Water and You

Do you know that you are 60% to 70% water? Since most of your body is water, we need lots of fresh water every day to stay healthy. Every function in your body takes place in water. It is the solvent that removes the nutrients, hormones, antibodies and oxygen through your blood stream and lymphetic system. Water is also necessary to move the waste out of your body. If you are not drinking enough water, your body has to recycle dirty water and every metabolic function in your body does not work as efficiently,

Water Loss

Adults lose nearly two to three quarts (12 cups) of water every day! We lose one half cup to one cup a day from the soles of our feet. Another two to four cups are lost from breathing. Perspiration accounts for another two cups. Another three pints (six cups) are lost in urine. Urine output decreases and becomes very concentrated when you don't take in enough water. Since there is no way for your body to store water, it sets up a priority system for the amount that has been made available by intake. When you are dehydrated, your body rations and recylces water. All water losing functions are reduced. Toxic waste are dumped into tissues, fat, joints and muscles instead being eliminated.

Your Lungs

Your lung tissue are moistened by water as they take in oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Allergies and asthmatic symptoms may be a sign of not drinking enough water. When you increase your water intake these symptoms may lessen.

Body Temperature

Water is your body's coolant regulating your body temperature through perspiration. Sweating keeps you from overheating, especially during exercise and hot weather. It's also important to remember that your body needs as much water in cold weather as it does in hot weather. Heat exhaustion can occur when your body doesn't have enough water to regulate your body temperature. Symptoms include excessive perspiration, dizziness, fatigue, headache, nausea and vomiting. As little as 3% water loss results in serious health problems. A 15% water loss can result in death.

Your Brain

Your brain is about 90% water. Although the brain is only 1/50th of the body weight. It uses 1/20th of the blood supply. Water is an important key to concentration. When your body is well hydrated, you will notice an increase clarity in thinking. With less water the level of energy generation in the brain is decreased. Depression, headaches, memory loss and chronic fatigue syndrome are frequent symptoms of dehydration.

Your Heart

Your heart is 75% water and your blood is 85% water. Good hydration increases the efficiency of your cardiovascular system. Hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure and cholesterol may all be lowered by an increase in water consumption.

Your Kidneys

Your kidneys are constantly filtering your blood, concentrating waste and sending them out into your urine. When there isn't enough water, your kidneys have to recycle dirty water as they work to remove waste from your body. Overtime dehydration can damage your kidneys permanently. When the kidneys don't have enough water to function well, the liver takes over some of the kidney's work, decreasing it's ability to convert stored fat and energy, which can result in weight gain. As you drink more, your bladder will become hypersensitive and you'll be making frequent trips to the bathroom. As your body adjusts, you'll urinate less often and in larger amounts.

Your Digestive System

Food needs water to properly digest. Water carries nutrients to the cells through the blood, increasing your water intake tends to reduce the symptoms of heartburn, acid stomach, gastritis and constipation. Chronic dehydration may result in weight gain, poor muscle tone, including size and water retention. Water is essential to any weight loss plan. For every 25 pounds that you exceed your body weight you should increase your water consumption by one eight ounce glass.

Your Joints

Your bones are 22% water, your muscles are 75% water. Water lubricates your joints and allows you to move freely. The connective tissue around your joints needs plenty of water to maintain its elasticity and allow ease of movement. When the cartilage is well hydrated, the two opposing surfaces glide freely and friction damage is minimal. Increasing the amount of water that you drink may relieve arthritic pain.

Your Back

The vertebrate in your back depend upon the hydraulic properties of water in order to move. The water stored in the spinal disc core supports 75% of the upper body weight, the fibrous materials around the disc support 25%. Back pain is a common symptom of dehydration. Drinking plenty of water will frequently decrease pain. Water also washes the harmful waste from muscle tissue, the actual cause of the pain associated with dehydration.

More Water means Less Weight

Incredible as it may seem, water is quite possibly the single most important catalyst on losing weight and keeping it off. Although most of us take it for granted, water may be the only true "impressive fluid" for permanent weight loss.

Water suppresses the appetite and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits.

Here's why: The kidneys can't function properly without enough water. When they don't work to capacity. some of their load is dumped into the liver.

One of the liver's primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body. But, if the liver has to do some of the kidney's work, it can't operate at full throttle. As a result, it metabolizes less fat, more fat remains stored in the body and weight loss stops.

Drinking enough water is the best treatment for fluid retention. When the body gets less water, it perceives this as threat to survival and begins to hold onto every drop. Water is stored in extra cellular spaces (outside the cells). This shows up as swollen feet, legs, and hands.

Diuretics offer a temporary solution at best. They force out stored water along with some essential nutrients. Again, the body perceives a threat and will replace the lost water at the first opportunity. Thus, the condition quickly returns.

Excess salt may be the blame for water retention problems. Your body will tolerate sodium only in a certain concentration. The more salt you eat, the more water your system retains to dilute it.

But getting rid of unneeded salt is easy -- Just drink more water. As it's forced through the kidneys. It takes away excess sodium.

The overweight person needs more water than the thin one. Larger people have larger metabolic loads. Since we know the water is the key to fat metabolism, it follows that the overweight person needs more water.

Water also helps prevent sagging skin that usually follows weight loss, shrinking cells are buoyed by water which plumps the skin and leaves it clear, healthy and resilient.

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