Have you had enough water?

I was going to save this post for Wednesday, but since one of our challenges is staying hydrated I decided to share this now :-)

A few months ago I learned something that has changed my life for the better.

I learned how much water my body needed, and I've started to implement that. I cannot describe accurately how good it feels to drink enough water...You'll have to try it for yourself ;-)

Since I started drinking the minimal amount of water I personally needed, I had more energy, I was more alert, happier, I could remember things better, and I could more easily focus (among other good things!)

Also when you drink a lot of water you're able to rid your body of toxins, your sweat doesn't smell bad, and it helps your metabolism.

Yeah... that's a huge list of positives!

Here's the thing. I don't like water. It tastes so gross to me... So, I add lemon. This masks the taste of water, helps me to drink more at once, and it's actually good to add lemon, because it helps to alkalize the water. Who knew!

Photo from Free Digital Photos

Okay, this is a long list, but it is very important. Reading this list changed how much I drink each day, and by doing that, it changed my life. So, even though it's long, I hope you read it:

A mere 2% to 3% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math problems and difficulty focusing.

A 10% drop can be life threatening

Your body is 78% water at birth, and declines to 72% for an average young adult, and further declines to 50% among average elderly

Optimal health requires maintaining 78% throughout your life

The elderly are less sensitive to thirst since the sensitivity of the thirst center in the hypothalamus declines with age. As we age we must be diligent in our consumption of water

By the time we experience dry mouth, we are already dehydrated

Dehydration slows down the body's metabolism

Lack of water causes daytime fatigue

75% of the U.S. population is dehydrated to some degree

37% of the U.S. population mistakes thirst for hunger

Brain function requires water to function -the brain is 85% water

Brain neurotransmitters are carried through the nervous system through micro-stream waterways

90% of the interior constituents of every cell in the body are water

Throughout the day, water escapes from the body through perspiration, urine, feces, tears, nasal discharges, respiratory exhaled moisture, and other pathways

Losses are drastically increased by the consumption of the natural diuretics caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine found in beverages like coffee, black and green tea, and soft drinks

It is estimated that we lose 9 to 12 cups of water on a cool day even without exercising and not drinking the above diuretics

For optimal health this loss of water must be replaced through both drinking water and through the food we eat

It is recommended that you drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces in water a day. In other words, a 150 pound person would drink 75 ounces of water per day.

It is recommended that you drink the purest water that you can. Drinking distilled, or R.O. filtered water is a high priority, tap water is best avoided if at all possible due to the contaminants including chlorine.
(No, Distilled water does not leach the minerals from your body.)

What I did:
I got a water bottle, and figured out how many oz of water it contains, (a normal U.S. measuring cup holds 8 oz of water, knowing this helped to figure out how many oz my water bottle holds) then I did the math to determine how many times I would have to refill it in order to have the minimal amount of water my body needs a day.

Doing this helped immensely, because then it seemed less daunting.

Whew! Did you make it? I hope so.

I also hope this list inspires you to go out and drink more water!

This has helped me so much! I hope it helps you too :-)

On Wednesday I'll tell you how much sugar lowers the % of water in your body. It's scary.

Happy Hydrating! :-D