Water, The Real Health Drink

With all the refreshing, fruity, thirst quenching, sugary, calorie-laden drinks available, it is easy to forget that there's such a thing as pure, clean water.

After air, water is the next vitally important thing your body needs to stay alive. Two-thirds of your body is made up of water and not drinking enough of it can cause headaches, fatigue, dizziness, and muscle weakness. You cannot survive beyond a week without water. No wonder, health experts are always urging us to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. The next time you feel like downing anything besides it, think about these things.

Water is essential to the body's natural cleansing processes. It flushes out the toxins and waste products from the liver and the kidneys which are our main organs of detoxification. When you are well-hydrated, you are less likely to get constipated as the food can easily move through your digestive tract. Water is a necessary lubricant that makes elimination easier and helps one to have regular bowel movements.

Many may not be aware of how water can also play an important role in weight loss. It has been discovered that water increases the body's metabolism. Although this is still an area of ongoing research studies, it has been shown that drinking more water can significantly raise the body's metabolic rate thereby also increasing the number of calories burned. With cold water, the metabolism is increased even more because the body uses energy to warm it up.

Another important function of water is the regulation of body temperature. When you perspire, sweat evaporates allowing the body to cool down. It is also water that delivers the necessary nutrients to the cells of the body, surrounds and protects the joints and organ tissues, and provides moisture to soft tissue such as those found in the nose, eyes and mouth.

Liquid is necessary to all our basic everyday functions which includes breathing, perspiring and elimination, thus it is constantly being depleted. We hear of contradicting advice as to how much water we need to drink everyday but a good rule of thumb is to drink at least half of your body weight in ounces daily. As much as possible, drink only pure water and stay away from caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea and softdrinks as well as sugary juices. If you want to add flavor to your water, just add a spritz of lemon or lime juice. There are also delicious non-caffeinated herbal teas and fruits and vegetables that have high water content.

The amount of water your body needs depends on your lifestyle. Those who are active, sick, pregnant, or breastfeeding need to drink more water than those who are not. Environmental conditions also affect the body's water requirement. Those who live in dry, hot and humid places need to consume a lot of water, as well as those who live in high altitude areas. Thus, it is very important to be aware of these things as well as changes in your regular routine so you can make adjustments in your water intake accordingly.

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