When I was younger, health class taught me the importance of drinking water. Most people learn this at an early age. However, how many people actually practice this in their everyday life? Experts say many people lack adequate water intake. Yikes!

As a kid, I enjoyed drinking pop (as we Western Pennsylvanians call it). It’s carbonated and in my opinion, tasteful! What more could a person ask for? As a high schooler, I would honestly take advantage of every moment to drink more pop. I had Pepsi or Dr. Pepper next to me for road trips, movie nights, when gaming, while mowing the lawn, when hanging out with friends, and more. It was borderline addiction. I had no idea it was a problem because all my friends did the same. We all developed this bad habit of drinking way too many sugary drinks.

This is awful, but when I went to restaurants, my friends and I would tip the server based upon how many times they would refill our drinks. We would also scope out the customers who were drinking water. We talked about how they (the water drinkers) probably think they’re better. Don’t worry, I’m actually laughing as I type this because I have no idea what was going through our minds! We were immature!

Although your scenario might not be as extreme as mine, most do not drink enough water each day. This is terrible for our health because of how much we need it. Health class demanded that we drink 8 or more glasses of water each day. This was basically the standard across the board. However, more recent research says that 8 glasses is probably more than what we need. This formulates the question: How much water should I be drinking each day?

I googled it. And of course, a wide range of answers kicked back. I picked one that seemed logical to me. The general recommendation is anywhere between 6-8 (8oz) glasses of water each day. However, depending on your current health, you may need more or less. If someone eats a well-balanced diet and regularly exercises, they may not need as much. Someone who smokes, eats poorly, and never exercises would need more water. Another factor to consider is how much a person sweats. If you sweat a lot during exercise, it is important to continuously drink water to replace the lost fluids. Water is important because it is a key nutrient in our body. It makes up 60% of our insides! In addition, it has a few added benefits.

1.       Helps control weight – although there is nothing magical about water, it can certainly help to control weight. But, this is only works if you replace the sugary drinks with water. By no means does this have to be a 100% replacement, but as much as possible. Many Americans shop around for low calories drinks and snacks. Well, water is as low as it gets. Clocking in at an outstanding 0 calories. As you drink more water, you will realize that it fills up your stomach. This helps people from feeling hungry! Therefore, if you snack often or drink excessive sugary drinks, drink more water and it will result in you feeling fuller.

2.       Helps your skin to look better – I mentioned this one because everyone would like better looking skin! Drinking more water will easily help. Although, keep in mind that drinking beyond the recommended amount does not help any more. There comes a point where the body removes excess water. Water helps carry nutrients through the body and regulate body temperature. If the body lacks water, the body must try harder to move nutrients. This results in dehydration and wrinkles in the skin. Drink water eases the process and prevents these prblems.

3.       Energizes muscles – muscle cells need a balance of water and electrolytes. If the balance is off, muscles will undoubtedly fatigue. When muscles fatigue, performance will surely suffer. Therefore, if you care less about your weight and skin, at least drink water for your muscle sake! If you drink more water, growing muscle will be much more effective! Keep those muscles hydrated. Would you want to dehydrate a horse before a race? I think not!

There you have it! Three great reasons to drink water. Once I stumbled upon this information, I completely changed my lifestyle. This was one of the driving reasons that my weight went from 215 lbs to 140 lbs in under a year. I cut the empty calories through sugary drinks and replaced it with water. Nowadays, I drink about a gallon of water each day. Most people think I am crazy, but my workouts are hard. I lose a lot of fluids and it is important to replace them.

How do you plan to introduce more water into your lifestyle? Will you carry around a gallon jug like me? Comment below, call me a weirdo. I encourage it!

Yours truly,

Health Cop