Raise a Glass to Your Health !

Be healthy – drink lots of water. Typically water from the tap does not taste great, so most people drink sodas, juice etc. If you have good tasting water available, you will drink more water and less sodas. As a result you will have saved money on unhealthy drinks and have become healthier by drinking more water. The average person does not drink enough water throughout the day. Water is essential for our survival. The human body can survive up to a month without food, but only a week without water. Not only do we need water to live, but it is also greatly beneficial to our health, our body weight and our appearance. Here are just a few of the many reasons why you should fill your glass to the brim with the power of pure water:

Drinking Water Keeps Your Body Healthy & Happy

• Water transports key nutrients throughout the body and is important for healthy circulation
• Water helps boost energy levels – Did you know that mild dehydration is the most common cause for fatigue?
• Drinking water helps to naturally flush toxins from the body and decreases swelling and fluid retention
• Water can alleviate and prevent headaches by reducing restricted blood flow
• Water keeps your body functioning properly, aiding in digestion and preventing constipation
• Staying hydrated is also important in regulating brain function

Drinking Water is Important to Maintaining a Healthy Body Weight

• Drinking water helps to decrease fluid retention or "water weight"

• Water keeps bowels functioning regularly, reducing abdominal discomfort and bloating

• Drinking water can help your body to feel "full", helping to reduce cravings and the tendency to overeat at meals

• Staying adequately hydrated with water can help improve performance during physical activity

• Drinking 8 or more glasses of water per day can help increase your body’s metabolic rate (the ability to burn calories)

Drinking Water Contributes to Healthy, Beautiful Skin

• Drinking water keeps the skin well hydrated

• Keeping skin hydrated increases elasticity, resulting in younger-looking, radiant skin

• Hydrated skin is also better able defend itself from environmental toxins

• Drinking water helps to flush toxins that can contribute to skin blemishes

• Drinking water helps keep the skin from retaining fluid and looking swollen or "puffy"

• Drinking water helps maintain your skin’s natural pH balance

A Glass of Water Helps Maintain the Balance of Body Fluids

Your body is composed of about 60% water. The functions of these bodily fluids include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature.

"Through the posterior pituitary gland, your brain communicates with your kidneys and tells it how much water to excrete as urine or hold onto for reserves," says Guest, who is also an adjunct professor of medicine at Stanford University.

Health Benefits of Drinking Water

Water has one of the most important roles to play in maintaining a healthy body and some of its benefits of drinking water include:

• PH Balance: The human body maintains a pH range of 7.35-7.45 for proper physiological processes. An acidic shift may lead to sickness and an inability of the body to assimilate vitamins and minerals. Thus, it should be above the value of 7, which is favorable to the body’s oxygen uptake, higher energy levels, and a better immune response to diseases. This is attainable by consuming lots of water.

• Body Temperature: Much of the human body is made up of water and this fluid is responsible for the regulation of body temperature. We undergo perspiration in summers to dissipate the excess heat in order to lower our temperature. This temperature regulation property has been attributed to water as well.

• Osteoporosis: According to the research conducted by the Linus Pauling Institute, individuals drinking adequate amounts of water have reduced risks of osteoporosis and hip fractures.

• Breathing: Water plays its role in distributing oxygen all over the human body while collecting the carbon dioxide from all these parts and dissolving these gases.

• Metabolism: Water is the carrier of oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to the body’s parts and also provides a medium for the removal of toxins, dead cells, and waste material. The proteins and enzymes involved in various fundamental processes also require water for their proper functioning.

• Backaches: The back of our body rests on the spinal cord. The spinal disc core is made up of a large volume of water and dehydration, which leads to back pain in many individuals.

• Constipation, Heartburn, Migraine, Gastritis and Ulcers: A number of disorders are related to water deficiency. Constipation, heartburn, migraine, gastritis and ulcers can all be prevented by drinking modest amounts of water routinely.

• Kidney Stones: According to the International Kidney Stone Institute, 2 liters or 10 glasses must be consumed each day to prevent the formation of kidney stones. Water is the best solvent and this property does not allow salts and minerals to accumulate to form stones. The salts reaching kidney gets diluted and eliminated in the urine.

• Cardiovascular Disease: Water can prevent cardiovascular disorders to a large degree. It maintains proper viscosity of blood and plasma and fibrinogen distribution. Therefore, adequate hydration of vascular components is advisable.

• Rheumatoid Arthritis: Joints in the human body are prone to continuous friction and weathering. These can be maintained in proper shape by the intake of proper amounts of water. A decrease in water consumption may lead to rheumatoid arthritis.

• Pregnant Women and Nursing Mothers: A pregnant woman carries a new life in her womb that develops from her body’s resources. The nutrients and other factors needed for its growth can be carried from mother to the fetus via blood, which in turn needs water. Constipation, bladder infections, and hemorrhoids are common during pregnancy and these can be avoided by drinking excess water during these periods.

• Kidney Functions: The excretory material in the form of urea is highly toxic to body tissues and must be diluted before their passage. This is again done by the ‘universal solvent’ – water.
• Skin Tone: According to the University of Minnesota, skin may get affected by frost bite and blisters. It has been established that proper water levels in the body prevent the body from experiencing dehydration. This in turn maintains the turgidity of the skin. A number of skin problems can be prevented by drinking adequate amounts of water.