There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs.

Unknown

Psalm 118:25

25 O LORD, save us;
       O LORD, grant us success.

Water is the single most important nutrient you take in every day!

 

Why is Water important?

Water makes up 55-75% of our bodies!! This is how much water comprises each organ:

·        Brain 75%

·        Heart 75%

·        Lungs 86%

·        Kidneys 83%

·        Blood 83%

·        Muscles 75%

What does water do?

v    Regulates your body temperature

v    Helps maintain your equilibrium

v    Ensures every nutrient, vitamin, mineral, hormone, antibody, and even oxygen reaches its destination.

v    Helps protein work efficiently

v    Cleanses the body of toxins and helps to eliminate them from your body!

v    Helps you have baby soft skin.

v    Works as an appetite suppressant

v    Helps the liver break down and release more fat (WOOHOO!!). It does this because more water ensures the kidneys are functioning properly. If they are not, the additional workload is dumped on the liver, which means it can’t do its job (metabolize fat) efficiently.

v    Is a base for saliva.

v    Acts as a lubricant.

v    Forms the fluid around the joints.

v    Decreases the risk of some cancers.

Do I REALLY need 8 glasses of water a day?

This is a generic “all inclusive” concept. As we know, all of our bodies are different. It also depends on what we are doing. Are we exercising a lot, do we sweat a lot, how is the weather outside, do you eat a lot of salt, do you take in a lot of caffeine, are you sick? You may be surprised to find out you actually need more and some less!

So, how much DO I need?

This is a good formula to figure that out! Take your body weight, multiply it by 0.04. That is how much water in pounds you lose every day. Now, multiply that by 2. This is how much water you need to take in including water from food. More than half of that number should come from actual water. This is a rough estimate!

Here are some additional reasons you may need to add onto that figure:

Ø     If you are trying to lose weight, you should add one glass of water for every 25 pounds you want to lose.

Ø     Drinking more water than necessary actually helps you get rid of water retention because it stimulates your kidneys to work.

Ø     When you have a diet high in salt, your body holds onto the water you take in to help counteract the high concentration of salt. To get rid of it, yup, you guessed it… drink more water.

Ø     People on high protein diets (RNYers) need increased water to prevent gout (there is a lot of uric acid in meat).

Ø     If you have diarrhea, you need to increase your water intake.

Ø     If you are pregnant, you need to increase your water intake.

Ø     If you drink a lot of caffeine, increase you water as caffeine is a natural diuretic.

Ø     It takes one glass of water to purge one ounce of alcohol from your system.

Ø     When you are working in the heat or exercising, you often don’t feel thirsty until you are already dehydrated. Try to drink 8 ozs of water every 20 minutes.

Ø     Listen to your body. If you have a headache, dry mouth, or feel thirsty, drink!

Ø     If you are going on a plane, water load before leaving to counteract the dryness on the plane, then try to drink a cup of water per hour you are on the plane.

What happens if we do not get enough?

DEHYDRATION, Lots of NASTY stuff!!! Low energy, decreased metabolism, joint pain, back pain, mental confusion, headaches.

Interesting Tidbit:

Cold water is better absorbed by the body than warm water.