It is a really nice day so you decide this would be a great day for a hike. You head out to a mountainous area where you know there is a great trail. It is 6 miles into a beautiful lake. You decide you want to travel light so you don’t take anything with you. You reason with yourself, “I won’t go all the way just a mile or two down the trail. But as you go, the beauty is just breath-taking. You don’t pay any attention to how far you might have gone. The day starts to get hotter. Then you realize what a mistake you have made by not bringing water. But now you realize that you are probably about 4 miles in. You feel like your dying and you can’t go another second without water.
I am sure we have all been at this point one time or another in our lives. As you read you probably can really feel what the frustration would be like. You’re probably even getting thirsty just thinking about it.
Today I am going to be covering Aqua in the “BALANCED” life. What I described above is what we do more often than we realize to our bodies. We get busy with life and the day goes by and we have hardly drunk any water. You may say, “I have drunk down several sodas and a few cups of coffee doesn’t that count?” Or some of you may say, “I drink juice, I am not a real water fan. The question is would you wash your dishes with coffee, soda, juice, or any other substance that is not water?
Here are some facts that are important to know.
- The human body is 70-75% water
- The brain is 85% water and needs water to perform its tasks.
- The blood is 83% water; lack of water makes the blood sluggish.
There are a lot of things water does for the body.
- Water is cleansing. Water is the best way to cleanse our bodies. Just like we wouldn’t wash our dishes with other substances other than water, we should cleanse our bodies with clean clear water.
- Water helps cognitive thinking. Because our brain is made up of so much water, if we lack water it becomes harder for our brains to function. So it should go without saying water is important. It seems that a lot of times employers even supply water. Why is that? They know that it will help the brain function of their employees.
- Water helps our joints. Our body is made up of almost 75% water. We have fluid around all of our joints and if we are not supplying our body with the fluid it needs we are going to start having trouble with our joints. They need the water. Our bodies are constantly rejuvenating and replenishing and if we are not giving it what it needs we are going to start having trouble.
- Water keeps you regular. By my own experience I know that if I don’t drink the water I need I become constipated. Our body needs water so desperately that it takes it from where ever it can absorb it from. Thus constipation.
- Water keeps you healthy. Drinking water helps keep us healthy because we are cleansing the toxins out of our body as I mentioned above. As we are flushing our bodies each day, it gives our bodies less to have to deal with.
- Water gives strength. I have always seemed to do well at reading my body and realizing I have to make a change. I can tell you if I don’t drink enough water in the day I lose my strength. I start feeling weak. I also start feeling cold. I realize everyone is different but I am very affected if I do not drink enough water.
- Water can relieve headaches. This is another area that I can be affected when I don’t get enough water. I may feel a slight headache coming on and if I realize I haven’t been drinking enough water, I get some water and it makes a difference. I may need to drink more than one glass but my headache is relieved.
One thing that is really important about water, if you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated. So we can’t go by how we feel because at that point our body is already starving for water.
“So how do I know how much water to drink?” A good rule of thumb is half your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 160 pounds you would need to at least drink 80 ounces per day. Of course everyone is different. I can’t get by with half my body weight in ounces. Read your body and decide what is best for you. But at least drink half your body weight in ounces.
Dear Father,
You have made our bodies so amazingly unique. We get so caught up in life that we often forget to really take care of our bodies. Prompt us each day.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Remember to keep hydrated. Go ahead I know that you are having a craving for water since you have been reading about it, so go right now and get you a nice big glass of refreshing water.
What has water done for you? Share some benefits that you have had from drinking water.