What’s Good and What’s Bad about Water?

We all know water is important, but how important is it really? What exactly does water do to your body and why is it so necessary that you have it? Water is right next to oxygen on the importance level. Water makes up around two thirds of your body. Your blood, your cells and everywhere in-between is using water. You use water for circulation, respiration, converting food to energy, and much more.

Water’s involved in every type of cellular process in your body, and when you’re dehydrated, they all run less efficiently -- and that includes your metabolism. Water helps keep everything moving properly and efficiently. It also is beneficial for weight-loss.

Another commonly asked question regarding water is, “How much do I need to drink a day?” and there are a few answers to this. Most experts will recommend you drink a minimum of 8-8oz bottles/glasses of water per day. New research from the Institute of Medicine recommends women should drink on average 91oz or 2.7 Liters. As for men, they recommend 125oz or 3.7 Liters.

Is there too much or too little amount of water per day? Yes, I would say so. You wouldn’t want to deprive your body from water and you wouldn’t want to overdo it either. If you drink to little water, you could eventually have fatal symptoms of dehydration. If you drink too much you could experience symptoms of Water Intoxication. With water intoxication your tissues swell and there is increased pressure on your brain and nerves resulting in headaches. Water Intoxication is very uncommon unless you decided to chug 5 liters of water in a few hours or infants who consume too much water because of diluted foods.

So, the answer is YES water is critical for life. Depending on your activity level and how many calories you take in everyday determines what your daily water intake should be. To keep it safe stick with about 8-8oz bottles/glasses throughout your day, UNLESS you work in the sun, sweat a lot or have very high activity levels. It’s also very difficult for the body to tell the difference between hunger and thirst. So, if you’re walking around feeling a gnawing sense of hunger, you might just be dehydrated. Try drinking a glass of water instead of grabbing a snack.

Drinking too much water can cause some pain and potentially be fatal, but so cannot drinking enough. Find your happy medium based on your size, calorie intake and energy output and you should be living a very long healthy life.

Mylai.