6th Golden Flat Belly Rule: The Benefits of Water

The benefits of water in midlife are even greater than during the rest of your life. Sure, it's always important to get your eight glasses of water a day, but the changes in midlife are particularly affected by how much water you drink.

If you want to prevent that midlife weight gain, staying well hydrated is absolutely essential.

Here are a few benefits of water

• It’s free. When my siblings and I used to ask for sugary juice from my mother, she would say, “We have a whole well full of water.” It didn’t sound very appealing at the time, but now I have to admit she was right.
• It flushes out the toxins.
• Keeps your kidneys functioning at an optimal level.
• Keeps your skin tone beautiful.
• Keeps your vagina moist.
• Flushes out the bacteria in your bladder to reduce infections.
• You’ll feel less hungry. In fact, many people think they’re hungry when in fact they’re just thirsty. The brain can mix up the thirst/hunger signal.
• Dehydration can be one cause of headaches/migraines
• Gives you thirty percent more energy. That’s a lot of extra energy! Think what you can accomplish: the mountains you could climb, the money you could make, the books you could write, the races you could win with thirty percent more energy!

Warning: You may have to exchange your chair for a toilet

Remember to drink approximately eight glasses of water a day. Add a glass for each hour of exercise you do and for every alcoholic or caffeinated drink you consume. This is what the textbooks say. I exercise (almost) an hour a day and I drink four cups of coffee, and drink the (occasional?) glass of wine. So, I should be drinking at least thirteen cups of water a day.

Ummm, this is a bit extreme, and I don’t think it’s realistic unless I exchange my office chair for a toilet. Use your judgment. If you drink more water than you are now, then this is an improvement-way to go!

Sip, don't Guzzle

Also, remember you shouldn’t guzzle the water because your body can’t absorb more than half a glass every half hour. I have a sports water bottle on my desk at all times. It has the ounces clearly displayed so I can see how successful I am at keeping my body hydrated. It also helps that I have an antispill lid, so I won't wreck my keyboard if it topples over.

Do what works for you. If you want that flat belly, drinking water is probably one of the easiest things to do in this 10 part series on how to have a flat belly.