Grr...Off the Wagon Again!

I'm not sure why, but it has been very hard for me to blog since summer began.  So, again I'm sorry for being away for so long!  But now I am back...I think. 

Well this certainly has been one hot & humid summer! Are you drinking enough water?  And when I say water...I mean good, clean, spring water.  Not Vitamin Water, soda, tea, coffee, etc.  I mean crisp clean H2O!  Most of us are not drinking nearly enough these days.  Our minds are filled with advertisements for everything and anything but the very substance that our bodies thrive on...which is water!  Here are a few tidbits on water and the human body:

Water is of major importance to all living things! Up to 60% of the human body is water, the brain is composed of 70% water, and the lungs are nearly 90% water. Lean muscle tissue contains about 75% water by weight, as is the brain; body fat contains 10% water and bone has 22% water. About 83% of our blood is water, which helps digest our food, transport waste, and control body temperature.

A  2% drop in our body's water supply can trigger signs of dehydration: fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on smaller print, such as a computer screen. Mild dehydration is also one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue. An estimated seventy-five percent of Americans have mild, chronic dehydration.

Water is important to the mechanics of the human body. The body cannot work without it, just as a car cannot run without gas and oil. In fact, all the cell and organ functions made up in our entire anatomy and physiology depend on water for their functioning.

• Water serves as a lubricant
• Water forms the base for saliva
• Water forms the fluids that surround the joints.
• Water regulates the body temperature, as the cooling and heating is distributed through perspiration.
• Water helps to alleviate constipation by moving food through the intestinal tract and thereby eliminating waste- the best detox agent.
• Regulates metabolism

In addition to the daily maintenance of our bodies, water also plays a key role in the prevention of disease. Drinking eight glasses of water daily can decrease the risk of colon cancer by 45%, bladder cancer by 50% and it can potentially even reduce the risk of breast cancer. And those are just a few examples!

If you are confused on exactly how much water to drink per day go by this equation: 1/2 your body weight in ounces.  Example: A 150lb. woman should be drinking 75oz. of water per day.  It's that easy!

Now go get a glass of water...and I'll keep blogging!