Almost everyone is aware of the importance of keeping hydrated, and despite how crucial water is, a significant number of people do not consume recommended levels of fluids each day. Keeping hydrated has a large impact on overall health. From improving skin, hair, digestion, and many more benefits, water is quintessential to our existence.
“It’s essential to human functioning,” says Zach Weese, who is in his Masters in Kinesiology at Western University and works as a personal trainer. “Water makes up 92% of our blood plasma, which makes it vital to transport things throughout our bodies, so you need it to live basically. Depending on whom you ask, it might be 3 days but it varies, but you can actually go longer without food than without water. Most people are not even close to the recommendation for water intake in a day.”
Around 70 percent of the body is comprised of water, and 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. While not everyone may need 8 glasses of water a day, as body weight becomes a factor, water should be constantly consumed throughout the day.
“A male who is 19 years or older, a recommendation would be 3 litres (or 12 cups) a day, or for females 2 litres or so (9 cups a day) and athletes should have even more. It’s also important to note that it doesn’t have to come from pure water,” Weese says, “You’ll have it in tea, soup, juices, and milks, but obviously pure water is your best option.”
