Water you drinking?
Water you doing to improve your health? 71% of the Earths land surface is water and 37.5 million billion gallons of water is in the earths atmosphere as vapor. So how much water do you think is in the human body? The human body fluctuates between 50%-60% water. But did you know that water makes up most of your organs too? Lets see some science: According to the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the brain and heart are composed of 73% water, the lungs are about 83% water, the skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys are 79%, and even the bones are watery with 31%. So it seems like water in an important component of survival in everything from earth, to air, to humans and dogs.
Drinking water isn’t just for your thirst, but it helps to maintain your bodily functions and health. We probably shouldn’t just drink water when were exercising, but drink it throughout the day. Lets talk about the benefits of drinking water:
Firstly, water helps to regulate your body temperature. When it is hot, your body sweats (getting rid of water) and that process helps to keep your body cool. Without water your body would heat up, and cause stress on your organs and cause unconsciousness or even death. Ever heard of dying from dehydration? Make sure to replace the sweat lost with pure water and electrolytes.
Secondly, water helps to excrete the toxins that are detrimental to your health. Water helps to regulate the kidneys which in turn filter out the toxins from the blood, and excrete it through the urine. Using water, your kidneys pretty much detox the body. It helps decrease the burden on the kidneys and liver by flushing out harmful toxins.
Thirdly, water acts as a transporter of nutrients, minerals and even oxygen in the body. So drinking enough water can help with blood oxygen circulation, which in return keeps the organs, muscles and tissue healthier and stronger. It protects against joint inflammation and lubricates the joints,
I can talk about the benefits of drinking water all day every day, but instead I listed a few important ones. Some honorable mentions include: helping to lose weight, boosts your energy, speeds cognitive brain function, keeps your skin bright and healthy, aids in digestion and even fights off illnesses (kidney stones, UTI, constipation…)
How much water is enough water? Its recommended for women to drink 11.5 cups of water and for men, 15.5 cups of water. This is not taking into consideration if youre exercising or living in hot environment. However, we get about 20%-25% of our daily water intake from the foods we eat, so it makes it easier to drink the cups of water. It would be beneficial to keep an app that reminds you to drink or keeps track of how much you drank. My favorite is a water bottle that has on it the marks of where the water level should be throughout the day. For example, the water mark all the way on the top would be 9am when you wake up and you drink your way down to the bottom mark of 9pm.
Caution: *Important*
Many conditions warrant the excess drinking of water or other liquids. You need to consult your doctor before drinking excess water. Conditions such as heart Failure, Kidney Failure, Edema, Crackles in lungs… and much more, can lead to respiratory distress and fluid overload. It can lead to hospitalization, intubation and death. Your primary doctor should be consulted for advice on how much water to drink.
