Drinking This One Thing Every Morning Gives Me More Energy And Cleared My Skin
Amanda McDonald discovered a new way to start her day and she’s already seeing benefits from it. McDonald, a writer for Eat This, Not That! no longer grabs her phone or makes coffee as soon as she gets out of bed. Instead, McDonald reaches for a “big cup of water,” something that she drinks even before eating breakfast.
“I no longer need to wait for coffee to get me going,” McDonald wrote in an article for Eat This, Not That!
The practice of drinking water in the morning has the full endorsement of health experts who emphasize how essential water is to the human body. Water makes up about 50-70 percent of your body weight, and every cell, tissue, and organ in the body needs water to work properly, according to the Mayo Clinic.
In January, McDonald decided to start a new morning routine after wondering what changes she could make that would improve her day. So, McDonald said she prepared 28-36 ounces of water (which is equivalent to about three cups) before she went to bed.
“It’s like putting workout clothes out the night before—with the cup full and ready to go, I found it super easy to grab and sip as I groggily stumble out of bed,” McDonald wrote.
Water is the best thing to drink after we get up in the morning because our bodies are dehydrated from breathing and sweating during our previous night’s sleep, according to Amy Shapiro, a registered dietician nutritionist and the founder and director of Real Nutrition in New York City. Shapiro is also a member of the Eat This, Not That! Medical Expert Board.
McDonald said she noticed several changes after drinking two to three cups of water every morning:
1. She had to go to the bathroom earlier in the day.
Health experts say it’s common to urinate more frequently after drinking more water. In fact, it has several benefits. For one, it’s a good way to cleanse toxins out of the body, says Dr. Maria Peña, who specializes in obesity medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. Water also helps to get rid of bad bacteria and allows good bacteria to grow in your gut, she added.
2. Her digestion started regulating.
Water and other liquids help with digestion by breaking down food so that the body can absorb nutrients, says Dr. Michael F. Picco, a gastroenterologist who chairs the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Division at Mayo Clinic Florida. In addition, water also softens stool, helps prevent constipation, and helps the body remove waste.
3. She saw a drastic improvement in her skin; it looked more “glowy,” and three months later after starting to drink water in the morning, her skin felt soft and hydrated.
One small study found that drinking more water overall—not just in the morning—improves skin health. The study, published in the journal Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology in 2015, suggested that people who were dehydrated due to low daily water consumption saw a positive impact on their skin after they began drinking more water each day.
4. She noticed her “energy levels skyrocket right away.”
Health experts say water can boost metabolism (the chemical reactions in cells that change food into energy) and also help you to lose weight. A small study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that drinking about two cups of water at 71 degrees Fahrenheit led to a 30 percent average increase in the metabolic rates of 14 healthy adults. The metabolism increase occurred within 10 minutes after drinking water and reached a maximum after about 30 to 40 minutes.
How Much Water is Enough?
While drinking water in the morning is commendable, health experts agree that people will see even more benefits when they drink water throughout the day. However, the experts’ opinions vary when it comes to determining exactly how much water people should drink every day.
The most common recommendation for water intake is drinking eight glasses of eight ounces of water per day. This recommendation, however, is not a one-size-fits-all since some health experts say the amount of daily fluid intake depends on a number of factors, such as age and gender.
For example, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends a total water intake of 131 ounces for men 19 years old and older and 95 ounces for women in the same age range. The IOM equates this to around 13 cups of beverages for men, and 9 cups for women. The IOM’s recommendations refer to overall fluid intake that includes water, fruits, and vegetables.
On the other hand, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends 15.5 cups of fluids a day for men and 11.5 cups for women. These amounts include fluids from plain water, other beverages, and food.
According to Dr. Trent Nessler, a sports medicine physical therapist and managing director of Baptist Sports Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, the amount of daily water consumption depends on your size and weight, your activity level, and where you live.
Dr. Nessler suggests drinking between half an ounce and an ounce of water for each pound you weigh, every day. So, according to Dr. Nessler, a 150-pound person would drink between 75-150 ounces of water a day. The water intake of people who live in hot climates and exercise a lot would be on the higher end of the range, while people living in cooler climates and are mostly sedentary, would need to drink less water, Dr. Nessler says.
McDonald said she is now more willing to drink water throughout the day, but her first sip will still be in the morning. McDonald writes, “This habit is so ingrained in me now that even if I’m not sleeping at home, I still make sure a glass of water is prepared and waiting for me, even if it’s in a water bottle.”
Source Links:
https://www.eatthis.com/morning-cup-of-water-for-energy/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/digestion/faq-20058348
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4529263/
https://hub.jhu.edu/at-work/2020/01/15/focus-on-wellness-drinking-more-water/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14671205/
https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/10925/chapter/6
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256
https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/water-for-weight-loss-diet