Any idea how much of your present body weight is from water?

If you guessed 60-percent, you would be right. With so much water content it only makes sense that staying hydrated is an important factor for good health. That’s because water is used by our bodies in many different ways. It is essential for virtually every bodily function. It is used as a building block, as a transportation material and as a solvent for chemical reactions. Your body needs you to keep drinking water in order to maintain the proper level of hydration.

So, what are the benefits of filling your body with so much water? Well, let’s take a look at a few of the main ones.

1 – Drinking Buckets of Water Helps You To Lose Weight

Yup, you read the right. Water helps with weight loss even if 60-percent of that weight is water. Sure, that may sound a bit odd but here’s how water helps with weight loss. By increasing your water intake, you will actually eat less as you will feel full. Sounds too simple, but it’s true.

2 – Staying Properly Hydrated Puts You In A Good Mood

If you drink somewhat more water than you have been, you will very likely see a positive change in your mental state. You’ll be more focused, have increased attention and won’t be tired. Does it have to do with running to the bathroom more frequently? We believe it doesn’t.

3 – Hydration Is Responsible For Adding To Your Smarts

Your cognitive performance – that’s a fancy way of saying your brain activity – can be impacted when you are not properly hydrated. In fact, if you ever feel sluggish, you may be down a quart in water and a top up could turn your day around. Always have some water nearby.

4 – Speaking of Cognitive Stuff, Water Reduces Headaches

We’re not just talking the severity of a headache here, either. If you are a master at drinking water, you probably also don’t get headaches. Water deprivation happens to be one of the main causes of the average headache. Well, that and loud music. So drink more water.

5 – Drinking Water Will Protect You From Diseases

If there were such a thing as a magic cure for most diseases, water would probably take the crown. That’s because it does a great job of flushing away the bad things that collect inside your body and eventually attack when you are weak. Water builds up your immunity.

6 – Water Is Performance Enhancing Without The Steroids

You know how you usually sweat buckets after any kind of strenuous activity? Well, that does a great deal to knock off the balance of water contained in your body. The sweat is used to cool you down and you just have to replenish it by drinking more. When you are properly hydrated, you think clearer and therefore can perform better on any and all tasks.

How To Keep The 60/40 Balance In Place

We’ve already mentioned that 60-percent of your body is water. But that shifts around a lot, depending on what you are doing and the things your multiple body systems are doing. This is why it is essential to keep drinking water even when you are not thirsty. But how much is enough? Well, that also depends on a number of factors. Let’s look ‘em over.

Your age, activity level, gender and overall health are just a few of the things that can impact what you need to do in order to keep your body’s water content at the 60-percent level. To make it easier for everyone, there are two general rules of thumb.

1 – Women

For the gals, it is safe to get into the habit of drinking 2 liters of water per day. That’s the minimum. Drinking more is not going to harm you in any way but will get you moving in more ways than one.

2 – Men

The macho dudes who claim they get enough water from the foods they eat are generally bluffing. While there is some truth to the statement, it is best to aim for a minimum of 3 liters of water per day.

What Water Is The Best To Drink?

Tap water is an easy one, right? Well, you better start getting in the habit of getting your daily dose of hydration from filtered water. The reason why you will want to focus on getting a good quality water filtering system in place is because drinking water straight from your tap is not really your best solution. That’s due to the toxins that are usually present in municipal water systems. If you have well water and have it tested frequently, you may find it to be better.

What If I Don’t Feel Thirsty?

This is a normal process that tends to kick in as you age. But it is also one of the sneaky ways your body tries to trick you. Remember when we said that if you are properly hydrated your cognitive function is good? In other words, you’ll be thinking straight if you drink enough water to stay hydrated. When you get older, you may not feel the need to drink as much.

Well, that should be your first signal to grab a glass or bottle and start sipping. Your body won’t tell you are thirsty until you haven’t figured it out from other signals. So, when you hear someone say, “I feel thirsty” their body has gotten to the last of the signals and has told the brain that the body is in need of some hydration. When you get older, the signals are slower.

Your best solution is to keep water handy at all times and to sip or drink some whenever you see the water bottle. Invest in a quality half gallon water bottle that is equivalent to the daily 8 glasses of water intake and never leave home without it. Fill the water jug up in the morning and be sure it is finished it by the end of the day. This will ensure that your body doesn’t have to activate the series of signals warning you that your hydration level is down. By drinking water, even when you do not feel the urge to, you will keep your body functioning at its best performance at all times.