Is There Health Without Water?

Water makes up 98% percent of our body, and without this life-giving fluid, you and I would not survive.  The human body can survive for up to 3 weeks on water alone.  Try surviving without the water and you might make it 4 to 5 days.  It’s a truly amazing and health sustaining fluid, and it’s just water!

            What really do we get from water, that our body must have, and can’t live without?  It’s the benefit of the fluidity of water, and what it does for our bodies that is the most important part.  All of our bodily functions rely on the cells in our bloodstream to supply them the nutrients and minerals that they need to carry out those vital functions.  How do our cells achieve that end?  They absorb the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients we take in during our digestive process.  But they also absorb water, or liquid fluids that are a product in direct water intake or the digestive process, but either way, water must be a part of the formula.  Since cells are also made of mostly water or fluid, it’s necessary to keep lots of water coming, and make sure that we include at least 64 ounces in our daily intake.

            Ask any health and fitness instructor, and they will tell you that you must consume plenty of water during your exercise routine, weight lifting, and physical activity requires us to take in water or some sort of sports drink.  Most of the instructors will recommend just plain water.  Why must we keep our bodies so hydrated?  In order for the metabolic and muscle burn to occur, there must be plenty of water and plenty of oxygen.  Oh, wait a minute, there’s another benefit of water.  It contains oxygen, a substance our body cannot get enough of.  Water also helps to flush the lactose acid that accumulates in our muscles when we work out, or use the excessively.  The lactose acid can build up and cause soreness, stiffness, and muscle pain.

            So, if you look at the benefits that water supplies, and you are trying to maintain health and fitness, you can not ignore the fact that water needs to be a part of your daily intake.  But how much water do we need to adequately supply our bodies, and help fuel our metabolic processes?  The most often recommended quantity is 8 eight ounce glasses each day.  Personally, I believe that amount should be closer to 10 eight ounce glasses each day. 

            What other benefits can water provide, other than the obvious ones of adding fluid to our bodies?  Water helps keep our skin healthy and glowing.  It helps in the reduction of wrinkling, and aids in our ability to flush fat, toxins, and any other unwanted or foreign substance from our bodies. Flushing our intestines with plenty of water allows us to maintain stable and safe quantities of yeast and bacteria.  Plenty of water keeps our thought processes and brain function at optimal levels, and prevents headaches that are caused from not enough hydration.  It’s pretty amazing what that one little glass of water can do!