Drinking Enough Water

Drinking lots of water is the key to a longer, healthier life.  Water is the main component of all biological processes in our bodies and is important for health and vitality.  Every body is composed of 75% water and 25% solid matter.  Your body needs to stay hydrated to operate at peak performance.  Not consuming enough water increases the aging process.  As we age, our bodies require more water because our bodies become dehydrated a lot easier.  Everyone should be drinking a minimum of 8 glasses of water a day. 

Dehydration is one of the biggest concerns for Americans, especially those who suffer from illnesses, obesity and elderly.  Some effects of dehydration include: dry skin, fissured tongue, sunken facial structures, loss of skin elasticity and plumpness of the skin.  Most Americans are dehydrated because we consume too much caffeine, (including coffee, teas and soda) which causes our bodies to lose water.  Water is natural refreshment and is the main component of human bodies.  Water is necessary for digestion, especially when consuming fiber.  Most Americans are constipated from dehydration, poor diets and lack of exercise.  Fiber cannot perform its job properly without the help of water.  When you’re dehydrated, your blood becomes thickened, which forces your body to work harder to circulate blood.  In turn, you find it difficult to concentrate and you feel easily fatigued.

Some ways in which water aids in avoiding the aging process:

• Keeps blood volume high to distribute nutrients and oxygen throughout the body, by keeping young cells well-fed and vital.
• Plumps up the vertebrae disks to ward off debilitating spinal problems, including herniated disks, humps, curved spine and the aches that come with these conditions.
• Flushes toxins out of the body as well as aids in the digestive process.
• Crucial to weight loss and maintenance.  Burning calories is easily done by drinking cool water, which makes your body use calories to get the temperature back to 98.6^oF.  Your body compensates by burning fat.

Water is a natural appetite suppressant which will help you maintain a healthy weight.  Most people suffer from hunger on a regular basis, but this clue can actually be your body telling you it’s suffering from dehydration.  Drinking enough water flushes out your systems, reducing calcium in your urine, risk of kidney stone formation, and help it to prevent urinary tract infections in both men and women.  Water may also prove as a weapon against illness and viruses by flushing toxins and invading substances from the body.  Allergies may also become more controlled because when you’re dehydrated, thicker mucous and drainage may collect in your lungs and throat.

Water consumption and the dangers of dehydration:

• 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated
• 37% of Americans have thirst mechanisms so weak they mistake this for hunger
• Mild dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 3%
• One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for dieters
• Lack of water is the #1 cause of daytime fatigue
• 8 – 10 glasses of water a day can ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers
• A 2% drop in body water weight can trigger short-term memory, trouble with basic math and difficulty focusing on a computer or paper
• Drinking 5 glasses of water a day increases the risk of colon cancer by 45% and decreases the risk of breast cancer by 79% and bladder cancer by 50%

Are you drinking enough water???

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