“Pure water is the world’s first and foremost medicine.”
Slovakian Proverb
Our Bodies are Made up of 60% Water.
As you may have heard already, our bodies are made up 60% of water. But have you really given much thought to what that meant? Here are the facts:
- The human brain and heart are composed 73% of water.
- Our lungs have a whopping 83% water composition.
- And our skin is 64% water.
- It shouldn’t come as a surprise then, that our muscles and kidneys are around 79% water.
- But did you know that even our bones aren’t as dry as you might imagine, coming in at 31% water composition!!
What Does Water Do For You?
So it’s no secret that water is the main component for most of the cellular makeup in our bodies. It’s also necessary for growth and reproduction, healthy digestion, temperature regulation and more. Here’s a quick list of the many things water does for us:
- Keeps mucosal membranes moist
- Flushes body waste, mainly through urine
- Lubricates joints
- Helps deliver oxygen throughout the body
- Acts as a shock absorber for brain and spinal cord
- Regulates body temperature through sweat and respiration
Benefits of Drinking Enough Water.
The science behind how water makes up most of our vital organs and the cells in our body is all well and good. But the real question is what does that really mean for us? How does it translate into our everyday living and quality of life? Because I don’t know about you, but that’s what motivates me most! The benefits of drinking water include but are not exclusive to:
- Increases brain power
- Decreases mental fog
- Fresher breath
- Whiter eyes
- Improved complexion
- Aids in weight loss
- Helps with headaches
- Increased energy levels
- Boosts immune system
- Reduced hunger and unhealthy cravings
- Maintains pH level in body
- Helps boost physical performance
- Reduction in joint aches and pains
- Helps to regulate digestion and mitigate constipation
- Smoother, healthier and younger looking skin
- Prevents dehydration… which bring me to the next point.
Warning Signs of Dehydration.
Dehydration is what happens when your body loses more fluids than it’s taken in. This results in your bodily functions not being able to function in the way they’re intended to. Well our bodies are pretty magnificent machines (well in a manner of speaking) and as you can imagine, our bodily functions all serve pretty important purposes. So dehydration is kinda like when you give a mouse a cookie. Except in this case it’s when you don’t give your body the water it needs to operate properly. The domino effect comes into play and chaos ensues. Beginning signs of dehydration look like this:
- Extreme thirst
- Less frequent urination
- Dark colored urine (never a good sign)
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Confusion
But then it gets worse:
- Diarrhea and/or constipation
- Irritability
- Inability to keep fluids down
- Bloody or black stool
And then the aformentioned chaos part comes in when you start experiencing:
- Urinary & kidney problems
- Seizures
- Low blood volume shock
- Brain damage
- and worse.
How to Prevent Dehydration by Staying Properly Hydrated.
So don’t give the mouse the cookie so to speak, and give yourself the right amount of water your body needs. The first step to accomplishing this is determining just how many fluid ounces you need on a daily basis. It requires a little math but if I don’t mind doing it then I assure you it’s not that difficult! First, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. Multiply that number by your age. Divide that number by 28.3. The total is how many fluid ounces you should be drinking of water a day. Or if you have a love/hate relationship with math like me, you can instead just use the handy dandy daily water consumption calculator below!:
[fcp-water-intake-calculator]
Creating a Daily Water Drinking Schedule Can Help.
I know it sounds kind of… silly? Dumb maybe even??? But creating a daily water drinking schedule can help. And it does help me personally. After years of pregnancy, breastfeeding and then getting serious about my own fitness and training regimen- drinking enough water on a daily basis feels like second nature to me. However it wasn’t always so easy for me and it took years to realize that I had actually made it into a routine, almost a ritual.
Here’s my own personal daily water schedule:
- Immediately after waking: 32oz of water
- 8am-11am: 32oz of water
- 11am-2pm: 32oz of water
- 2pm-5pm: 32oz of water
- 5pm-8pm: 32oz of water
Buy Yourself a Designated Water Bottle.
Again, sounds unnecessary but I’m telling you it makes a difference! Buy yourself a special water bottle that you’ll use consistently to help get your daily H2O consumption in. I’ve used both bottles I’m about to recommend but my favorite by far is a 32oz stainless steel bottle, like this one that comes in a multitude of colorful options. That being said, you might not have the ability to refill your water bottle every few hours. If this is you, have no fear, a tastefully designed gallon water bottle like this one here might be just the ticket.
Staying Hydrated is One Small Step.
To wrap this up, staying hydrated may just be one small step. Nonetheless, that one small step is one step closer to living your best life and feeling your best. Not only will you feel better physically, but you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment in knowing that you’re doing something to improve your overall health and well being. Maybe you haven’t been drinking as much water as you ought to. Or on the flip side, maybe you’re already on top of it and just wanted to reaffirm that it is in fact good for you. Regardless of which party you fall under, I hope this post encourages and provides some resources to you. Because something this simple with this many benefits shouldn’t be given any second thoughts. Drop a comment below if you have any tips for drinking enough water!
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To read about my thoughts on suitable water alternatives, venture over to my follow-up post found here.