How much water do you drink a day?

That is a question many people can't answer because they have no idea. Drinking coffee for breakfast is not drinking water. Drinking soda during the day is not drinking water. Drinking milk or juice for dinner is not drinking water. Yet often times people think that any liquid is good for their bodies.  
The thing with water is that is your body is made of about 60% water. Because you use a lot of it moving your muscles, going to the bathroom, eating salty or fatty foods, it is necessary to replenish it otherwise you will get dehydrated. Often times someone doesn't even know when they are dehydrated. Most think that when they feel thirsty that is the sign for dehydration. Think again!!

Do you ever wake up at night with a muscle cramp (often times in the calf muscle)? Have you ever had a kidney stone. Is your urine dark when you go to the bathroom. Do you find that you are often constipated. These are all signs of dehydration. I used to think I drank enough each day until I started noticing a few of these symptoms. Since I'm not a huge water lover, I had to find a way to enjoy drinking it to get more of it in my day. Noticing the amount that I had been drinking everyday was my first priority. I knew I had to increase it so I started making sure I finished the entire glass of anything I drank. I stopped drinking orange juice in the morning and now drink 12 oz of half water/half fruit juice. I also drink that for lunch as well. I still drink 12 oz of milk for dinner. For the rest of the day I had to make sure I kept drinking so I bought a 28 oz water bottle and promised myself to drink all of it by the end of the day. In order to do that I started cutting pieces of lemon into my water to give it flavor. I now love it and am so used to doing it that I don't even think about it. The symptoms I did encounter no longer occur so I know it's working.

Here are 5 great reasons to start making changes to your water intake...
1.  It will prevent you from getting muscle fatigue and feeling tired.
2.  It will improve your digestion and circulation. You won't have that bloated feeling.
3.  It will make you feel fuller during your day so you will want to eat less.
4.  It will improve the look of your skin since it is made up of a great deal of water
5.  It will help speed up the process of getting rid of toxins out of your body


****Note: Any time you drink alcohol, you need to drink even more water because alcohol will dehydrate you and create some of those symptoms listed above.
GOOD LUCK!!