Water is one of those things in life that is often taken for granted.
Especially in Western society.
We just naturally assume that it will always be there, readily available.
Let’s begin with some interesting facts on water that definitely made me appreciate this fantastic natural resource.
Water Factoids
- There are 1,700 Million Square Miles Of Water. (326 Million Trillion Gallons) Less Than 1% Is Drinkable.
- Over 90% of World’s Supply of Freshwater is in Antarctica
- The Human Brain is 75% Water
- Human Blood is 83% Water
- Human Bones are 25% Water
- One Inch of Rain Falling On One Acre Of Land Is Equal To About 27,154 Gallons of Water
- One Drip per Second from a Leaky Faucet Can Waste 2,000 Gallons of Water Per Year.
- The average toilet uses 6 liters (1.6 gal) of clean water in a single flush.
- A Shower Uses 5 Gallons per Minute.
- 75% of an Elephant is Water
- 95% of a Tomato is Water.
- 3.4 Million People Die Each Year From Water Related Causes.
- People in Africa and Asia have to walk an average of 3.7 miles (6 KM) to collect water.
- Nearly 700 million Chinese people drink contaminated water.
- Two-thirds of the water used in the average home is used in the bathroom.
- Pure water has no smell and no taste, it also has a pH level around 7.
- Americans use 5 times the amount of water that Europeans use.
- If all the plumbing fixtures in the United States were replaced with water conserving fixtures, we could save 3.4 to 8.4 billion gallons of water per day.
Maybe that’s why so many of us our severely dehydrated.
Some pretty amazing facts that sort of stops and makes one think about this very precious resource.
What are the 23 benefits of drinking water?
- Relieves Fatigue. A recent study from Tufts University found that mild dehydration — a loss of just 1 to 2 percent of body weight as water — was enough to impair thinking. If it turns into full-blown dehydration, it could cause an imbalance in electrolytes like sodium and potassium, which aid muscles and heart function.
- Improves Mood.
- Treats Headaches and Migraines.
- Helps in Digestion and Constipation
- Aids Weight Loss
- Flushes Out Toxins
- Improves Skin Complexion –
- Boosts Immune System
- Save Money! – you will find that you don’t have to go out and buy any overpriced liquids in a plastic container.
- Save You Time. Instead of shopping and looking for something to drink, opting for water will save you time because it’s an easy decision and readily available.
- Regulates Body Temperature
- Relieves Hangover
- Beats Bad Breath
- Brain boost kidney function.
- Muscle fuel.It helps endurance athletes fight fatigue.
- Working out in it (yes, in it) is good for aerobic fitness.
- Living near it is good for our health.
- Its sounds are soothing.
- When frozen, it provides pain and swelling relief for soft tissue injuries.
- It’s been linked to heart health.
- A warm foot-bath before bed could help you sleep.
- Waterbeds can help some people with back pain.
- Spa therapy could relieve pain and aid relaxation.
- Soaking up steam heat is good for the heart.
What are the 10 Myths about Water?
- Drink Eight Glasses Each Day. No two people are exactly alike and as such a person’s water consumption can depend on many variable such as weight, height, age and activity level. Note: See below for just how much water to drink.
- It’s Easy to Get Dehydrated During a Workout.
- Yellow urine is a sign of dehydration.
- If you’re thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Oftentimes thirst is your body’s way of telling you to drink something and is not necessarily an indication of dehydration.
- You need sports drinks, not water, to function at a high level in athletics.
- It’s possible to drink too much water.
- Drinking Other Liquids is the Same as Drinking Water
- Tap Water Isn’t Good For You. This is not always true as I have personally tested the PH of tap water in certain cities and found it hiring in PH than some of the bottled water I was drinking at the time. Of course, PH is not the sole indicator of pure water, it is a good measure and better than nothing.
- Don’t Wash Your Face With Water (use this expensive product)
- Hard Water is Very Bad For You.
How much water should I drink?
There are three really great water intake calculators that I like to use, each serves its own purpose.
Present Activity Calculator – Med India
This is a fantastic and simple calculator to tell you where you are at presently. This is just an estimate, and the actual amount of water depends on many other factors such as exercise, illness and fluid content in dietary intake. Pregnant and breast-feeding women need to drink more fluids to stay hydrated.
There are only three categories: weight, activity level, and climate so it is rather easy to use.
Past Activity Calculator – Hydration 4 Health
This is a neat little calculator where you input your weight based on kilos and then your input your daily liquid intake based on the types of beverages you normally drink as well as height, gender, activity level and country. It takes into consideration all your inputs and displays your water intake as well as hints and tips.
If you don’t know you weight in kilos or your height in centimeters click on the gear icon in the upper right corner
You can then select from Metrics to US
You then enter your Age, Physical Activity, Gender and Country.
The calculator does the rest.
The interface is a bit complicated but its a good general indicator.
Future Activity Calculator – CamelBak
This is hands down my favorite calculator for determining how much water you will need for future fitness activities. The interface is super easy and stupid proof.
The calculator is divided into four categories:
- Tell us about yourself, which includes height, weight, age
- What is your hydration level, which includes color of your urine and the amount you sweat.
- Describe your activity, which includes type, duration and intensity.
- Weather conditions
Note: As this is a marketing tool provided by CamelBak they give water backpack recommendations at the bottom. I simply ignore this and just pay attention to “The Ideal Hydration Amount.”
In conclusion, water is extremely important to your health and vitality. Like with anything in like there are some misconceptions when it comes to the pros and cons of this important beverage.
A bit of common sense also factors into your decision and consumption of water. You are your best indicator, if you have gone all day without water and feel slightly off, it doesn’t take a PhD to figure out that maybe you need to drink a glass or two or even three.
Water is my preferred choice of beverage and I hope you will make it yours, if you have not already.
And for those of you bilingual folks out there here is a great video in Spanish that my girlfriend sent me:
