The Water Effect

It's (finally) starting to get hot outside, so I think it's time to talk about the importance of water consumption.

Our bodies are over 50% water, with averages of 45-75%. The reason this number ranges so much is due to muscle versus fat tissue. Muscle is 65% water, while fat is only 20%. Therefore, those who have more muscle mass have a higher percentage of water in their body.

These facts are cool to know, but what does water actually do for the body? Why is it so important? The longest time someone has gone without food and lived is approximately 2-3 months. However, the longest time someone has gone without water and lived is just a couple of days.

There are a TON of reasons as to why this phenomena happens, but I will just discuss a few that most nutrition textbooks find "most important."

The first reason is because water helps maintain body temperature. While working out or being outside on a hot day, you've probably started to sweat. This is the water in your body trying to cool down your internal temperature to something more comfortable. The heat is brought to the surface of your skin and evaporates off, leaving it cool and comfortable. And if you've ever reached the point where you're in a hot environment, but you stop sweating and start to shiver, this is a bad sign and shows severe dehydration. So make sure to drink a lot of water when you start to sweat! And I'm especially talking to you long distance runners, because I know this happens to me about mile twelve during my runs and races.

Another important function of water is its ability to moisten, lubricate, and cushion the body. Water aids in digestion the second food enters your mouth through salivation. And it continues to moisten and coat the digestive tract to allow food to move through the digestive tract easily.

Water also surrounds our brain and organs to help protect against falls or bumps and trauma. You've probably noticed that walking through water is a lot tougher than walking on land. This same resistance happens as your organs are jostled in your body, preventing them from hitting other organs and causing trouble. Without the density of the water in our body, our organs would be moving around constantly, which is definitely something we do not want to have happen.

Similarly, water is the main structural component of our cells. Without it, the cells would collapse on themselves and be a shriveled-up mess, much like a deflated balloon.

However, water's importance to cell integrity goes one step further--it is involved in almost every single chemical reaction inside the body, including the cells. Without water, a number of different reactions us humans take for granted wouldn't take place: digestion, absorption, energy formation, metabolism, brain function, etc. So...in summary...every single process inside of the body.

Sadly, it can be hard to recognize how much water is necessary--it varies based on the individual. In my mind, calories are easy because you stop when you are full and eat when you are hungry. Two individuals of approximate weight, age, and activity level will need approximately the same amount of calories everyday. But water isn't like that at all. And the "standard" 8 cups a day may not be necessary for one individual, but may be necessary for another individual. To repeat this last statement: 8 cups a day is not the standard, and can actually border on false advertising. Some people need way more than 8 cups (as an athlete, I drink about 12-16 every day), but some people don't need
8 cups. And that's totally okay. I always have my water bottle by me so I remember to take a drink, and that seems to help me a lot.

But if you're not the water bottle carrying type, that is also okay. Our foods, especially fruits and vegetables, provide water, and this water is just as usable by the body as any other tap or filtered water that you might drink. But I would still recommend drinking glasses of water at meals if you aren't a 'water on the go' kind of person. As you try to drink more water, however, I think you will find that you feel better and have more energy.

At the end of the day, as with every other topic I discuss, nutrition is totally and completely unique to the individual; health looks different for everybody. I hope we can all strive to be our best and most energetic selves by taking care of our bodies. Like I always say: if we take care of our bodies, they will take care of us.