How to Get Health Benefits from Drinking Water

In the United States, we are truly blessed with an abundance of water. In most of our geographical locations, water is everywhere. We routinely drill into aquifers and underground water reserves to access life preserving liquid gold each and every day. We flush millions of gallons away on a daily basis and, generally, give no thought to this precious resource.

That being said, this article concerns itself only with how important water is to our own bodily functions and how many benefits we derive from pure water. Think about it, statistics prove that, despite readily available fresh water, over 75% of the American population is dehydrated. Counteract dehydration by drinking water - lots of it.

Boost your metabolism

Keeping your system hydrated is an important part of being active. Even slight dehydration may retard your metabolism by 3% or more and, if you are trying to lose weight, that can mean the difference in your ability to decrease pounds.

Make hunger pains go away

Countless fellow Americans mistakenly believe that they are experiencing hunger pains when, in fact, they are dehydrated and need to take in liquid. When faced with what you think is hunger, have a glass of water first. Even if you are hungry, taking in at least 8 ounces or more of water before you eat will prevent you from overeating.

Shut down nightly hunger pangs and cravings

Have a glass of water when you feel the urge to snack late in the evening. You'll keep your calories to zero if you have the water instead of a snack - any snack. And, another benefit of drinking water is that you won't have to brush your teeth again or, worse, risk sugary buildup on your teeth from that candybar.

Fight sluggish and exhausted feelings

Use water to pick up your spirits and feel more alert. Just a 2% shortfall of your body water can affect short-term memory. You can even experience difficulty focusing on tasks at hand. This fuzziness can be even more pronounced when a body is deprived of the proper amount of nightly sleep.

Ease joint and back pain Studies are continuing to show positive results about the benefits of water on our bodies. It is noted that drinking a lot of water - from 8 to 10 glasses daily - can ease back and joint pain. The statistic most often quoted is "80% of sufferers" find some relief in their aches. That is a significant percentage!

Drink at least 5 glass of water daily

Ponder these statistics and decide for yourself whether to increase your water intake if it's less than that recommended:

--lessen or decrease colon cancer risk by 45%;

--cut cancer of the breast by 79%;

--cut bladder cancer by a possible 50%

--rid excess salt from your body

--flush impurities from your system

We can all agree that water is a true marvel of nature. We use it for our entertainment, crops, houses - but life itself cannot be sustained without water. So, drink up my friends!

This article is written by The Old Gray Mare and can be found at www.DressYourHorse.com.