While you may have heard about the importance of water many times in your life how much are you actually drinking? Water to the body is like oil for a car...it is necessary. Our body is made up of mostly water, up to 70 percent! This includes our muscles, fat and bones. For the average, typical person 6-8 glasses of water per day is recommended.
It sounds like a lot at first and it can be for some. Don't force yourself and take things one step at a time, there is no hurry. Remember, lifestyle changes are about making positive, gradual changes to our lifestyle. This is not some magic pill or crash diet. For example, if you drink 3 cans of soda per day try replacing 1 with water. And whenever you are thirsty keep a cold jug of water in the fridge and pour a little into a glass. Cold water tastes much better. You may even put lemon in it if you'd like for flavouring.
Water also has no calories which is the greatest benefit. Sometimes we can drink so many caloric fluids throughout the day that we have no idea how many calories we are actually taking in! You will also be able to eat more food if you cut down on other beverages, with the exception of diet soda. Even orange juice can be counterproductive to our weight management goals if we drink too much in a haphazard way. You don't need to cut out all caloric beverages such as juices or milk, just be mindful of what you are doing.
Water is also the best thing to quench your thirst. Most other things will still leave you thirsty after while good, clean water always satisfies. Think of the times you were the most thirsty in your life, and you probably wanted water. And best of all it is free! A person may live a month without food but only a matter of days without water.
Water is also a great aid in losing weight which many people do not realize. The main function of the liver is to convert stored fat into energy. A good supply of clean water is needed for this task. Another function of the liver is to help the kidneys and if the kidneys are deprived of water it cannot metabolize fat as quickly or as efficiently as possible. So do yourself a favour and help your body to help itself.
Another function of water is to maintain the largest organ in our body, the skin. It will help you to look younger and have that glowing look by flushing the impurities out of your skin. It also helps to give you great looking muscle tone. Muscles that are dehydrated often look saggy and undesirable. You will also have greater workouts with hydrated muscles because they will be able to contract easier. The end result are more productive workouts with a better looking and healthier body.
Never underestimate the power and change adding more water to your diet can make in your life. I challenge you to start now and you will start noticing changes almost instantly.
Randy McLean enjoys abundant health and is the sole creator of the Healthy Eating Tips web site. Randy has discovered early on what works and what doesn't. To start looking and feeling better visit http://www.healthy-eating-tips.com