The Power of H2O

Water is vital to human life.  The human body is composed of 50-60% water. Not only do we need to continuously drink water throughout the day, we want to make sure the water we are consuming is clean.  The following links provide more information about testing your own drinking water and facts about testing:https://www.epa.gov/dwlabcert/contact-information-certification-programs-and-certified-laboratories-drinking-waterhttps://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/home-drinking-water-testing-fact-sheetDon't be a victim of unclean water.  Flint, MI suffered greatly from water contaminated with lead, but so have many others.  Take it upon yourself to make sure you are drinking clean water.  Here are some ways to reduce your risk:Use a Pur/Brita filterUse glass water bottles (BPA free)Do not keep plastic water bottles in a hot carMinimize drinking from plastic bottles (many contain BPA [bisphenol A])Here is a recent article from USA today that found 2,000 additional water systems in the US (besides the one in Flint, Michigan) that were contaminated with lead:https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/03/11/nearly-2000-water-systems-fail-lead-tests/81220466/So why is hydration so important and how can your body reap the benefits?By drinking adequate amounts of water* everyday day, you can:Improve circulation (all the cells in your body will move more smoothly)Keep your skin healthy (good complexion)Decrease risk of infection and cancer (cancer feeds on a dehydrated, low oxygen state)Have regular bowels (decrease risk of constipation)Have more energyFeel refreshed!*so what is adequate amounts of water?  Some say it's 8 cups/day, but actually it varies from individual to individual.  An important point to keep in mind is that if you are very active and sweat a lot, you must replace salt IN ADDITION TO water.  Hyponatremia (low salt in the blood) is extremely dangerous and can cause death, so be careful if you fall under this catergory. As for everyone else who may be thinking they drink plenty of water, you could probably afford to drink more.  💦💧The older adult to elderly population often drink less water than they need.  This is partly due to a depressed drive of thirst that occurs with age.  If you fit this catergory, try to override that by remembering to drink more water anyway, so you too can benefit from good hydration.  So what are you drinking with your meals today?  Did I hear you say WATER?!