Water: Your New Best Friend

by Leslie Aronson — April 13, 2008

Water is essential for our existence and when we exercise it of course becomes more necessary to make sure we're staying hydrated because we lose so much through perspiration. So you don't start a workout on the wrong foot, it's important to make sure you're getting enough water throughout the day and not just during and after a workout. Starting out depleted can make it easier to become dehydrated.

Drinking plenty of water (i.e., at least 64 ounces a day) can also lead to healthier skin and a more youthful appearance, a healthier, more pain-free back and joints, greater mental sharpness, more efficient digestion and toxin release, and can help in managing your weight. According to Robert Rodgers at ezinearticles.com, the thirst mechanism (that is, your ability to recognize that you're thirsty) is so weak in Americans, that one in three of us mistake thirst for hunger. Instead of drinking water (which is what our bodies are asking for only we can't tell) we eat, and thus gain weight. But staying sufficiently hydrated can increase your sensitivity to your body's need for water, and so help you manage your weight. The color of your urine is a good indicator of whether or not you're getting enough - clear to pale yellow is best. Anything darker and you should fill up the old water bottle.