WHY WE NEED WATER
Are you one of those people who begin to feel worn out in the middle of the day? Have you said this more times than enough – “I just can’t understand why those ten pounds seem to be glued on my body? Here’s another one – “oh my aching back”. Perhaps you are missing something that your body needs – H2O.
Water is possibly the most overlooked substance in the body. Water is considered the second most important thing needed by our bodies to sustain life with oxygen being the first. Our body requires water for proper chemical reactions, lubrication, nutrient delivery, waste disposal, heat dispersion and temperature regulation.
For there to be the proper fluid balance within the body, water intake has to equal water output. When looking at this balance one has to consider an individual’s activity level, the environmental temperature, and the humidity. There is an expectant fluid loss of approximately 2500ml daily (1500 ml from the kidneys, 500ml from the skin, 300ml from the lungs, and 200ml from the gastrointestinal tract).
There are approximately 75% chronically dehydrated Americans, of which 37% are unaware of the fact and often mistake the body’s signal of dehydration for hunger.
Mild dehydration can slow down the metabolism by as much as 3%. The lack of water plays a major role in daytime fatigue. Research is showing that proper hydration can aid in the relief of back and joint pain for up to 80% of suffers. Sufficient water intake will help prevent bladder infections and aide in maintaining good circulatory health.
According to a survey, nearly three quarters of Americans are aware of the daily recommendation of eight glasses of water, though only 34% actually drink this amount. Most report only consuming about 6 servings of water a day and nearly 10% declared that they do not drink water at all. They are the chronic pop and coffee drinkers.
Carbonated beverages pose health risks both for what they contain (for example, sugar and various additives) and what they replace in the diet (beverages and foods that provide vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients). Coffee has over 1000 chemicals per cup. Each cup of coffee contains about 120 mg of caffeine. That would be a lethal dose if injected into ones veins. The rush felt from drinking coffee is the body speeding up the metabolism to rid itself of this poison.
There is no substitute – drink good old H20. I’ll drink to that!!!
Posted By: Belinda Anderson
Thursday, September 25th 2008 at 8:22PM
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