You Can Lead a Horse to Water.../#4 Drink Water

We have all heard how important it is to drink water and how good it is for you more times than can be counted. It is recommended that you drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. Recent Studies show that you may need to drink even more than that they say that the amount of water you drink should be half of what you weigh. Let's see I weigh...WHEW! that's alot of water. I will aim for 8 glasses of water a day and work my way up; for someone like me that drinks little to no water some days I'm sure I will see some positive changes by drinking 8 glasses a day. The benefits of drinking water go beyond aiding in weight loss. It is one of the most important nutrients for the body. Roughly 70-75% of your total body weight is made up of water and your blood is roughly 90% water. The body needs that H2O to stay hydrated and function properly. The benefits of drinking water include: maintaining body temperature, metabolizing body fat, helping with digestion, lubricating and cushioning organs, moving nutrients, flushing toxins from your body and helping you avoid a ton of health problems that I can’t even begin to pronounce, much less spell! Regardless of what your weight loss goals are, everyone should drink a minimum of 64 ounces a day to reap the benefits of drinking water. If you exercise or are overweight, you should drink even more. Now this might seem insane and more like something a camel should worry about, but in a minute I'll tell you how easy it is to meet this requirement. Before we get to that, allow me to explain some of the numerous benefits of drinking water:Digestion & MetabolismIf you're not getting enough water, these functions suffer and don't properly and this may prevent you from losing as much weight as you otherwise would if you were getting enough H2O. One of the definite benefits of drinking water are proper digestion and metabolism. Even mild dehydration can slow down metabolism and cause you to work harder to burn the same number of calories. Loss of Body FatAs you begin having success with your weight loss thanks in no small part to the benefits of drinking water, you’ll lose body fat. As a result, your body increases its percentage of water so the amount of water you need to drink increases each day. As you may be realizing already, the benefits of drinking water are part of a cycle. Everything runs smoother and more calories are burned when you have enough water to keep your body working properly. Curbs Your AppetiteDrinking 64 ounces of water each day will fill you up so you don't overeat. It's the best natural appetite suppressant you'll find. Better WorkoutsAnother of the more tangible benefits of drinking water is more focused and intense workouts. Only missing a few ounces of water each day can mean a 20-30% drop in physical performance! So it is also true that one of the less obvious but very real benefits of drinking water is that it will take you less time to get the body you desire when you get enough of Nature’s purifier thanks to more productive workouts! Muscle Requires Water: Muscles are roughly 70% water. Exercising maintains and adds muscle while also burning fat. The more muscle you have, the more water your body needs. Thirst-Hunger Response When you are dehydrated, your body may signal you to eat when all it really needs is a cool and refreshing glass of the clear stuff. When you feel hungry, try drinking water first because you may be surprised to learn that you are not as hungry as you thought. According to a Washington University study, a few glasses of water will shut down late night hunger pangs for almost 100% of dieters. Now is that one of the coolest benefits of drinking water that you have heard yet? Glycogen StorageGlycogen is a form of carbohydrate stored in your muscles. It can be used as energy when you're exercising. The more fit you become, the more glycogen is stored in your muscles. Glycogen holds water so the more fit you are, the more water your body will hold and the more water you'll need. Impaired Liver & Kidney Function: As I said earlier, one of the benefits of drinking water is a properly functioning body. Without enough water, extra amounts of glucose remain in the bloodstream until reaching the liver. The extra glucose is stored as fat. Your body takes water from inside cells in an effort to compensate for a dehydrated state, including fat cells. The less water you have in your fat cells means less mobilization of fat for energy. One of the liver's primary functions is to turn fat into energy. The kidneys are responsible for filtering toxins, waste, water, and salt out of the bloodstream. If you are dehydrated, the kidneys cannot function properly, and the liver must work overtime to compensate. As a result, it metabolizes (burns) less fat. Other Health benefits of drinking water · less water retention · alleviate some headaches · help reduce blood pressure · help reduce high cholesterol · ease joint pain · decrease in risk of some cancers · less chance developing kidney stones · release toxic waste products · improves skin DRINK UP!