What Makes Water Healthy?

We love how the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) looks at water. They say that water is our most precious global resource and that clean, safe drinking water is critical to sustain human life. But this begs the question – what makes water so healthy? We thought we would take a few minutes to look at the health benefits of water. We tend to focus much of our attention on drinking water and we would be remiss if we didn’t look at its myriad list of health benefits, but we also want to look at water in general and how it can help keep us healthy.
Considering the fact that our bodies are predominately water (approximately 60%), they require quite a bit of it to function properly. Every organ in our bodies is affected if we aren’t drinking enough water; in fact, humans can live for three weeks without food but only 3 DAYS without water! Drinking water can help with digestion, weight loss, fatigue, building muscle, clearer skin, kidney function, pain prevention and is one of the best hangover remedies around.
Water can also keep us from getting sick. One of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of the flu is frequent hand washing. Proper hygiene can prevent the spread of many different types of diseases which is why it runs rampant in parts of the world without access to clean water and soap. The CDC estimates that hand washing alone could reduce diarrheal disease associated deaths by up to fifty percent. Proper hand washing can also reduce the risk of food borne illness.
Have you ever considered the fact that water can give you a fantastic workout? Swimming is an excellent form of exercise; it gives your heart a great cardiovascular workout, it builds and tones muscles and burns a ton of calories. Just thirty minutes of swimming the butterfly will burn almost 500 calories – more than double what you will burn running. Swimming is also one of the lowest impact workouts you can do and will protect your joints from stress. It is strongly recommended by the Arthritis Foundation for this very reason.
Yep, water truly is our most precious global resource and we need to value and protect it as such. From its countless health benefits to its use in agricultural and industrial environments, we could not live without it. So the next time you lift your glass to take a drink of water, just think about all the good it does on a daily basis all around the globe.