Your body is 70% water. Every cell, every organ, even your bones need water to function at your healthiest level. The best way to support the health of your body is to keep it hydrated. That means you have to start with your optimal level of water for your body weight. We all need water but how much depends on our level of exertion and our body weight. For most of us our level of exertion is not much of a factor. If you are a marathoner or an extreme athlete or if you work out under extreme conditions then your need of hydration is greater. But for average levels of activity there is a simple way to determine your body's hydration need. Simply take your current weight in pounds and divide it in half. This is the number of ounces of water your body needs every day to function at your best.
Simply put, if you weigh 200 lbs you need to drinking 100 ounces of water each day. That is five 20 ounce bottles of water.
Why do we need that much water? Your body is made up of water. Every cell in your body uses water as a way to transport nutrients and waste, to create the energy for the cell to function and to communicate with other cells. The simplest way to accomplish all of these functions is to drink water.
What about other fluids? Milk, coffee, tea and fruit juices have to be digested as foods first and then the water content can be used for the needs of the cells. But this requires the cells to already have water to do the job of digestion. This job of digestion uses up more water in the cells, so the cells are starting from a negative balance of water before they can get more water. The carbonation in soft drinks causes a decrease in the minerals in your cells and bones and makes the body work extra hard to get the water out of your soft drink. If the soft drink is sugar sweetened the body will digest it like a food. If the soft drink is artificially sweetened the body is tricked into recognizing it as a food but without the satisfaction ( in terms of fuel) of a food. Again the body has to work extra hard to get the water from a soft drink.
So if you want to make it easy for your body to be healthy, then water is the first step. Water makes it easy for your cells to do their job. Water makes it easy for your blood to carry nutrition to your cells. Water makes your brain function better, because there is enough water for each brain cell to talk to another one. Water makes you feel better because it can transport the normal waste products from your cells to your liver, kidneys and skin to be eliminated. Water is the foundation of a happy and healthy body. Do you drink enough water?
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