#WellnessWednesday: Water = Important

This post was submitted by contributor Dr. Andrea Maxim.

How does water benefit us?

Like it or not, water makes up 70%. Water helps us for saliva to help with digestion, it nourishes our brain so it can think clearly and create the right hormones. It helps regulate body temperature through sweating. It helps the body flush waste through urine and bowel movements. It helps deliver oxygen all over the body which is essential for cell survival. Now most of us won’t get clinically dehydrated but know that failure to drink enough water can start to cause many of the symptoms you seek a doctor to treat: dry, wrinkly skin, poor memory function, foggy brain, stiff joints and weight gain (most of us over eat when we’re actually over thirsty).

Is there a minimum/maximum requirement we should be meeting when it comes to daily water consumption?

​To keep it simple, I recommend putting a decimal after the first number in your weight and drinking that many liters of water. For instance, 130lbs = 1.3L water minimum per day.

What are some ways we can make water more desirable?

I love adding frozen fruit, ginger slices, mint leaves or citrus slices to my water. There are even water bottles you can purchase that allow you to put flavouring in the bottom and it diffuses into the water without you worrying about consuming it. These are much better options to the flavoured liquids or powders found at the grocery store – those are filled with nothing but liquid chemicals and dyes and are very bad for your health.