exercise, a little during exercise, and then more water over the hours that follow the session.
As well as regulating how much water you drink, it should also be noted that many of these ‘exercise drinks’ have shown little to no extra benefit over plain water. That includes hydration as well as your performance during exercise.
Drinking water has also been shown to boost metabolism by 20-30%. Drinking at least 2 liters of water a day could help boost your calorie reduction by up to 100 calories a day.
In Conclusion, Listen To Your Body!
With so much conflicting advice about which routines are best, in the end, it’s wise to listen to your body. Your body has sophisticated systems that work to let you know when it’s time to have a drink. However, it’s best to keep hydrated throughout the day. Our Chiropractor in West Vancouver will be happy to share some simple ideas on how to include drinking water as part of your daily routine.
Drink water when you’re active, have a daily hydration schedule and don’t drink too much water when exercising. You can drink more water afterward. These are the simple principles that will help you live a healthier life, both for your spine and general health.
