Note: This is the first of a 3-part series that explains, in practical terms, how beneficial water is to the human body. Water, a nutrient vital to all life, doesn’t get the same media attention as do prescription medications, injections and surgeries when it comes to preventing and curing disease. Therefore, don’t expect your MD to enlighten you on the healing benefits of water next time you go for a visit. But feel free to share this information with friends and family.
We’d like to recommend a super simple habit that could change your life.
And just about anyone can adopt it.
This is not a “fad”. You don’t hear celebrities talking about it. Yet it’s described as “the single most effective prescription for well-being, improved health, disease prevention, potentially reversible stages of degenerative diseases—and finally the best pain medicine in the world. It needs no doctor’s prescription. It is freely available. It costs nothing. It has no dangerous side effects. It is the medication your body cries for when it is stressed. It is good old plain, natural water...”
—Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, author of “Your Body’s Many Cries for Water”
Wait… what? Water?
Most people don’t consider it that important and so don’t bother to drink enough water on a day-to-day basis. If that’s you, please read further.
Every function within our bodies in some way or some form requires water.
You need water for breathing, digestion, and every basic bodily function. Whether it’s red blood cells, white blood cells, muscle cells, or nerve cells...they all need water.
The muscles that move your body are 75% water.
The blood that transports nutrients is 82% water.
Your lungs which provide oxygen are 90% water.
Your brain (the control center of your body) is 76% water.
And even your bones are 25% water.
Combine all that together and it turns out your body weight is about two-thirds water. Example: If you weigh 150 pounds, about 100 pounds of that is water.
While it holds true that “you are what you eat”, probably no one ever told you “you are also what you drink”.
So… how is any of this relevant?
10 things water does for you:
1 - Increases the body’s rate of absorption of essential substances in food.
2 - Increases the efficiency in red blood cells in collecting oxygen in the lungs.
3 - Clears toxic waste from different parts of the body and takes it to the liver and kidneys for disposal.
4 - It’s the main lubricant in the joint spaces and helps prevent arthritis and back pain.
5 - It’s the best lubricating laxative and prevents constipation.
6 - Helps reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
7 - Prevents clogging of arteries in the heart and the brain.
8 - Gives us power and electrical energy for all brain functions, most particularly thinking.
9 - It can help prevent attention deficit disorder in children and adults.
10 - Increases efficiency at work; expands your attention span.
If that isn’t enough to get you drinking more water… there’s more!
The above list includes only 10 of the 46 reasons why your body needs water every day, as laid out by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj in his book (mentioned above).
Not to mention… water is a better “pick-me-up” than any other beverage in the world—and comes without side effects.
How MUCH water to drink is answered in Part 2 of “Hydration 101”. If the reports we studied are true, 75% of you are not getting enough water and are chronically dehydrated!
Despite the fact that people can survive for weeks without food, and only a few days without any water, our "hunger drive" is much greater than our "thirst drive". If you wait to feel thirsty, chances are that you are already dehydrated… but more on that in the next part.
For now, drink up...and aim for a healthy and hydrated life!