In a SINGLE workday, you can negotiate a better rate with a supplier and increase your margin for years. You can call your financial planner and make an investment to impact your retirement. You can book a vacation that will create lifelong memories for your family. Better yet, you can have an Executive Health Physical and save your life.

The UF Health Douglas Williams Executive Health offers a full range of advanced diagnostic services to detect life-threatening conditions and extend life through prevention and early intervention all in ONE productive and efficient day. Throughout your Executive Health Physical, you will receive a full comprehensive medical exam, empowering lifestyle modification tools, all your test completed, questions answered and test results back the SAME DAY!

Each month we have shared helpful strategies and information in order to increase your knowledge on the importance of creating a balanced healthy lifestyle. There are many factors involved in ensuring you are on the right path to healthy living. The Executive Health nurse, Destiny Knopf, will share additional tips and tricks, which will assist you in achieving your ultimate wellness goal.

How many articles have your read or advice or have your listened to about the importance of consuming enough water daily? I’m sure you’re saying to yourself, “I’ve heard it all and I know I need to drink at least eight-8 ounce glasses of water a day, blah, blah, blah and then some.” Even though you think you’ve heard it all, there is always more to learn.

The real question is; do you truly know the benefits of staying well hydrated? For starters, do you consume 64 ounces of water a day? How about 32 ounces, 16 ounces, 8 ounces? If you’re being honest with yourself, your answers will be “I’m not 100% sure” Busy lifestyles causes nearly all of us to become chronically deprived of water and susceptible to the dangers of dehydration. We become so busy with our daily life and demanding schedules that taking the time to drink water is the last thing on our mind.

Water makes up about 60% of our body weight and is vital for almost every function in the body. Drinking plenty of water can help keep your body healthy and functioning at its highest capacity. Leading a hectic life and a managing a full schedule is tough as it is; below are some benefits of staying hydrated to encourage you to reach for that glass of water more often throughout the day.
1. Protect against disease: One of the most important answers to the question “Why is water important?” is its role in disease prevention. Proper hydration may be a useful tool in preventing a variety of health conditions and diseases. Staying hydrated may protect against kidney stones, constipation, asthma, urinary tract infection, coronary heart disease, and even some cancers.
2. Improve physical performance: During physical activity, our bodies use up a lot of water. So staying hydrated before, during, and after exercise helps to protect your body from harm, as well as helps you to perform better. Proper hydration can reduce fatigue, improve endurance, lower maximum heart rate, and more. It can also help you to be less sore after exercise.
3. Prevent headaches: Water deprivation is a very common cause of headaches. The body requires the proper balance of fluid and electrolytes to function properly. Every day, the body loses water through daily activities, such as sweating and urinating. In most cases, rehydrating can provide relief of headaches.
4. It can improve your mood: Drinking water makes us feel so refreshed that it actually improves our state of mind. You don’t even have to be severely in need of it to benefit: Even mild dehydration has been shown to negatively impact moods.
5. Boost your brainpower: Dehydration causes shrinkage of brain tissue. So when we haven’t been drinking enough water, our brains have to work a lot harder to perform at the same level. If you’re going to need to concentrate for long periods of time, keep water handy to help you stay refreshed, hydrated, and focused: Dehydration can impair your attention span, memory, and motor skills.
6. Aids in weight loss: Anyone looking to lose weight could be helped by upping their water intake. Studies have found that when participants drink water before a meal, they lose weight faster than those who did not drink water. Extra water helps us eat less by making us feel full, and it may also boost metabolism. It’s not uncommon to put on weight by mistaking thirst for hunger, next time you feel fatigued or sluggish, drinking water may be just what you need to perk up.

Now that you better understand some of the benefits of water, I bet you are curious on how to make it easier to ensure water is incorporated in your daily routine.
1. Take baby steps. If you’re struggling to drink even one glass of water per day going straight for the gold on day one might leave you feeling lousy and defeated. So try to gradually increase your water consumption each day. Maybe you set a goal to drink a glass and a half today. Keep this up for, say, 5 days and then add another half a glass to the equation. And so on.
2. Drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up in the morning. You’re groggy, your mouth is dry, you need a pick-me-up. Instead of going straight for the coffee, drink a nice, cold, refreshing glass of water first.
3. Carry a water bottle with you at all times and/or keep one at your desk at work. If you have a water bottle literally at your fingertips, you might find yourself unconsciously drinking more water throughout the day.
4. When the afternoon snack attack strikes, drink a glass of water instead. You might even find that the water quells your craving.
5. Drink a glass of water 30 minutes before every meal. To curb your appetite and help you eat less, make a point to drink a glass of water before every meal. Oftentimes our bodies confuse hunger with thirst, and you may find yourself satisfied—or at least less ravenous—after sipping some H2O
6. Go one-for-one at happy hour. When you’re enjoying a cocktail or two at happy hour or dinner or poolside, try to drink at least one glass of water (or, even just half a glass) for every alcoholic drink you take down. (It’s a great way to prevent a hangover the next day too).
7. Put reminders into your phone or calendar to drink at regular intervals. Surprisingly, this helps a LOT! I know it sounds lame, but it helps if you just plain FORGET to drink water!
8. After each trip to the restroom, guzzle an eight-ounce glass to replenish your system. The added benefit includes more trips to the restroom which in turn aids increasing your cardiovascular health.

For more information on the UF Health Douglas Williams Executive Health Program, visit www.ExecHealth.ufl.edu or contact us at 352.265.8262. Your health directly influences every aspect of your life. By taking just one day of your time, we can help optimize your health and enhance your well-being.