HomeTown Water

Our planet’s most precious resource is water. Over 70 per cent of our earth’s surface is covered in water with 97.5 per cent of that being salt water. Less than 3 per cent of the earth’s water is defined as fresh water and only 3/1000 of this is either too deep in the earth to retrieve or locked away in ice caps or glaciers. With global warming and climate changes threatening our current water supplies, the amount of available fresh water may soon dwindle.

Water is life to every living organism. All living organisms are made of water: humans are 60 per cent; fish are about 80 per cent; and plants are between 80 and 90 per cent water. Water is necessary for chemical reactions to occur at the cellular level and water is the medium where the exchange of information between cells happens for life to continue. All living things depend on the hydrological cycle to continue as water is essential for all food production and all living ecosystems.

In North America, fresh clean water is readily available however our consumption patterns and wasteful ways threaten our future supplies. A typical single family home uses about 265 liters of water every day (indoors) and about 35 per cent of that is used to maintain our lawns and gardens. According to the World Health Organization, humans only need 19 liters of water a day to meet basic needs.

Without actively thinking about water conservation, we all waste water: 114 liters goes down the drain if you wash dishes with the tap running; 180 liters of water is wasted per day on a leaky faucet; 280 liters of water is wasted by a steady slow-dripping tap; an average of 19 liters of water is wasted if you leave the tap running while you brush your teeth. By taking a few common-sense steps in our everyday life, we can save thousands of liters of water each year.

The best place to start our water conservation is by reviewing how we use water inside our homes and identifying where we are most wasteful. The kitchen is one of the most obvious rooms in our homes where water is in constant use and where conserving water would make a big impact. Considering all that goes on in a kitchen – cooking, cleaning and washing – taking a few deliberate steps to use less water will save thousands of liters each year. Here are some tips to consider:

(1) When it comes to drinking water from the kitchen tap, most of us let the water run a bit to clear the tap of stale water or we run water first so that we get a good cold drink but, either way, we are wasting water. A good drinking water option is to fill a jug full of water and put it in the refrigerator. If you only drink half a glass of water, do not dump the remainder down the sink – use it to water your house plants;

(2) When washing fruits and vegetables, wash them in a sink-full of water instead of running water over them. You only need enough water to slightly cover the fruits and vegetables to scrub them clean;

(3) If you wash your dishes by hand and have a double sink, fill the second sink with rinse water instead of rinsing dishes under a running tap. If you don’t have a double sink, put the washed dishes onto a drain rack and rinse them with a hand-held spray. By washing dishes this way, you’ll save gallons of water each month;

(4) If have a dishwasher, use it only when you have a full load of dishes. The dishwasher uses the same amount of water whether it is full or not. Some dish-washers have shorter cycles that do the job of cleaning and drying your dishes just as well as the longer cycles. Shorter cycles also use less water;

(5) Make sure there are no dripping taps or leaky pipes as these situations waste gallons of water. Fix all leaks and seal all pipes to insure water is not being wasted and further erosion is not happening.

The bathrooms in your home are also a place where there are lots of water consumption and lots of waste. By taking a few conscious steps you can save gallons of water from going down the drain needlessly;

(1) When brushing your teeth, turn off the water. There is no need for water to run down the drain. In-stead, wet your toothbrush and turn off the tap. When you are finished brushing your teeth, turn the tap back on to rinse your mouth. Another solution might be to take a glass into the bathroom just for brushing your teeth. You can fill the glass with water, wet your toothbrush and clean your teeth. When it is time to rinse, you can rinse with your glass of water saving gallons of water from being wasted;

(2) Toilets use a lot of water for flushing especially, older toilets. If possible you could replace your toilet fixture for a newer water-wise toilet. The newer toilets use less water when you flush which also saves you money on your utility bills. Whether you chose to keep your regular toilet or buy a new one, be careful what you put into the toilet. When flushing a small facial tissue down the toilet for example, gallons of water are needlessly wasted;

(3) Long showers can waste five to ten gallons of water. Limiting showers to soap up, wash down and rinse off is a better solution. An alternative solution would be to install a water-saving shower head to help reduce the amount of water used during a shower;

(4) Taking a bath however, is an even better solution for water conservation than taking a shower-even a relatively full bath uses less water than a regular shower would;

(5) The bathroom is another place where checking leaky pipes and dripping taps on a regular basis is a good idea – leaky pipes and taps are the biggest culprit when it comes to wasting water as when they are left unchecked, drips and leaks can cause hundreds of gallons of water to be lost in a month. In addition to this, if drips and leaks are not investigated, water causes plumbing damages that are very costly to repair.

Cleaning the outside of your home means using your hose to spray-wash the exterior. If you have aluminum siding for example, washing your siding down in the spring and fall uses gallons of water and often does not do the job efficiently. An alternative might be to use a soapy bucket of water to wash the siding and then use your hose to spray-rinse the siding clean. A second alternative might be to rent a power sprayer that effectively washes and sprays the area clean in one operation.

Cleaning windows can also use a lot of water. Again, use a bucket of soapy water and then rinse them clean. Washing down the cement driveways and walk-ways can be done once a year with broom sweeping done in between. This keeps these areas looking clean all year round. When it comes to washing your vehicles at home, lots of water can be lost if you are not mindful of what you are doing. Don’t let the water run while you hand-wash your vehicle – instead, get a bucket of soapy water, wash the vehicle down and then give it a good rinse.

Watering your plants and lawns is sometimes a quandary as gardens and lawns need to be watered to stay green and to continue to grow. Being careful how you water and how often you water is the key. Some cities have in place specific days when you can water your lawns keeping conservation of city water in effect. When watering lawns, don’t waste water where it is not needed. Try the lawn test. Step on a piece of grass – if it springs back right away, then no watering is needed. If it doesn’t then it is time to water. When it comes time to water your lawn, a deep soak is better than a slight sprinkle over the area. Deep soaking the lawn means watering deep enough to get down to the roots.

Watering this way means you won’t have to water so often – every third or even fourth day will do. When you do water your lawn, only water in the cool of the day – early morning or in the evening after the sun is almost set. Another good tip for your lawns and gardens is to plant drought-resistant trees and shrubs. These shrubs thrive well and they thrive on far less water than other varieties. Putting a layer of mulch around your trees and other plants will also help in conserving water. Mulch absorbs moisture from evaporating while at the same time, discourages weed growth.

Being aware, thoughtful and mindful of water conservation is the key when we are thinking about water conservation. If we want to continue to have water supplies available for generations, now is the time to protect and preserve what we do have. By consciously taking a closer look at how we use water and learning how to conserve it properly, fresh water will be available for future generations

Where there is water there is life. Without water there is no existence. Light, air and water are basic to the creation and sustenance of life. In fact life is mostly water. The average human is about 70% water. Several vegetables contain an even larger proportion of water. Indeed, one can live much longer without food than without water. The production of food itself is dependent on water. If sometimes, we focus more attention on food than water, it is because nature has been so enormously graceful in providing us with near unlimited supplies of this elixir of life. Yet, water is not abundant everywhere on earth. With an increasing population of humans, parts of the world are facing an increasing scarcity of this essential resource. Even in places where fresh water is available in abundance, its quality is not the best possible one for human consumption, resulting in health problems for those who consume it.

Mankind has recognized the importance of water and its quality since ancient times. It has played a central role in ancient religions of the world. Descriptions of hell and heaven are rarely complete without a description of the quality of water that is available for drinking. The water available for drinking in heavenly realms has been described as sweet and nourishing whereas in hellish region it is depicted as one that burns the throat. Even here on earth there are many places where available drinking water is unpleasant in taste and full of disease causing bacteria or chemicals. The quality and quantity of available water is a major index of the quality of life of different parts of our planet.

Oceans that cover a major portion of the earth’s surface are the largest reservoirs of water on earth. However, because of high salt content, ocean water is not suitable for drinking. Seawater is unsuitable for drinking even by severely dehydrated persons. Persons marooned at sea for prolonged periods have learnt to their peril that even though seawater may appear to quench thirst somewhat, it eventually leads to a greater dehydration of the body. Water that evaporates from the surface of the oceans gathers into clouds. Condensation of these clouds over land masses results in rain, hail and snow over land. This rain and snow is the source of our natural fresh water. Some of this water returns to the sea through rivers that flow back to the oceans. Some percolates into the ground resulting in underground rivers and reservoirs. Some remains as snow, frozen for long periods of time in the Polar Regions and on mountaintops. The snow that collects on high mountains melts slowly during summer months to feed rivers through the dry months.

Only a small percentage (less than one percent) of the total water on earth is suitable for farming and drinking but human, animal and industrial activity has led to its pollution. Some treatment of water is usually necessary to improve its quality. The River Jamuna flowing through the capital city of India is a mass of seething, filthy froth at the time of writing this.

Water starts to dissolve whatever it comes in contact with. A spoonful of salt will dissolve quickly in a glass of water. If we place a piece of metal such as silver or copper in water, we cannot see this dissolving action. Nevertheless, a microscopic part of these materials also dissolves. This is just as well, because if larger quantities of metals such as copper dissolved, then the water would become poisonous. Different materials have different degrees of solubility in water. Nature has been immensely wise in this respect. Materials generally found in nature, that could be poisonous to living creatures often display a low degree of solubility in water. However, in modern times the use of man made chemicals has become more and more common. Many of these dissolve rapidly in water. Most are harmful. Agricultural pesticides that dissolve in water percolate to underground reservoirs contaminating these as well. If the degree of contamination is not of a critical kind, it may not lead to fatal consequences, but it will probably lead to lower levels of health and vitality for persons who consume it.

The quality of water may be improved by treatment. The methods of treatment can be as simple as mechanical filtration or boiling. Modern science has yielded more sophisticated methods of purification ranging from chlorination and ozonation to the use of ion exchange, reverse osmosis and ultra-violet irradiation. Distillation can produce completely pure water. However the purest water is not the tastiest or healthiest one to drink. Water containing beneficial minerals improves the taste of water and nourishes life.

Fresh water is frequently classified into two broad categories – surface water and ground water. Surface water refers to the water in lakes, rivers, snow and ice. Water that percolates below the surface of the earth is referred to as ground water. Ground water can be a flowing one like a river or it may remain stationary in bodies such as lakes. Water that has entered the earth’s surface at one location may also emerge as an underground spring at another location. Surface water is usually not very high in mineral content, and often it is soft water. Surface water may get contaminated from animal wastes, agricultural chemicals, industrial chemicals and wastes as well as sewage and other discharges from human habitations. Even remote mountain streams may contain harmful bacteria from the feces of wild animals. Boiling or disinfecting by chemical means is recommended to eliminate the risk. In the populated Himalayan regions of India, epidemics of cholera have not been uncommon, and there have been occasions when health regulations have required outside visitors to get inoculated prior to a visit.

Ground water too may contain any of the contaminants found in surface water. However, it is usually safer to drink than surface water. On the other hand, the dissolved mineral content of ground water is usually higher. It can contain minerals besides common salt. Magnesium and calcium are some of the minerals commonly found in ground water. Such water is referred to as hard. Usually, washing and cooking is more difficult in hard water as compared to soft water. This water may or may not be harmful to drink depending on the type and extent of dissolved minerals and chemicals in the water. Groundwater from some sources has been found to contain excessive fluorides leading to diseases of the bone. Incase one has the choice and is unsure; soft water is the better one to choose for drinking. A mixture of both hard and soft water is even better provided that the hard water has only beneficial minerals dissolved in it. Distilled water is the purest with no mineral content but it is too bland for regular consumption. If that is the only safe water available for drinking then adding a pinch of salt and sugar to it can easily rectify the taste. Adding some other herbal and organic agents in small quantities such as a teaspoon of natural vinegar to a liter of water is held by some to be beneficial for health.

Water supply is one of the major problems facing mankind at the present time. The existence of large cities and excessive use of chemicals in agriculture and industry pollutes both surface and ground water. Thus, on the one hand, industrialization is helping to improve the quality of life; on the other it has worsened it as far as the quality of water is concerned. If the population growth continues unabated it will increase difficulties faced in maintaining adequate quantities of water supply in reasonably good quantities.

Whenever the question of conservation of water is raised, it must be remembered that except through rare chemical processes water cannot be destroyed. It merely moves from one place to another. Water is constantly in motion through nature. Therefore, we need not be concerned if we use copious amounts of water for our needs. The water we use does not leave our planet. It remains with us forever for further use in future. Water conservation is not about reducing the use of water but about its proper use and about maintaining its quality. Seawater although abundant is of little direct use for human, plant and animal life. Nations facing a shortage of fresh water should pay attention to the fresh water that returns to the sea through both surface and underground rivers. If the same water is collected in ponds, lakes and dams it remains as fresh water on land and serves to enhance ground water reservoirs and streams. Countries such as India that loose a large fraction of its fresh water to the sea, especially during the monsoon season should consider the creation of more inland reservoirs whenever the opportunity arises. Small reservoirs do not cause disruption of the environment as compared to large dams. Rather, they enhance the quality of environment. In fact no human settlement – villages, town or and city – should be considered environmentally congenial unless it contains a lake or a large pond. Large cities need to have several such lakes. If you happen to live in one that does not have a lake nearby it is time to voice the need for one. If a lake does exist near a human habitation steps are necessary to protect it from pollution. Combined with fresh water fish farming these reservoirs can rapidly pay for the cost of their creation. If fish start dying in a lake then it is time for urgent action to restore its health to a unpolluted state.

In recent years there has been much talk of harvesting rainwater that is, collecting water and directing it to underground reservoirs. In areas where such water flows into rivers that flow to the sea this makes good sense. However, in areas where such rivers do not exist the effort of harvesting water may at times be futile. Nature is probably already doing it for free. Even the water that is lost by surface evaporation is not really lost. It returns as rain or dew. Another area where futile efforts are often made is in the conservation of ground water. From time to time, government agencies consider limiting and licensing the use of ground water. In many cases this is completely unnecessary. Drawing water from the ground in some cases even prevents the loss of the same water to the oceans. It may even help to improve the water quality by reducing salinity of the water (except in coastal areas), which develops due to long storage inside the ground. Water that is pumped out is not destroyed. Much of it returns to the ground. All that happens is that its location is changed. When it is pumped out in excess, the water table falls and exercises an automatic control that does not require bureaucratic expense.

How much water should one drink? Some doctors recommend eight glasses a day. The amount of water one consumes varies from person to person. It depends on the climate, activities and the extent of water consumed through food and other beverages. The feeling of thirst is a sufficient guide for a healthy human. It must be listened to and when thirsty it is best to drink the water slowly rather than gulp it down. The color and quantity of one’s urine can also be used as an indicator. If it has become dark or much too yellow, it is usually an indication that enough water is not being consumed. The urine of a healthy person consuming adequate amounts of water is free of excessive smell and nearly colorless. It flows freely and abundantly when the call of nature is addressed.

“Water is the driving force of all nature” – Leonardo Da Vinci

Water, the liquid life. It makes up 60% of your body, 75% of your muscles and 85% of your brain. It’s the lubricant that is involved in nearly every chemical process that takes place inside your cells.

Water is clearly the most important nutrient for the human body, but we often take it for granted. Opting for soda, fruit juice, alcohol, coffee, or tea over boring old water. That’s likely the reason why 75% of Americans are suffering from chronic dehydration. There’s just so many other options!

Interestingly enough, even though water is so important for the body, there’s not much scientific research dedicated to learning more about water and how it affects human health. That’s because water is very cheap for most developed countries. Water’s health benefits don’t increase the bottom line of the giant pharmaceutical companies that usually fund health research. The few research articles that I did find were actually done by bottled water companies such as Evian, meaning that even this research may be slightly biased.

Nonetheless, water is a necessary and fundamental part of being healthy and it’s importance should not be underestimated. Making sure to drink the right type of water and plenty of it is crucial to achieving your health goals. Here are the 7 Main Reasons to Drink more water. Let’s dive in.

The 7 Main Reasons to Drink More Water

#1 – Water Helps You Lose Weight
Everyone wants to look good and be in shape. The EASIEST way to do that is to drink more water. Here are the two main ways that water can help you lose weight or maintain optimal weight.

Water Reduces Cravings
In the center of your brain, there is an area called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is responsible for regulating hormones in the body, controlling body temperature, and the sensations of hunger and thirst. Since your feelings of hunger and thirst are supplied from the same area of your brain, you may sometimes mistake your thirstiness for your desire to munch on something.That’s why if you get a craving for food, you should try drinking a glass of water and waiting 15 minutes. Most of the time the craving should go away and you reduce your calorie intake, which helps you lose weight.

Water Stimulates Your Metabolism (Burning of Calories)
Did you know that drinking water stimulates your metabolism and increases your calorie burn? Especially if you drink cold water. Drinking cold water forces your body to burn calories to warm up the water to body temperature. Really any water that you drink needs to be processed and transported to the rest of your body.

Research showed that in 14 healthy and in-shape individuals, drinking 500ml of water increased their metabolism by 30% in just 10 minutes. Another study showed that drinking 2 liters of water a day could increase calorie burn by up to 400 calories. A short-term study of overweight women showed that the women who drank more than 1 liter of water a day over 12 months, lost an extra 4lbs of weight without any other lifestyle changes.

Water needs to be processed and transported to be used by the body, which requires energy. More energy demand causes an increase in metabolic rate. Just by drinking more water you’ll burn more fat and get leaner. It’s like the best natural fat-loss product. A Zero-Calorie food!

#2 – Water Increases Your Mental and Physical Performance
Fatigue is one of the first signs of dehydration. Even if you lose just 1-2% of your body weight in water, it can impair physical and mental performance. That’s because everything that goes on in your body and brain requires water.

Physical Performance
If you exercise regularly, you need to hydrate even more than the normal sedentary human being. You lose water rapidly through your sweat and your breath when you exercise. It has been shown that athletes often lose 6-10% of their body weight in water during competition and intense training. Dehydration during training results in reduced endurance, increased fatigue, reduced motivation, and increased perceived effort. All of which negatively impacts performance.

The good news is that proper rehydration reverses all of these negative effects and even reduces oxidative stress caused by exercise and dehydration. Make sure to hydrate before, during, and after exercise to aid in recovery and maximize your performance. A solid workout with maximum effort also means more calories burned, resulting in a leaner and better you.

Mental Performance
Even just mild dehydration curbs cognitive functions such as concentration, alertness and short term memory in everyone including children (10-12 years), young adults (18-25 years) and (50-82 years). The brain is 85% water, so staying adequately hydrated is important to ensure proper functioning of your brain. In the morning, instead of going straight for coffee, try drinking 500ml of water as soon as you wake up. It will help kickstart your day and get you going faster. When that afternoon snooze starts creeping, try drowning it with water. Water, not coffee, is the key to sustained energy throughout the day.

#3 – Water Improves Your Skin Health
The skin is the largest organ of your body and contains 30% water, which contributes to the plumpness and elasticity of skin. Drinking more water can improve skin thickness and density, helping your skin look more youthful, smooth, and firm. Choosing water instead of inflammatory drinks such as sugary sodas, processed fruit juice, caramel macchiatos, and even milk will help you achieve clearer skin. These inflammatory drinks cause spikes in blood sugar which messes up your hormones and leads to unwanted breakouts. Be conscious of what you drink, especially for the sake of your skin.

#4 – Water Helps Detoxify your Body
There are so many toxins that you come into contact with everyday from processed food, household chemicals, environmental pollutants, etc. It’s your kidney’s job to filter out your blood and remove toxic waste. The kidneys depend on plenty of fluid available in your body so that even if you lose fluid through your urine, your body can function optimally. Give your kidneys adequate water, they can efficiently work and remove all the toxins from your blood. The more dehydrated you are, the harder your kidneys have to work to fit all the toxins into a small amount of urine. Leading to the darker and darker shades of yellow in your urine. The easiest way to make sure you’re getting enough water is to drink enough water until your urine is crystal clear. This will help your kidneys remove toxins from your body efficiently, and you will feel great!

#5 – Water Helps Minimize Joint Pain and Muscle Pain
Your joints are the hinges where two bones come together. Between your bones is a coating of cartilage which provides a cushion between the your bones to prevent friction.

Joints are like sponges. Wet sponges move easily against each other while hard sponges can rub and break off. Drinking plenty of water ensures that your sponges (cartilage) are hydrated and soft, minimizing joint discomfort. That’s what glucosamine and other joint supplements are designed to do, retain more moisture in your cartilage. You can do this naturally by drinking more water.

Muscle pain is a slightly different issue. If you work out or lift weights, there’s a build-up of lactic acid and microtears in your muscle fibers that cause pain. Drinking plenty of water flushes out the lactic acid, and transports nutrients to your muscles (assuming that you’re eating nutritious diet) that will help repair muscles quicker and reduce muscle pain. Drinking more water means faster and more efficient recovery.

#6 – Water Makes You Happier
The more water your drink, the better your mood will be. If your body is running efficiently on plenty of water, you’ll have more energy and be in a better mood. A study on 120 healthy female college students showed that the girls who drank more water on average had less tension, depression, and confusion.

Another study on 30 people who drank five cups of water a day showed that when the same people were asked to increase water intake to ten cups a day their mood, energy, and satisfaction all improved. DRINK MORE WATER, it will make you happier.

#7 – Water Helps You Digest and Poop
Your digestive tract is where everything goes to gain entrance into your body, including water. Keeping this area nice and moist is good for your digestion.

Water Aids Digestion
Everything that you eat lands in your stomach first and waits there to be broken down by stomach acid and digestive enzymes. The rate at which digested food then moves into your intestines from your stomach is mostly determined by the volume of food & fluid that is in the stomach at the time. After your stomach breaks down the food, it empties into the small intestine, where most of the nutrients and water are absorbed. The more water that is available, the better the absorption.

However, there’s a constant debate among health professionals on whether or not drinking water with meals positively or negatively affects digestion. On one hand, it’s theorized that drinking water during meals dilutes your stomach acid and enzymes leading to poor breakdown of nutrients and causes limited absorption. On the other hand, drinking water is said to aid in moving food through your digestive tract quickly and smoothly.

So in order to cover both sides of the argument, here’s the best way to drink water for proper digestion.

Drink plenty of water throughout the day so you don’t have to gulp down water right before you eat.
Take small sips of water (preferably room temperature or warm) during meals.
Make sure to beginning hydrating again 30 minutes after your meal to give time for your body to digest the food you ate.
Water Relieves Constipation
Constipation is caused by dehydration in your colon. After water and nutrients from your food gets absorbed in your small intestines, it moves into your large intestine also known as the colon. Your colon is where extra water is added or removed to produce stool. More water means smoother stool while less water means firmer stool. If you are dehydrated, your colon will absorb more water from your stool, leading to constipation. Women and older adults especially struggle with constipation because they do not drink enough water, and/or drink coffee/tea instead of water.
A study of 3,835 Japanese women from the ages of 18-20 showed that low intake of water was directly associated with increased instances of constipation. Similarly, in elderly people, low fluid intake was found to be the direct cause of constipation.

Constipation is a very serious health issue. Continued constipation means you’re not eliminating toxic waste from your body, and most of those toxins get reabsorbed. Leading to bad skin, fatigue, and overall poor health. Drink plenty of water to reduce constipation and live a healthier life.

We all know that water is an extremely important nutrient for survival. But besides keeping us alive or just quenching our thirst, it can do a number of things in our bodies to keep us healthy and to help fight the aging process.

Many experts say the average person should drink about 64 ounces of water per day. Other experts say you should drink 1/2 ounce for every 1 pound of body weight to account for all the water loss through the consumption of coffee, alcohol etc. Regardless of the number you use, the sad truth is most of us do not consume nearly enough water throughout the day to really reap the tremendous benefits that clean, fresh water can give us.

Here are ten anti-aging benefits of water

1) Feeds and cleans the cells

Water makes up more than 60 percent of our body weight, and without enough water, other nutrients in the form of food or supplement will have a hard time being assimilated quickly and efficiently. Water moves in and out of the cells on a constant basis. This process helps dissolve nutrients and carries them where they need to go and it carries waste out of the body. Water also feeds your cells to you give you the energy you need. Before grabbing that next cup of coffee or expensive “energy drink” try downing a big glass of water instead.

2) Improves the digestive process

Water works much like oil does in a machine; it keeps us running smooth. Without it, our digestive processes tend to slow down and get sluggish. This can cause a digestive “backup” or in other words, constipation.

3) Maintains an even body temperature.

Whether it is extreme heat or extreme cold, water is a crucial element to helping your body temperature stay out of the danger zone. In extreme heat, our bodies sweat, causing a loss of a lot of water. Not only will water help keep your body temperature from over-heating, causing heat stroke, it will also help prevent serious dehydration. In cold weather, hypothermia is just as serious as heat stroke. Nurses in an Alaskan Hospital have said that dehydration is the number one cause of frostbite.

4) Helps the body heal after sickness, injury or surgery

The body will tend to retain water to help itself heal. By drinking lots of extra water, this process will be amplified. Water will also help flush viruses and infections out of the body.

5) Lubricates and cushions the joints

Water molecules don’t like to be crowded too close together. Because of this, water molecules will spread out, forming a cushion that helps lubricate the joints. Sufferers of diseases like arthritis and gout can really feel the benefit of an abundance of water in their diet. Besides cushioning the joints, water also acts

Water molecules don’t like to be crowded too close together. Because of this, water molecules will spread out, forming a cushion that helps lubricate the joints. Sufferers of diseases like arthritis and gout can really feel the benefit of an abundance of water in their diet. Besides cushioning the joints, water also acts as a shock absorber inside the eyes and within the spinal cord.

6) Makes Your Skin Soft And Smooth

Water is very important for skin to be soft and smooth. Without enough water, the skin will more easily wrinkle and dry out. Water makes the skin more elastic. However, too much of a good thing can be a bit harmful as well. Soaking in a hot bath or hot tub for too long will strip the natural oils out of the skin. These oils are what helps keep the moisture in. Spraying your face with a little water is great for a little pick me up. Using a humidifier in dryer climates is very beneficial for the skin as well.

7) Helps Halt Kidney and Gallstone Formation

Water helps flush waste and impurities from the body. Enough water circulating through the body should be enough to help combat the formation of kidney and gall stones. Gallstones are created when the bile secreted by the liver does not contain enough water. Drinking plenty of water will keep these two organs working with ease.

8) Weight Loss

Although there is a difference of opinion by some experts regarding drinking water before meals, the general consensus is that drinking some water before a meal will cause you to feel more full, thereby helping you eat less at each meal. Drinking water will also give you more energy to do a little extra exercise too.

9) Germs be gone

Water isn’t just for the inside of the body. The best way to rid the germs lurking on your hands is a good soap and water washing. Fewer germs mean less sickness and disease.

10) Makes you smarter

The brain is one of the most vulnerable parts of the body that is highly affected when we are not consuming enough water. Water will help you be able to focus, concentrate, and complete tasks more efficiently.

Have you ever stopped to think about how much water you drink in a day? Is it enough to accomplish the important tasks your body has that requires adequate water to effectively hit the mark? Drinking water only when your feel thirsty is not a good way to judge whether or not you are drinking enough water.

The fact of the matter is, by the time your brain signals your body to trigger a thirst response, you have already gone into slight dehydration. By remembering to drink at least 64 ounces of clean, fresh water every day, you will be in a great place to help fight the many signs of aging, increase your energy level and help stave off certain illnesses as well.