Monday, October 02, 2006
Water Is More Important Than You May Think
The human body is made up of approximately 70% water. This is true because blood is composed mostly of water and our muscles and organs contain large amounts of water. There are many reasons why drinking a enough water is important. Such reasons include: providing nutrients for our vital organs, lubricating our joints, removing waste, transporting oxygen to our cells, and regulating our body temperature.
But how much water is "enough?" The easiest way to find out is to use your body weight. Divide your body weight, in pounds, in half. You should drink approximately that amount in ounces per day. Example: if you weigh around 130 pounds you should drink about 65 ounces (or 8 cups) per day. In addition to this amount, other things add on to how much you should drink. For instance, you should drink another 8 ounces (1 cup) for every twenty minutes of exercise you do. You should also drink another cup for every hour you are flying on a plane and drink an equal amount of water that you do alcohol. Remember that liquids that contain water (like soda, coffee, or tea) are not a good replacement for pure water.
Drinking enough water can have other positive side effects that you may not have known. Drinking enough water reduces your chances of getting hangovers, and reduces the chance of being constipated. When our stool is dry (from lack of water) normal removal of solid waste can become a problem. Drinking enough water can curve your appetite and can reduce overeating. The purity (how clean it is) of the water we drink has a big effect on how it interacts with your body. Make the water you drink has been proper purified (filtered). Many people drink bottled water because they know it is cleaner than normal tap water.
Dehydration is the lack of appropriate water amounts in the body. The human body loses water many different ways. The most common ways are: urination (liquid waste), perspiration (sweating), and respiration (breathing). Exercise makes our bodies perspire more and drinking alcohol tricks your body into thinking it has more water in it than it really does. Mild dehydration can cause, joint or muscle soreness, constipation, headaches, lower back pain, darkened and odorous (smelly) urine, and of course, thirst. Serious dehydration can make you sick or even kill you. Please drink as much water as you can.
But how much water is "enough?" The easiest way to find out is to use your body weight. Divide your body weight, in pounds, in half. You should drink approximately that amount in ounces per day. Example: if you weigh around 130 pounds you should drink about 65 ounces (or 8 cups) per day. In addition to this amount, other things add on to how much you should drink. For instance, you should drink another 8 ounces (1 cup) for every twenty minutes of exercise you do. You should also drink another cup for every hour you are flying on a plane and drink an equal amount of water that you do alcohol. Remember that liquids that contain water (like soda, coffee, or tea) are not a good replacement for pure water.
Drinking enough water can have other positive side effects that you may not have known. Drinking enough water reduces your chances of getting hangovers, and reduces the chance of being constipated. When our stool is dry (from lack of water) normal removal of solid waste can become a problem. Drinking enough water can curve your appetite and can reduce overeating. The purity (how clean it is) of the water we drink has a big effect on how it interacts with your body. Make the water you drink has been proper purified (filtered). Many people drink bottled water because they know it is cleaner than normal tap water.
Dehydration is the lack of appropriate water amounts in the body. The human body loses water many different ways. The most common ways are: urination (liquid waste), perspiration (sweating), and respiration (breathing). Exercise makes our bodies perspire more and drinking alcohol tricks your body into thinking it has more water in it than it really does. Mild dehydration can cause, joint or muscle soreness, constipation, headaches, lower back pain, darkened and odorous (smelly) urine, and of course, thirst. Serious dehydration can make you sick or even kill you. Please drink as much water as you can.
