Why Is Water Important To Our Health

Posted on May 20, 2008

“Drink eight glasses a day!” This is the statement that you’ve heard forever by everybody. Most of us take it for granted and continue through our day never really asking ourselves “Why is water important?”

Water covers about seventy percent of the earth or more, and our bodies consist of about seventy percent water or more. Aside from oxygen, water is the most important thing we need to sustain life. You can live anywhere from weeks to months without food depending on several factors but only for about week without water, in normal room temperature (70 F or 21 C).

So why is water important to us? Here is specifically what it does. We need water in our bodies for every cell to function properly. It holds the electrical charge that starts cellular processes, like turning sodium into potassium. It helps nutrients get into your cells and it helps wastes to get out. It helps you digest your food properly. It moves toxic waste away from your cells and closer to the elimination channels. Water helps control the temperature of our bodies and it lubes our joints.

Many people think that juice, coffee, tea, soda, milk or alcohol count for your daily consumption of water. NONE of these can replace pure water, NONE. Most of these products actually dehydrate you. For example a cup of soda can take up to two cups or more of water to re-hydrate you.

So we have answered the question “Why is water important? But how much water should you have each day? That depends on your body weight and your activity levels. I use around one ounce per pound of body weight. So for a 120 lb person that would be around fifteen cups. You may not need this much depending on your activity level and the temperature of your environment. Most people just use the eight cup rule, but you should add more to compensate for the other dehydrating beverages listed above. Then maybe work up to one ounce per pound. I just don’t think people realize how dehydrated we all are.

Jack Newton is answering the question: Why is water important? Teaching people the importance of drinking plenty of water to have a great quality of life. For more information please goto http://www.why-is-water-important.com

Tags: consumption, dehydration, hydration, water health, water is important, why is water important