H2O is the Way 2 Go

When you’re feeling thirsty, which beverage do you typically go for in the kitchen? Juice, soda, a sports drink? Hopefully you decide to grab some water every now and then. It’s well known that water is the healthiest option for beverages, but most people still choose to go for the sugary drinks or higher calorie drinks because of the flavor. There are so many benefits of drinking water, but I will break them down to only five main benefits. Drinking the appropriate amount of water for your body helps with maintaining the proper balance of body fluids, maintaining efficient blood flow, maintaining normal bowel function, protecting our joints, and improving kidney function. 

1. Water helps maintain proper balance of body fluids
Our bodies are made up of 60% water, and our cells depend on water to survive and work efficiently. During dehydration, these cells lose water and shrivel, which inhibits their function. Maintaining hydration is most important for digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature. The shriveling of cells also causes muscle fatigue, especially during exercise. Exercise alone causes a decrease in body fluid; therefore, it is crucial to drink water before, during, and after exercise to restore the loss of fluid. 

2. Water helps maintain efficient blood flow
Proper hydration allows our blood vessels to dilate and stay dilated, leading to more efficient blood flow through the body. More efficient blood flow also delivers oxygen throughout the body more efficiently, which promotes better function for other organs, especially our muscles, heart, and lungs, and it improves blood pressure. 

3. Water improves kidney function
Our kidneys help us remove toxins from our blood by excreting them as waste through urine. During severe dehydration, the body can accumulate acids and wastes, which clogs the kidneys, and ultimately can lead to kidney stones or urinary tract infections. Therefore, it is important to stay hydrated to prevent this. As mentioned in the previous section, water helps dilate the blood vessels and improve blood flow. This more efficient blood flow will flow through the kidneys and is essential for proper function of the kidneys. 

4. Water helps maintain normal bowel function
Drinking the appropriate amount of water for your body will prevent constipation. Dehydration causes stool to harden; therefore, making it more difficult to pass. When there is a lack of water in the intestine, the intestine will absorb water from the food that you have consumed in order to pass the waste. This is what makes the stool harden. The intestine needs the excess water to keep the stool soft and easy to pass. 

5. Water maintains proper joint lubrication
Our joints are surrounded by synovial fluid, which aids in preventing friction between our bones and surrounding tissues. This synovial fluid is composed primarily of water. Dehydration reduces the shock-absorbing ability that the synovial fluid has, as well as the flexibility that the synovial fluid promotes. Therefore, without the adequate amount of water, the synovial fluid will not be able to protect our joints as much, which could increase the chances of pain, damage, and injuries. 

Now that we see all of the benefits that drinking water has for our bodies, how can we improve our water intake and how much is appropriate?

The common recommendation of how much water someone should consume in a day is eight 8-ounce glasses of water. However, just as every person is unique, each person has a different requirement for water intake. The amount of water that each person should consume depends on exercise, environment, illness, and whether the person is pregnant or breastfeeding. 

If you are a person who exercises regularly, you will need to consume higher amounts of water to replenish the water lost from exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that you drink 17 ounces of water about 2 hours prior to exercising and to drink water during and after exercise. If you are ever in a more humid and/or higher temperature environment, it is important to consume more water to replenish the water lost through sweat. When you are sick, especially when you have a fever and/or have an upset stomach, it is also important to increase your water intake. It is also important for women who are pregnant or are breastfeeding to increase their water intake. 
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Therefore, with the standard consumption being eight 8-ounce glasses of water, you should be conscious of what your daily activities and environments involved to determine whether it is appropriate to be drinking more or less than eight 8-ounce glasses of water. 

How can I improve my water intake?
Set small, achievable goals
Start by cutting back on sugary or high caloric drinks
Slowly add in more ounces of water daily or weekly
Do what works for YOU
Use a tracker
Write it down in your journal
Print one from online
Buy a water bottle with ounce markings to track how much water you are drinking
Drink water with each meal and snack
Drink water when you feel thirsty