We have all heard that drinking water is very important. During the winter months with the colder weather, we tend to not drink enough and can quickly become dehydrated. Over half of all Americans are chronically dehyrated and most of us even mistake our bodies need for thirst as hunger.

Daily lack of water can cause a negative affect on the body in several different ways:

• Mild dehydration will slow down your metabolism as much as 3%.
• Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue
• Research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
• Only a 2% drop in water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math and difficulty foscusing on the computer screen.

There are several healthy benefits of drinking water:

• Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, breast cancer by 79% and 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
• Drinking water helps you loose water because it flushes down the by-products of fat breakdown.
• You will look younger when your skin is properly hydrated.
• You will feel more energetic when doing exercise and water helps to fuel your muscles.
• Drinking water helps keep your joints and muscles lubruicated so you are less likely to experience muscle cramps.

In order to feel the benefits of water, you should be drinking half of your body weight in ounces every day. So, are you drinking enough? Click below for your free calculation of how much water you should consume in a day.