Did you know that 75 percent of the human body consists of water and only 25 percent solid mass?
One would be best advised to cut down or avoid these beverages altogether. Instead, try squeezing a lemon into your water or adding a little juice for flavor. Every day, a number of factors deplete water from our bodies. Environmental stressors such as hot, dry, or humid weather, along with normal bodily functions, like going to the bathroom, the aging process, and exercise all result in gradual loss of this vital nutrient from our systems.
The standard eight glasses a day recommended by many in healthcare is really a minimum, which does not account for all of these potential outside factors. When trying to determine your individual aquatic needs, a good starting point is to figure out half your body weight, and drink that many ounces of water per day (a 140-pound person starts with 70 ounces of water per day). Then, increase your daily intake accordingly to meet your actual daily needs depending on your lifestyle. For example, people who are active will require more water to replenish lost resources during, and after, exercise. This increased water intake will likely result in more trips to the restroom than you are accustomed. However, your body will adjust in a short amount of time and your usual urination pattern will resume.
There are a number of good indicators to tell when your needs are being met, including lighter urine color and less odor. Clear and supple complexion and skin, better breath, and increased sense of well being are all other expected benefits of increased water consumption. Some may argue that they could not imagine drinking so much water daily because they are simply not thirsty enough.
This is because your body has been forced to adjust to the internal drought you have created. The thirst response has been desensitized so to speak. Drinking more water can lessen the internal stress and improve organ function. This allows our cells, tissues, and organs to operate efficiently, and in turn, reactivate the thirst response. Water influences our bodies in many ways that should not be overlooked. A lack of water can lead to many internal problems so why not drink this healthy, free medicine before any symptoms of an illness arise?
Bottoms up!
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