The Importance of Drinking Water

January 30, 2010 by Shane

Water, Water Everywhere

Water, what a simple liquid. Two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. It seems simple, however we need it to survive.  You can make it almost a week without food, however you will only make it a few days without water. The great thing about water is it is everywhere. Water coolers, Brita jugs, and most refredigerators have water dispensors built into them now. So if water is everywhere, why is it so important to drink it?

Benefits of Water

There are a lot of benefits for drinking water, like:

• Acts as a lubricant
• Fights off dehydration
• Helps keep your internal body temperature regulated
• Water forms the fluids that surrounds joints (like in your back)
• It engages the metabolism
• Helps flush out toxins in your body
• Reduce chance of kidney stones
• IT’S FAT FREE!

This is a small list of benefits, however you get the point. Water has so many benefits, why are you not drinking more? This leads to the next question.

How Much Water Should I Drink

I have read a lot of different rules for the amount of water you need to drink daily. Some say Take your weight and divide your weigh in half and that is how many ounces of water you should be drinking in the summer. Divide by 4 and that is how many ounce you should drink in the winter. There are also some intense calculations that take into account the amout of exercise, etc. I like to keep it simple. I take my weight and divide by 2 and that is the amount in ounce I drink. So, I weigh 192 pounds. I strive for at least 100 ounces of water through out the day.

Like everything, you want to make sure you practice moderation when drinking water. If you should be drinking 100 ounces of water everyday, there is no reason to drink 200+ ounces. There is such a thing as water intoxication and water poisoning. These are rare cases and I just want to make sure you are aware of potential issues.

Now I am sure you are saying “I hate drinking water.” Well, I hate  not drinking beer anymore, I also don’t like waking up two hours earlier everyday to work my butt off. Face it, P90X is all about you doing things you don’t like doing. Stop making excuses and start drinking more water. Trust me,  your body will thank you and it will help you achieve your fitness goals.