You need water, for one reason, to constantly replace the water your body uses during the day. Your body requires water, not only because it uses water for many reasons, but because our bodies are made of approximately 70% water.
All the fluids in your body, including blood, are made of water. Our muscles and organs, including the brain and heart, are made of much water. Our bodies are mostly water so to drink water regularly, to replenish, makes sense.
Our bodies require water to keep our body temperature where it needs to be. Water is needed by our bodies to move and absorb nutrients, allow oxygen to all of our cells, remove waste and toxins, and keep a cushion for our joints and organs.
Without water, our cells and organs would not function correctly; our joints would rub against bone; our spine would be unprotected (which could cause a ton of problems); our temperatures would not be able to regulate around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit; and we would be full of waste, toxins, and other poisons.
As we use this water in our bodies to regulate temperatures and allow our bodies to function properly, we lose water. Water is lost when we do anything. Obviously, we lose water when we sweat or urinate but we also lose water doing basic things…like breathing. We must drink water to replenish what we use.
Water is also necessary for other reasons:
- Energy: drinking water gives you energy and also helps with concentration and focus.
- Weight loss: since drinking water removes waste and toxins, they cannot hold you back from losing weight. Water is also good for losing weight because it makes you feel fuller, makes you want to eat less, and makes your metabolism soar. Another bonus: water has no calories!
- Waste: as stated, water flushes out waste and toxins. Toxins in the body can be a cause of kidney stones, gallbladder stones, urinary tract infections, and other painful medical situations and emergencies.
- Look better: drinking adequate amounts of water improve your complexion, hydrates and moisturizes skin, and will even help fade away wrinkles.
Everyone needs to drink enough water. There are different theories and formulas for figuring how much water a person needs to drink in a day. There is the staple of drinking 8 glasses of water a day. The Institute of Medicine believes water consumption should be more: with an average of 13 glasses for men and 9 glasses for women. Another theory on water intake, especially for those trying to lose weight is to take your weight in pounds, divide that in half, and drink that amount of ounces of water. For example a person who weighs 160 pounds would need to drink 80 ounces (or 10 glasses) of water per day.