Water Information
Health Benefits of Water
Water is the body’s principal chemical component and makes up about 60 percent of our body weight. Every system in our body depends on water. Water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to cells and provides moisture for ear, nose and throat tissues. Lack of water in your body can lead to dehydration and difficulty carrying out normal activity. Even mild dehydration can drain energy and make you tired.
Why drink more water?
While most of us realize the benefits of drinking water, we usually drink anything but in the course of a day including coffee, soda, alcohol, fruit juices, teas and milk. In addition to failing to provide your body with proper hydration, many of these beverages actually cause further dehydration and also contain high levels of unhealthy ingredients such as sugar or artificial sweeteners.
How much water?
The question of how much water to drink is a debatable one. What’s clear is that the old recommendation of “eight 8-ounce glasses a day” isn’t right for everyone, for several reasons: this amount includes all dietary water intake, including food and non-water beverages; it also ignores a person’s body weight, which is an important factor in figuring the amount; it also varies if you are sick or if you exercise. It’s also not good to just drink when you’re thirsty — by then, you’re already dehydrated. The best approach is to form a routine: drink a glass of water when you wake up, a glass with each meal, a glass in between meals, and be sure to drink before, during and after exercise. Try to generally keep yourself from getting thirsty.
To make sure you’re drinking enough water, track your water intake on your daily log.
Here are some strong reasons to make drinking water a daily habit:
- Heart healthy
Drinking a good amount of water could lower your risk of a heart attack. A six-year study published in the May 1, 2002, American Journal of Epidemiology found that individuals who drink more than 5 glasses of water a day were 41 percent less likely to die from a heart attack during the study period than those who drank less than 2 glasses. - Weight loss
Water is one of the best tools for weight loss, first of all because it often replaces high-calorie drinks like soda, juice and alcohol with a drink that doesn’t have any calories. But it’s also a great appetite suppressant: often when we think we’re hungry, we’re actually just thirsty. Water has no fat, no calories, no carbs, no sugar. Drink plenty to help your weight-loss regimen. - Energy
Being dehydrated can sap your energy and make you feel tired — even mild dehydration of as little as 1 or 2 percent of your body weight. If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated — and this can lead to fatigue, muscle weakness, dizziness and other symptoms. - Headache cure
Another symptom of dehydration is headaches. In fact, often when we have headaches it’s simply a matter of not drinking enough water. There are many other causes of headaches, of course, but dehydration is a common one. - Healthy skin
Drinking water can clear up your skin; people often report a healthy glow after drinking water. It won’t happen overnight, of course, but just a week of drinking a healthy amount of water can have good effects on your skin. - Digestive problems
Our digestive systems need a good amount of water to digest food properly. Often water can help cure stomach acid problems, and water along with fiber can cure constipation (often a result of dehydration). - Cleansing
Water is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products from the body. - Cancer risk
Drinking a healthy amount of water has also been found to reduce the risk of colon cancer by 45 percent. Drinking lots of water can also reduce the risk of bladder cancer by 50 percent and potentially reduce the risk of breast cancer. - Better exercise
Being dehydrated can severely hamper your athletic activities, slowing you down and making it harder to lift weights. Exercise requires additional water, so be sure to hydrate before, during and after exercise.
More Water Information
Check out this link about healthy water habits from the Mayo Clinic: