Now is the time to Drink Up!

Boost your Immune System with a Drink of Water

What is your percentage of water? The average adult contains 10 to 13 gallons of water. Blood is 83 percent water, muscles 75 percent, brain 75 percent, heart 75 percent, bones 22 percent, lungs 86 percent, kidneys 83 percent, and eyes 95 percent.

Water and oxygen are the things that our bodies cannot work without. Water provides the method for nutrients to travel to all your organs, acts as a lubricant and cushion around joints. Water also serves as a shock absorber inside the eyes and spinal cord, aids in the body’s temperature regulation, helps maintain blood volume and carries waste products and toxins from the body. Your body will look healthier and feel better with the right amount of water at regular times.

When your body runs low on water:

When your body is not getting enough water you can have chronic pains in joints and muscles, low back pain, headaches, constipation, fatigue and lack of concentration.

Signs of dehydration:

Thirst is an obvious sign of dehydration, and in fact, you need water long before you feel thirsty.  Other symptoms of dehydration are a flushed face, dry, warm skin, lightheadedness or dizziness - made worse when you stand, weakness, cramping in the arms and legs, having few or no tears, headache, lack of energy, dry mouth and tongue, inability to concentrate and confusion.

Dehydration is now a large problem because caffeinated beverages are so popular and widely available. When you decide to stop off at your favorite coffee shop remember that you need to replace the amount of liquid you drink with the save amount of water and add the daily cups of water your body needs to keep hydrated. While you feel like your thirst is being quenched when you drink a can of soda or coffee, the caffeine is actually acting as a diuretic to flush water out of your system.

Benefits of water:

Water can offer your body many benefits including a stronger defense against stress. If you are dehydrated, your body can't rally its energy in the cause of stress management because it is too busy trying to compensate for its lack of water.

You might not be feeling the natural sensations of hunger and be mistaking thirst for hunger if you are dehydrated. Over eating when all we really need is a tall cool glass of H20. A glass of water before each meal and whenever hunger pangs strike between meals should satisfy your body's need for water and help to curb excessive eating.

Water protects your overall health:

If you do not get enough fluid, you will not feel healthy, energetic or well. You can live without food for a month, but only a week without water. A common cause of daytime fatigue is inadequate fluid intake.

Drinking more water is one of the easiest changes you can make to help manage your stress, health and wellbeing. With a well-hydrated body, you'll feel better, alive, energized and your skin will look better.

So, drink up!