60% of your body is water, so it's unsurprising that maintaining adequate hydration is vital for your well-being. But do you know how much H20 you consume per day? Chances are, you're not only unaware but also not drinking enough. The British Nutrition Foundation recommends drinking 6-8 glasses of water, which is roughly 1.2 litres per day. One of the principal benefits of water tracking is that you actively monitor your intake to ensure that you are sufficiently hydrating your body. Increasing hydration awareness has a whole host of health advantages.

The Benefits of Water Tracking and Raising Your Hydration Level

1. Improves Physical Performance
Drinking too little water before exercising has an observable impact on your output. Dehydration can decrease motivation and increase fatigue. Conversely, optimal hydration can reduce the oxidative stress that occurs during high-intensity workouts.

2. Fewer Headaches
Water flushes waste from your body. If your body is not receiving enough water to adequately perform this function, the buildup of toxins can cause headaches and illnesses. One study found that male participants who drank 1.5 litres of water per day reported significant improvements in migraine symptoms.

3. Lubricate Joints
The cartilage found in joints and spinal discs is approximately 80% water. Long-term dehydration reduces shock absorption, which can lead to joint pain. Preventing physiological complications down the line is one of the benefits of water tracking. Increased awareness of your fluid intake can have profound effects on your future.

4. Regulates Body Temperature
Exercise, hotter climates, and hormonal changes can cause your body temperature to rise. When this happens, water is released through the skin as sweat, which evaporates and cools the body, helping to maintain your internal temperature. Sweating without drinking enough water can quickly lead to dehydration.

5. Delivers Nutrients and Oxygen
The blood's primary function is transporting nutrients and oxygen around the body. Water makes up over 90% of its composition, making adequate hydration an integral part of the respiratory, circulatory, and digestive systems. Nutrients from the food you eat are broken down by the body until they are water-soluble. This enables the nutrients to pass through capillaries and intestinal walls and be distributed to target cells and organs.

6. Boosts Mood
One of the more unknown benefits of water tracking is the effect it can have on your mindset. Insufficient hydration impedes the brain's ability to produce serotonin and dopamine - two important neurotransmitters involved in mood regulation. When you take a proactive approach to increase your water intake, improvements in mood may be an unintended but welcome consequence.

7. Maximises Brain Function
Studies have found that dehydration can impair cognitive function. Even mild water loss of around 2% can lead to poorer concentration, increased reaction times, and short-term memory difficulties.

8. Slows Down Signs of Aging
Water plays a role in maintaining the skin's elasticity. This means that fine lines and other signs of aging may be kept at bay by drinking plenty of water.

9. Helps the Cardiovascular System
Dehydration causes the blood to become more concentrated. This can lead to an imbalance of the electrolyte minerals responsible for optimal muscle and heart function, such as sodium and potassium. Low water levels result in decreased blood volume and, therefore, blood pressure, causing you to feel dizzy and light-headed.

10. Aids Weight Loss
Further benefits of water tracking are seen during weight loss. Drinking water before a meal creates a feeling of fullness before finishing your food. A study of over 18,000 Americans found that increasing water intake by 1% per day resulted in lowered calorie, saturated fat, and sugar consumption. To use this tip to your advantage, you first need to calculate how much water you are drinking per day.

Reap the Benefits of Water Tracking with 4improve

4improve is an exciting, new app that helps users to take control of their health and lifestyle in a new way. Instead of jumping between devices, apps, and monitoring systems, 4improve provides education, goal-setting, and the ability to track nutrition, exercise, meditation, and water intake.

The simple, easy-to-use water tracker encourages you to set a target best suited to you as an individual. This might mean incrementally increasing the amount you drink daily or setting a larger target from the beginning. Reminders to drink can be sent via 4improve to your phone or tablet to ease the process. Each time you take a drink, simply add the number of millilitres to your tracker. Progress is clearly presented for the day, week, and month, allowing you to spot trends and shortcomings in your water intake.

Download 4improve for FREE

When you sign up to 4improve, the endless benefits of water tracking are within your reach. Moreover, the 4improve app provides an undemanding and unique way to increase your understanding of the fundamental aspects of holistic living - meditation, exercise, nutrition, and tracking. To experience the simplicity of 4improve for yourself, download from the App Store or Google Play for free. Don't delay as this offer is available for a limited time only!