According to scientists, about 50 percent of female body weight is water and most of this water is contained within her body cells. And who would argue over importance of water? Water keeps your blood flowing, provides cushioning for your joints, delivers nutrients into your cells and removes waste. Besides enormous health benefits, water makes you thinner and more beautiful. Quite obviously, it’s on the top of the list!

Water Intoxication

Right, no one would dare to argue. After all, it only makes sense that the one needs to drink a couple of glasses of water each day to make up for losses. That’s where the idea of drinking eight glasses of water a day comes from. Except that there is no evidence for this advice.

What is known for certain is that it’s very hard to drink too much water. If you manage to swallow more than ten glasses of water one after another very quickly (don’t do it!), you might end up with water intoxication – a potentially fatal condition (yeah, just like this lady). The good news is that it’s pretty hard to do. Once again this reminds of one great rule – MODERATION is the key.

It’s individual

An average woman needs no more than a liter of water per day to make up for losses – that’s only about four glasses. Keep in mind that there are many other sources of water, such as fruits and vegetables. In fact, most of us consume just about four glasses of water from food. Not everyone has same needs though.  If you live in hot climate or if you are very active, your needs may be higher.

How kidneys work

The more you drink, the more time you spend in the bathroom. If your kidneys are healthy, they will make sure that your water reservoir stays full but not overfull. If you sip water whole day, the excess will get filtered out. On the other hand, if you lose a lot of water in sweat during exercise, your kidneys will let a lot more water back into the system.

What goes with water

Generally it is believed that eight glasses of water per day can’t hurt you unless you drink them all at once and very quickly. Some like to imagine that they detoxify their bodies by drinking plenty of water, which is partially true. What they don’t realize is that together with toxins they lose important minerals. Same thing happens when you sweat in the gym.

What to do?

Drink if you are thirsty, but be cautious with anything that feels unnatural or hard to do. If you insist on drinking lots of water to get your toxins out, make sure you take electrolytes supplements. If you drink water to improve your skin, you will need to ensure an adequate intake of essential fatty acids for your cells to hold on that water. As always, moderation is the key.