The Wonderful World of Water

Water is one of the most essential substances on the planet. It covers approximately 70% of the earth's surface and makes up 70% of our body weight. In our bodies' water is essential for the removal of wastes, proper enzyme activity, energy production and so much more. Simply drinking enough water can increase our metabolism by up to 30% (weight loss anyone?).

How Much Water Should I drink?

The rule of thumb is to drink half your weight in ounces of water every day. This is based solely on normal daily activity. If you exercise during the day you should drink more water according to how much you exercised. A 150lb person should drink 75 oz of water a day or 2 1/2 liters.



Why should I drink water?

Our bodies' are made up of 75% pure water. It has complex systems in place to be sure we always have enough water inside to keep everything running smoothly. One of the main functions of water in our body is the transportation of waste. Regardless of intake some water must be lost everyday to allow for proper waste excretion. Imagine if you filled your sink with only 2 inches of water to wash the dishes. Lets say you never add more and you never drain the sink for several days. After only a few wash cycles that water would be pretty gross. If you don’t drink enough water to help clean out your system this is exactly what is happing inside your body.

What Counts as Water?

Put simply only water counts as water. Black tea, coffee, soda and alcohol not only do not count towards this number but actually take more water away from the body the they may provide. If these drinks are consumed one additional glass of water per drink should be added that day to balance their effects. Green tea and juice are debatable. Green tea dose have some diuretic (water losing) effect although it is less then black tea. Juice should not be consumed on a regular basis regardless as it has as much (if not more) sugar then a soda. Herbal tea is the exception and counts towards your water total.