Hey everyone and welcome back to the Easy English Podcast.
I'm your host Oliver, and today we are going to be talking about something very simple but super important.
Water.
Are you drinking enough of it?
What is the science behind it?
And to be honest, many of us know how much or that we should drink more water.
But we don't always think about why it's so important or how it can affect our health.
So in this episode, we are going to explore why staying hydrated matters.
Hydrated is when you've drank enough water and how much water you actually need, and some tips to drink more.
Let's dive in.
This episode is going to be a little bit more sciency.
Ooh, very interesting.
So let's get started.
First off, why is water so important?
Water is essential for life.
It's essential for our lives.
And did you know that 60% of the body is made up of water?
And it plays a vital role, an important role, in almost every function in your body.
And this includes...
Oh, prepare yourself.
These are some difficult phrases.
It includes transporting nutrients to your cells, basically bringing the good stuff that your body needs to your cells, which are the building blocks of your body.
It also includes flushing out toxins from your body, getting rid of the bad stuff, basically.
And it also helps to keep your skin healthy and glowing.
And with regulating your body temperature so that you stay cool when it's very hot.
I don't think I need this one too much in the UK because it's never really very hot, to be honest.
And water also helps with digestion.
Digestion is the process of your body breaking down food and processing it.
So without enough water your body really can't work properly and you might start feeling tired, dizzy or even confused.
And it can actually be hard to study.
So if you've ever been studying English or another subject and you're feeling really tired sometimes, it can be because we are dehydrated.
We haven't drank enough water.
And I know, not everyone doesn't drink enough water.
But keep listening anyway, because you'll learn some new words here.
So how much water do you need?
Well, I have been reading online and I was wondering how much water should I drink every day?
The answer depends on a few factors like your age, your weight, your activity level and even the weather, so how hot it is.
And a common rule that I've read online is to aim for about 8 glasses of water per day, and that's about 2 litres.
However, some people definitely need more, especially if you're super active.
Maybe you like running or going to the gym, getting out and about, or perhaps you're a lucky person that lives in a nice, warm and hot climate and you're out in the sun and because of that, your body is sweating a lot and you need to replace the water that you're losing as well.
An easy way to tell if you're drinking enough water is actually to check the colour of your urine.
The colour of your pee, so when you go to the toilet.
And if it's a pale yellow, you're probably dehydrated.
Or hydrated, sorry.
If it's dark, it's a sign that you might need some more water.
But there are some other signs that you might be dehydrated.
And here are some of the common signs of dehydration.
Dehydration once again being the condition of not having drank enough water.
The first of these signs is so obvious, and that is feeling thirsty.
Thirsty is when you want to drink.
You think, oh, I'm thirsty.
I want to drink.
So this is so obvious.
The next one is having a dry mouth or lips.
The third is feeling tired or sluggish.
Sluggish is when you feel a little bit slow.
You feel very slow like a slug.
A slug is a creature, a bit like a snail, but without a shell, and it moves very slowly along the ground.
And that's why, when we say feeling sluggish, it means to feel a little bit slow, quite tired, and you're not working at normal speed.
Another symptom might be experiencing headaches or dizziness and also not needing to go to the toilet very often, or that kind of dark urine that we mentioned.
This sounds very medical.
Also a disclaimer little point.
I am not a medical professional, so please do not take any of this reading or these points as proper medical advice.
I'm just trying to pick different topics to teach you some different, more complicated words to help you understand more complicated material.
There are a number of very easy tips to help stay hydrated in a condition where you've had enough water.
And the first is simply make sure that you carry a water bottle with you.
Because if it's nearby, if it's beside you, you're much more likely to sip and drink water throughout the day.
To sip is to take little drinks throughout the day.
So for me, I travel a lot for work.
And I am pretty guilty of this.
Sometimes I do not bring water with me and I'm driving for long periods of time and I can start to feel a little bit tired, maybe have a dry mouth.
I feel thirsty and I don't have water.
But when I remember to bring water with me, I drink it much more often, of course, because it's there.
And as a result, I feel less tired and better when I'm driving.
I know some people take more extreme measures, like they can set reminders on their phone to drink some water.
And of course, this works for some.
But for me, I think just having it there, I use it.
So as long as I have my bottle with me or a glass, I do drink it.
For other people.
Sometimes flavouring their water can also help, if they find plain water quite boring.
And you can add some lemon, maybe cucumber or even mint to your water.
And it can make it a little bit more exciting by having flavored water, natural flavored water.
But of course it's also worth pointing out when doctors and these medical sites talk about having two liters of water per day.
It also includes food, so food that has water in it.
You don't need to literally drink a big jug or a container of two liters of water.
This can also include fruits and vegetables, like watermelon, cucumber, and oranges, for example.
And if you like eating soup, You're also getting a bunch of extra water.
It's a watery food.
So a lot of foods do have water in them.
So don't worry.
You don't need to literally drink two liters of pure water per day.
And another great thing which I try to do and it has helped is starting my day off by drinking water.
So in the morning time to help rehydrate after a night of sleep.
Because in the morning you can feel quite tired, quite sluggish, quite slow.
And drinking water can help your body get moving and get the hydration that you need.
And one thought to think about, especially because you are learning English you're listening to this podcast is that maybe staying hydrated can also help you with your work with learning English as well, because drinking enough water keeps your brain sharp and your focus much stronger.
So, whether you're studying vocabulary or listening to this podcast, or even practicing speaking, being hydrated will help you stay alert and to absorb and learn new information.
So if you were listening to this podcast and you're dehydrated, you're thirsty, you need a drink.
Of course, your brain is not going to be thinking, maybe as well as it usually would.
So it really does make sense to make sure to drink an extra bit of water to stay hydrated and feel better and more ready for the day and for the tasks and work that you're doing.
So really, in conclusion, drinking enough water might feel like a small thing, but it can make a big difference in how you feel and perform every day.
Staying hydrated will also help your body and your brain and even possibly your language learning.
So you should ask yourself, are you drinking enough water?
And if not, try to drink a little bit extra and see how you feel.
Just a quick note before I end the podcast.
You might notice that I say water a little bit different.
So in the UK, more in the north of the UK, so like Northern Ireland Scotland, the north of England, people tend to pronounce the ER a bit harder.
So like what-er, water.
Whereas in the south of England, people say it a bit more like water, water.
So if it sounds a bit different, that's why.
Either way of saying the word is correct, so don't worry, you can say it whichever way you prefer.
People will understand you.
So thank you for listening and if you want, at the end you can listen a bit.
I just want to talk and show you a little bit about the easy english patreon before we continue.
A quick ad break from myself, and so i just want to show you the patreon.
The link is in the description below.
This is the Easy English Patreon.
And on the Patreon, you get access to lots of bonus content.
So you can see here that not only are the full videos, full podcasts available, But they also come with the full transcripts below to help you learn.
So to take time to read along with it, to go back and look at difficult words.
And you also get a higher quality audio here as well.
But not only do you get that, you also get bonus additional series.
So news in easy English, where I read different news articles in English and highlight and teach you difficult words from those articles.
So you can see here, difficult word section, and I break these down and explain them.
Not only that, but you get some life updates from myself too.
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Thank you.
