Water is the best beverage there is. It has no calories, it drenches thirst and it is guilt-free. It plays an important in all of your body functions: it helps your blood circulation, plumps up your skin, improves digestion, and it keeps your organs in optimal condition to perform other tasks.

Unfortunately, most people don’t drink water as often as they need to. We usually wait until we feel thirsty, which already indicates dehydration. Just so you have an idea, our body is more than 50 % water and we get rid of it through sweating, urinating and your metabolism. Even though it feels like you aren’t sweating as much as you do during the summer, your body still loses a lot of water during the winter. If you don’t replace that water you’re losing, your bones and muscles cannot perform well and you may start feeling more tired and less focused.

Also, a dehydrated body will try to keep water in, no matter what, and you will start retaining water, which can lead to water weight gain.

The amount of water recommended to drink is 3 liters a day, and even more if your work out a lot. We are not talking about drinking it all at once, which may actually be dangerous. The goal is to drink water throughout the day, even when you don’t feel thirsty. Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that we are hungry when we really are thirsty, so it’s time to learn how to read our body and be more aware of the importance of drinking water.

At boot camp, we always recommend that you bring sufficient water to sip between breaks to replace your fluids. Modu says “Drink 16oz of water before workout and 20 to 40 ounces for every hour of workout. Water is an essential source of minerals such as magnesium and calcium that prevent our muscles from cramping up.” Also, we strongly recommend carrying a bottle of water with you at all times.

Try not to replace water with soda or other sugary beverage. This may take some discipline, but it’s for your body’s sake. If you don’t like to drink water because it’s tasteless, try adding a little bit of lemon or orange slices. It will freshen it up and the taste is very nice, without adding any artificial chemicals. Like Henry David Thoreau once said “Water is the only drink for a wise man”.