We all know drinking water does wonders for the skin, but what does
that mean exactly? And how much water do you drink anyway? Is there such
a thing as too much of it?
We spoke with esthetician Cassandra Lanning to learn the facts, bust
some myths, and discover how to get the most out of your H20.
MYTH: Everyone needs 8-12 oz a day
“The standard rule is to drink half your bodyweight in ounces”,
Lanning tells us. What does this mean? If you weigh 150 pounds, divide
that by 2, which gives you 75 oz. With 8 ounces in a cup, that’s about
9.3 cups of water per day. This means a heavier person may require a
much higher amount of water than the recommended dose, while a petite
person will require much less. Buying a large bottle equal or close to
the amount of water that’s right for you is a great way to make sure you
get your own custom amount of water in every day.
FACT: Coffee drinkers need more water to stay hydrated
Caffeine is dehydrating,causing us to backtrack on our hydration
routine with every cup. If you make drinking coffee or caffeinated soda a
habit, Lanning suggests adding 1.5 cups of water to your routine, for
every 1 cup of caffeinated beverage. Though black tea also counts
against our daily water intake, herbal tea will count toward it—a few
cups of peppermint on ice can jazz up a boring hydration routine.
MYTH: Water drinking will expel toxins out through your skin
Does water wash out clogged pores from the inside out? Not quite.
“Drinking water is good for your body, but you’re not expelling toxins
out of your skin as people would like to think,” Lanning explains. But
water is essential to maintaining your health, and the health of your
epidermis. ”Think of your skin as the last stop on the bus route.
Whatever you take in through your mouth will go through your digestive
system, and through all of your different systems internally. Your skin
is the last priority. Our bodies are 60% water, and when you’ve got
blood that needs water, lymphatic fluid that needs water, and all these
different things within your body that need water, there’s not going to
be enough left once it gets to your skin.”
FACT: Drinking water is best served at room temperature
Just like our pores tighten at the touch of cold water, our organs
can have a similar reaction to chilly temperatures. Lanning suggests
drinking your water at room temperature, and even adding a pinch of salt
to up the mineral content for faster absorption.
MYTH: Peeing frequently is a sign of good hydration
The “gallon challenge” may be trendy but it might not be beneficial
in the way we hoped. “If you’re drinking a gallon of water a day, you
might actually be causing dehydration in your system”, says Lanning,
”When you’re drinking too much, you’re just going to pee it all out so
it’s not gonna get utilized.” Lanning explains there are other reasons
to not overdrink. “When you drink too much water, you’re diluting the
minerals in your system which need water for transport across cell
membranes and through the bloodstream, but if you’re drinking too much,
you’re going to flush all that stuff away. It’s important to drink
enough water, but not too much.”
FACT: Body rehydration is a gradual process
If you’ve been experiencing dehydration from not drinking water,
guzzling a full liter in one sitting might not be the quick fix you were
hoping for. “Think of the Nevada desert floor,” explains Lanning,”If
there’s a flash flood, the ground there is too dry for the water to
properly absorb into it. However, in a wet place like Washington State,
the ground is always being rained on so moisture will absorb. That’s
kind of how our bodies work. Our organs, joints, and cartilage all need
constant moisture to work properly. If you’re not drinking water
regularly and absorbing it, you’re not going to get all the benefits,
especially if you are over drinking. It’s about small amounts of water
over a period of time.”
No comments:
Post a Comment