Not Getting Enough Water?
February 29th, 2008
Many health experts recommend that you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Now I’ve always thought that was close to impossible for me. I mean, who drinks 8 full glasses of water a day?
But, the more I think about it… for health reasons, drinking 8 glasses of water a day makes sense.
Our bodies are like sponges that soak up everything in our environment through the solid foods and fluids that we intake. We need to continually drink water to keep a natural flow of elimination going throughout our bodies.
Reasons For Drinking At Least 8 Glasses of Water Per Day
From UIHealthcare.com:
The body needs water to function. Many parts of the body contain water, including the brain, blood and lean muscle. Water in the body serves to:
* regulate body temperature
* remove wastes (through urine and stool)
* carry nutrients (food) and oxygen to cells
* cushion joints and
* dissolve nutrients to make them available to the body
Being that the human body is 2/3 water, it does make sense that we need to replace the water in our bodies with fresh water. It’s like an aquarium tank full of fish. You need to change a portion of the water at regular intervals so that the fish can live in a healthy water environment. Fresh water helps to dilute a dirty tank, and regularly changing the water helps keep the tank clean.
Signs of Dehydration
Drinking more water will lead to frequent urination, but that’s a good thing, as the body needs to eliminate wastes, toxins, etc. through the urine.
From freedrinkingwater.com:
QUICK TIP: A trick to ensure people are drinking their daily allowance is to fill a pitcher or jug with the allotment of water and keep it on your desk at work, or handy at home. The goal is then clearly marked. As you drink down the water, you know that you are on the right path to drinking enough water.
And finally, those frequent bathroom trips are not a bad thing. The best indicator that one is drinking enough water is when urine comes out pale yellow to clear. A dark yellow color, however, is a sign your body is dehydrated and is concentrating the urine in an effort to conserve water.
Alrightee, then… who drinks their 8 glasses of water each day? I confess that I don’t. But, I’m going to really start drinking more and making sure my body is hydrated.
