Benefits of Water

The human body is made up of 60-65% water (lean people have morewater in their bodies mainly due to the fact that muscles hold morewater than fat).
More researchers recommend 8 glasses of water a day in order tomaintain our health, but sometimes this quantity might vary dependingon life-style, nutrition, environment temperature, humidity, etc. Thehuman body needs so much water because almost every cell in our bodyneed water to function properly.
Still, if you think that the human body accumulates daily 2 litersof water, think again! Our lungs expel daily about 3 cups of waterthrough normal breathing, if we perspire we eliminate two cups of watera day (not including exercises), etc.
Some of us prefer soft drinks to water. In this case we should bearin mind that sugar slows down the absorption of fluids into the body.Additionally, such drinks contain calories that might sometimes makethe difference between weight loss and weight gain.
Besides drinking water, another important method of increasing waterintake in our bodies is eating food with a high content of water. Suchsources of water are fruits and vegetables.
The top 5 fruits with one of the highest content of water are:
1. Watermelon (92% water)

2. Strawberries (92% water)

3. Grapefruits (91% water)

4. Cantaloupe (90% water)

5. Peaches (88% water)
Additionally, the top 5 vegetables with one of the highest content of water are:
1. Lettuce (96% water)

2. Cucumber (96% water)

3. Celery (95% water)

4. Radish (95% water)

5. Zucchini (95% water)
If drinking water is not that easy for you, here are some tips that will make it easier for you to drink water:
1. Drink less but more often (every two hours drink a cup of water, take water with you in the car, when you watch TV, etc.)

2. Include some natural flavors in your glasses of water.

3. Use ice, lemons, straws, etc.

4. Use colorful containers.

5. Drink cold water (it might taste better).

6. Replace soda with water at lunch.

7. Drink a glass of water before you eat (recommended especially when you are trying to loss weight, as water decreases your appetite) .

Additionally, for those who think that drinking less water meansless kg on the scale, we should bear in mind that the more water weconsume, the less we retain, because a clean inner body works moreeffectively.
Water consumption has a lot of health benefits. There is not a single diet in the world that restricts water consumption.
The most important 10 health related benefits of water consumption are:
1. External benefits: additional moisture for our skin, prevents the aging process, a more fit body, etc.
2. Headaches:75% of our brain is made of water. So, when the body has a waterdeficit, the brain will be the one of the first who will signal theproblem, causing headaches. When drinking alcohol, although some mightnot recommend, water might be the solution to get back in shape becauseit eliminates toxins and re-hydrates the brain.
3. Back pains:are often caused by fluid deficits in our bodies. The disks within ourbacks are filled with fluids, mainly water, and act like shockabsorbers. Regular movement and a proper fluid level will keep thesedisks hydrated and will allow them to support the weight of the upperbody.
Usually, the fluid inside the disks support 75% of the weight, whilethe shell supports 25% of it. When the fluid level drops, the shell isforced to support a higher weight level, causing pains and otherproblems.
4. Reduces infections:The lymphatic systems in our body is responsible for waste disposal.This system breaks down toxins before passing them into the bloodstream.
A low intake of water will disturb the flow of lymph in our systems, making our bodies less resistant to dangerous infections.
5. Hypertension: often occurs when the human body is trying to adjust to blood volumeloss. Our blood is almost 85% water, so its volume depends a lot of thewater intake.
When the body detects a drop in the blood volume, it closes lessactive capillary beds in order to maintain active areas proper fueledwith blood. When vessels close, they cause an tension increase in themuscles. So, water helps by increasing the blood volume and thus,reducing tension.
6. Concentration:water is used to flush out toxins contained by certain food products(preservatives, additives, etc.). By drinking water, these toxins areflushed quickly from the liver, making you more active and increasingyour concentration capacity.
7. Arthritis:water is used to lubricate joints between our bones. When water intakeis low, the friction between cartilage surfaces increases, causingswellings, pains, etc.
8. Breath:bad breath is a clear sign that your body needs more water. Our salivahelps the cleaning process of our teeth of bacteria and keeps ourtongue hydrated.
9. Cramps:oxygen is transported to our muscles by blood. If the blood is notproperly oxygenated, muscles create lactic acid causing cramps. Bydrinking water we make sure that our blood is fueled with oxygen.
10. Other important benefits: asthma, digestion, fluid retention, morning sickness, etc.
There are many other benefits of drinking water. A proper hydrated body is a more healthy and resistant body!!!