Drink water. You're body will reward you!

Here's how I got to understand how important water is for our body. 

In high school, I begun having this discomfort and slight pain in my lower back. In the beginning it wasn't that bad, I barely noticed it, but then after a while - quite soon thou, it got worse. Other problems flood me as well, whenever I peed it hurt like hell and every time I was done I had the urge to go once again. Of course, going once again was stupid because I just couldn't do it anymore and it just made the pain in my lower back, and belly -this time intensify. During a class the pain got so worse I excused myself and immediately went to a doctor. That was when they told me I had two kidney stones and those made it hurt that bad. They gave me the pills and all that, and everything was good, except that after a month or two the pains and that continuously need to pee returned. This time I didn't let it get that far and I went to see my doctor as soon as possible. She gently prescribed the pills and looked into my eyes telling me on a very serious tone: "You know that you will have problems with kidney stones for the rest of your life, these pills will help you fight them for a while, and then they'll reappear and so on." Of course I felt awful hearing those permanent remarks, these images of me always taking pills for kidney stones and possibly getting even worse kept on whirling in my head... and it was an awful experience. "That's not fair!" I immediately protested. 

But I can say I am really lucky to have a doctor that never encouraged me to give up. She always has the best and most optimistic solutions ever so, as always, she looked at me smiling and told me. "You know you can stop all this once and for all. You can be in charge of your kidneys and your entire body." she encouraged. "And there is so little you have to do. Just drink water and tea." 

It all seemed so easy and just too good to be true so I have to admit I doubt it at first. But then, calm and meekly as always she spent half an hour telling me the importance of drinking water and the benefits it brings. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, drinking the 2 liters of water per day could help me lose weight? And fight off colds? And relieve me from my headaches? Stunned I decided to apply what she suggested. I am so proud to say that it's been 5 years since the kidney stones and I had no such problems anymore, not even once. I lost 7 kilograms (yes in these 5 years not all at once. In the first months I started drinking 2 liters of water/day there was no immediate weight lose) I also have fever headaches and whenever the flu tries to get a grip of me I drink even more fluids (especially hot tea and lemonade -with no sugar) and I get better in a couple of days with no pills. I also discovered water is a great help in allergic reactions. 

So I encourage everybody I know to drink those 8 glasses of water per day! Seriously guys, it does miracles! Now I know at first it'll be hard to drink that much water per day. Trust me, I had a really hard time adjusting to drinking that much water daily. I used to drink 2 -4 glasses of water per day and usually one or two of them were soda. But all I had in mind was that water was healthy for my body and was going to help me be a healthier person. And it did. Something that also helped me a lot was just to have a document on my computer with the benefits of water. Here's what I was reading when I started my '8 glasses of water per day' habit. Hope it'll help you too!

*Humans can exist for several weeks without food, however after several days without water we would not survive. Water is needed by every living cell and almost every process that takes place within the body is dependent on water.  

What do we need water for?

1. Water is needed in order to break down and digest food, carry nutrients in the bloodstream to where they are needed and to eliminate any waste. Food cannot be digested without water.

2. Water helps digested food pass through the body quicker, preventing constipation and any toxins and waste material from sitting inside the body for too long and accumulating to dangerous levels. 

3. Drinking water replenishes bodily fluids lost through sweating, especially when playing sports and through passing urine. 

4. Water aids circulation. 

5. Drinking water helps to regulate the temperature of the body and body heat. 

6. Water is needed to keep the kidneys healthy and in working order and prevents urinary infections from occurring. 

7. Water keeps joints and eyes lubricated, and acts as a protective cushion for tissues and cells. 

8. It is the basis of all body fluids such as blood and saliva. 

9. Water keeps the skin hydrated, supple and looking healthy and glowing. 

10. Water is the main component of muscles and keeps them toned and firm. 

11. Water dilutes toxins and removes them from the body. 

12. Water aids in the metabolism and elimination of fats. Without water, fat deposits in the body will increase. 

13. Drinking water will alleviate water retention and lessen swelling of hands and feet. 

14. The brain is comprised of a lot of water and therefore needs replenishment to keep it working well and to full capacity. Without water we may lose concentration and suffer headaches and tiredness. 

15. Water dilutes the calcium in our urine, which could crystallise to form kidney stones if the body did not receive enough fluids.

(*http://www.helpwithcooking.com/nutrition-information/water-nutrition.html)

*The approximate water content in our body is 2/3, that means that we are more water than anything else!

These are a few numbers, they show that the older we get the less water we have in our body.

New born baby ~ 77%

Grown-up man ~ 65%

Grown-up woman ~ 58%

The elderly ~ 50%

Dehydration describes a state of negative fluid balance (more loss of water than intake) that may be caused by a number of disease entities.

A few functions of water are to regulate body temperature through perspiration; reduces friction between joints and facilitates movement; acts as a cushion between organs in order to protect them; facilitates normal functions of body processes and to remove toxins and waste from the body.

In a review from researchers at Loma Linda University, California, studied more than 20,000 healthy men and women aged 38 to 100 for six years. The study appears in the American Journal of Epidemiology. They found women who drank more than five glasses of water a day were 41% less likely to die from a heart attack during the study period than those who drank less than two glasses. The protective effect of water was even greater in men. Men who drank more water had a 54% lower risk of a fatal heart attack.

But not all liquids were equal. When researchers included the consumption of other liquids such as coffee, tea, juice, milk, and alcohol, the risk of heart attack increased. Women who drank large amounts of liquids other than water were more than twice as likely to die of a heart attack, and non-water drinking men had a 46% increase in risk.

Also remember that most people can live for over a month without food, but less than a week without water.

You should seriously consider your Doctor's advice to drink at least 8 glasses of water every day!

(*http://askville.amazon.com/dont-drink-water-body/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=3074068)