The Importance of Water

One thing we all take for granted or overlook is water. We, in our busy schedules, don't drink enough water because we see it as redundant, unimportant, or simply forget to. Other times we don't want to. We may think, “how can something as simple as drinking water be beneficial towards my daily life”. While water can help with hydration, there are numerous other benefits that drinking water can have. 1. Water helps lubricate one’s joints. Water makes up 80% of cartilage and is also found in the disks of the spine. A reduction in water consumption can reduce the shock absorbing ability of the joints and lead to aches and pains. 2. Blood is more than 90% water and blood helps carry oxygen to different parts of the body. 3. Water is essential for kidney function. The kidneys are responsible for filtering waste products out of the body. Water helps this process by dissolving minerals, nutrients, and waste products, helping make the nutrients more accessible for the job while making the filtering of waste products out of the body much easier on the kidneys. If the kidneys do not function properly, waste products can build up inside of the body.

 Sometimes, we can be dehydrated and not even know it. A possible scenario of why this can happen is when we ignore our bodies’ signals of dehydration due to numerous activities or don't realize that our bodies are telling us that we are dehydrated. Other times, due to not regularly drinking water, the body can adapt itself to its environment and because of this dehydration, the body assumes that the current environment is lacking water and the brain in response temporarily down-regulates feelings of thirst. One of the simplest ways to indicate if one is dehydrated is to look at one’s urine. The closer in color to an iced tea kind of color, the more dehydrated. The closer in color to clear white, the less dehydrated.