Our bodies are made up mostly of water, and the ongoing intake of water is essential to our every function. Drink the appropriate amounts, and everything is much more likely to function at optimal levels. Don’t drink enough water, and over the short term you will experience routine fatigue, dry skin, headaches and constipation; over the longer term, every bodily function will degrade more quickly. It really is as simple as that.
How much water is enough? This is a great question, since there are so many conflicting answers out there. We recommend that a person drink half her body weight (pounds) in ounces. So a 200-pound person should drink a minimum of 100 ounces each day. The key word there is minimum. You must also consider if you drink coffee, soda, work out, sit in the sun, etc. All of those act as diuretics or dehydration factors—which equals the need for you to drink more water! Remember that tea, lemonade and milk do not count! The ounces you need are in pure water form!
Why pure water? Teas, juices, milk and others do not act as pure water due to the additives in them. Tap water should be avoided because it contains chlorine and may contain fluoride—toxic substances—that with ongoing consumption, can have dire consequences for the body. Distilled water should also be avoided because it has the wrong ionization, pH, polarization and oxidation potentials and can drain your body of necessary minerals.
How do you get pure water? There are many products on the market that will purify your water. They range from $20 water pitcher purifiers to whole house reverse osmosis systems (definitely more than $20—contact a local business to find out exact rates).
Point being, we are not getting enough water in our systems to function properly. Increase your consumption of pure water and you will increase your overall health. TPW