Water, Life Source
Water is one of the most important part of our daily lives. Your body needs water to survive.
It is part of the rule of three, 3 minutes without air, 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food. Your body might exceed those time limits but it is a good, easy to remember guideline. Needless to say water is essential to your survival. Related: Filtered Water
There is a direct correlation between drinking water and health. Water plays so many important roles in the body. It lubricates and cushions joints, it protects the brain and other tissues, it regulates the body temperature and it removes toxins and waste through bowel movements, perspiration, and urination.
Our bodies are approximately 60 percent water, your brain is 70 percent water and your lungs are approximately 90 percent water. Fluid losses occur continuously through perspiration, breath and urination. Because of these losses, a person must replace approximately 2.4 liters or 2.5 quarts of water daily. More is lost in hot climates than in cold. 
There are so many reasons why water is good for you and so many health benefits. Here are just five great reasons you should be drinking enough water on a daily basis to enjoy happy healthy living.
Water helps maintain the balance of body fluids. Your body is continually losing fluids and water replenishes them. These bodily fluids allow functions which include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature. Your brain communicates with your kidneys and tells it how much fluid to excrete as urine or hold onto for reserves. When you’re low on fluids, the brain triggers the body’s thirst mechanism. At that point you should listen to your body and get a drink of water. Water Can Help Control Calories. For years, people on diets have been drinking lots of water to help them lose weight. Water itself doesn’t have any magical effect on weight loss. However, substituting it for higher calorie beverages such as juices or sodas can certainly help. Weight loss is all about caloric intake vs caloric output. If you choose water over a caloric beverage then it will help you lower your caloric intake. In addition it will make you feel fuller and you will eat less. This will result in less caloric intake which in turn results in weight loss. Dieters can also choose to eat foods higher in water content. These foods are usually dense in calories, look larger and are more fibrous, resulting in feeling fuller with less caloric intake. It will also aid in replenishing your body fluids. Water rich foods include fruits and vegetables. Water Helps Muscles. Muscle cells that don’t maintain their balance of fluids and electrolytes can result in muscle fatigue. Your muscle cells are nearly all water and utilize that water to allow the ATP process to work. Without getting into detail about how the ATP process works, it is the transfer of energy your muscle cells require during exercise. Without adequate fluids your cells cannot perform properly and the transfer of energy suffers, resulting in muscle fatigue. It is extremely important to drink enough fluids while exercising. As an example the National Academy of Sports Medicine establishes guidelines for fluid intake before, during, and after physical activity. These guidelines recommend that people drink about 14-22 ounces of fluid about two hours before exercise. During exercise, they recommend that people drink 6-12 ounces for every 15-20 minutes of exercise. After a workout they recommend drinking 16-24 ounces of water or sports drink for every pound of body mass lost during exercise. Water Helps Keep Skin Looking Good. Your skin contains plenty of water. It also benefits greatly from proper hydration. Dehydration will make your skin look drier and wrinkled. You can improve this with proper hydration. Overhydrating will not help eliminate wrinkles but proper hydration will allow the skin to stay moisturized and supple. It will also help make the skin fuller, eliminating some of the wrinkling affect. Water Helps Your Kidneys. Lastly but definitely not least, body fluids transport waste products out of cells. The main toxin in the body is blood urea nitrogen, a water-soluble waste that passes through the kidneys to be excreted in the urine. Your kidneys will filter the toxins out of your body as long as you are getting enough fluids, especially water. When you’re getting enough fluids, urine flows freely, is light in color and free of odor. When you’re not getting enough fluids, urine concentration, color, and odor increases because the kidneys trap extra fluid for bodily functions. In addition if you chronically drink too little, you may be at higher risk for kidney stones. These factors become accentuated in warmer climates. Your body needs more water than in colder climates. As you can see it is extremely important to drink enough water. While that may not be the recommended 6-8 glasses a day it is enough to keep your body in balance. In many cases it is best to exceed that amount and in others maybe not to meet the recommended amount. A good way to measure how much your body needs is by the color of your urine. As mentioned above, light in color, flowing freely and free of odor. Factors such as physical activity and warmth of climate as well as size of the individual will dictate how much each person needs. Water helps flush toxins and keeps your body in balance. It acts as a shock absorber for the body’s joints and helps cushion the brain. It keeps your body temperature in check. It helps your skin stay looking younger and gives your muscles needed nutrients. Make sure you drink enough water every day. Happy Lifting and Strive to Arrive! 
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