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Never underestimate the power of water. After all, our bodies are made of approximately 60% water. It only makes sense that the more purified water we drink, the purer we’ll feel every day. “You are what you drink” is just as true as “You are what you eat.”
You may have heard of drinking water on an empty stomach first thing in the morning for the added health benefits and wondered to yourself, Why would I want to do that? Well, there’s a long list of reasons why you should consider making water part of your morning ritual.
In this article, I share 5 of the best reasons to drink more water first thing in the morning.
1. Jump-Start Your Metabolism
One study tested the effect of drinking water on the body’s metabolic rate. The researchers measured a 30% increase in the participants’ metabolic rate. The boost began just 10 minutes after they drank 500 ml of water and peaked 30-40 minutes after ingestion.
When you drink water first thing in the morning before you eat, your body absorbs the water faster since it makes it to your large intestine in a hurry. Your body requires water to perform most bodily functions including moving your bowels. Adding water to your morning ritual before breakfast gets the bowels moving and helps you maintain regularity.
2. Keep Acid Reflux and Chronic Heartburn in Check
The Standard American Diet or SAD is full of acid-forming foods. Everyone knows someone that suffers from acid reflux and/or heartburn. Perhaps even you’ve felt that painful burn in your chest after eating too much acid-forming food.
A great way to reduce the burn is to dilute the excess acids that are causing the pain at the start of your day. One study found that alkaline water is good for acid reflux. The study concluded that water with a pH of 8.8 has the ability to permanently deactivate human pepsin hiding in the esophagus.
Human pepsin is tricky because it can survive in environments with a pH up to 7.4 which is slightly alkaline. Many acid reflux and heartburn sufferers have found relief by drinking alkaline water, and there’s no better time to drink it than first thing in the morning to keep reflux in check.
3. Flush Toxins
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Your body repairs itself while you sleep and releases toxins during this process. The best way to flush the toxins from your body and colon is to start the day with a big glass of water on an empty stomach. It’s the most efficient way to give your kidneys a flush and turn your urine to a healthy pale color earlier in the day.
Once your urine is pale to clear, it’s a good indicator that you’re hydrated. Ever notice how your urine is the darkest yellow in the morning? By drinking water immediately after waking up, you eliminate dark urine which is a key indicator of dehydration.
4. Reach Your Weight Loss Goal Faster
Drinking cold water on an empty stomach is a great way to burn calories on autopilot. Your body uses energy to warm up cold water. If you follow the 8 glasses of water a day rule with cold water, you can burn up to 70 calories a day without doing any extra work.
By starting with a glass or two of water first thing in the morning, you make it easier to reach your daily water intake goal. Over time, this 70 calories per day will make a difference. Plus, water does a great job of suppressing your appetite. You’ll find that your breakfast gets a little smaller while still providing the same level of gratification.
In the end, you eat less, plus you get that extra calorie burn.
5. Healthier Heart
Since we go the longest without water while we sleep, it’s not unusual to be dehydrated by the time you wake up. By drinking water immediately after waking up, you provide your body with the fluid it needs to function.
Your heart has to work harder to pump blood when you’re dehydrated, and your body retains more sodium to compensate. Your heart will thank you when you give your body the water it needs right from the start of your day.
Angel Revive Natural Alkaline Water contains minerals and electrolytes that help to support a healthy body and a healthy mind. Our water trickles down through multiple layers of mineral rock across the natural countryside of the Pennines. That specific geology defines the mineral profile and natural alkalinity. Once collected at source, it’s UV tested for purity and bottled locally so that when you enjoy that first sip, it’s as pure as nature intended.
Final Thoughts
These are only a handful of the reasons to drink water on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. Are these reasons enough to convince you to add water to your morning ritual? If you decide it’s worth a try, remember that drinking cold water is one of the easiest ways to burn calories on autopilot.
You may even notice an extra energy boost along the way as your body becomes accustomed to its morning toxin flush and metabolism boost.
About the Author:
Pete “Hercules” Rome is a professional writer, blogger, and confirmed water nerd. While living abroad in Taiwan, he discovered alkaline water in the local 7-Eleven. Since that serendipitous day, he’s created his site Alkaline Water Machine Source and kept the nasty case of heartburn that led him to alkaline water in check. When he’s not writing, he loves to surf, play the ukulele, and test his limits at the gym.
