Water.

Last night we had pancakes with our FHE brothers. We postponed FHE from Monday to Tuesday because all the girls were going out. We had pink pancakes (courtesy of Sam's mom) and pink hot chocolate (courtesy of my mom). 

The Pink pancakes. :)

Ariana with the pink hot chocolate!

Both of them together. Ha

We were hanging out and talking afterwards when Alex pulled out his laptop. He pulled up a website with a hydration calculator on it. 


For those of you who don't know what that is (I didn't really know what he was talking about at first) it's a calculator that takes your weight, exercise, elevation etc... into effect and tells you how much water you should be drinking everyday. 


I was interested. Thinking along the lines of I would have to drink like a liter a day or something I said "Do me!"


I was told that because of all of my factors I was to drink... 2.2 Liters a day. Of water. That is a LOT of water! I calculated it out... and that is 4.4 of my little Dasani water bottle I refill everyday. I don't think I drink 2 liters of anything ever in a day. But, I decided I would try it out today because it's supposed to help you lose weight, stay awake, and just be healthier! Wish me luck. I've had 1.5 little water bottles to drink so far and have had to pee just once. I'm dreading that part of this experiment.


I have also developed a dislike for plain water after chugging the first one bottle to get it out of the way. And now. Some cool facts about water and the body! :)


Water's effect on the body:

1. Brain. Brain cells that have plenty of drinking water are able to circulate fresh, oxygen-laden blood more readily. The brain remains fresh and alert. Even a small drop in drinking water levels can make your brain's performance level drop as much as 20 to 30 percent!

2. Muscles. Muscle cells with a ready supply of drinking water are able to work longer without tiring. Water delivers a continuing supply of oxygen to muscles. If you are exercising in warm weather, your muscle will need more drinking water every 15 minutes to remain strong.

3. Cooling system. Your body's temperature is maintained through drinking water. The water regulates body temperature through sweat. To maintain a normal temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit on hot days, or when exercising, the body sweats. Sweat cools the body, but sweat uses up water. We must have a lot of drinking water to replenish the supply.

4. Nerves. Nerve cells transmit messages to and from the brain. To do this, they must use electrolytes. Drinking water is an important way to maintain electrolytes at the proper level so that the nerves can do their work.

5. Stomach and Intestinal Tract. Our bodies use drinking water to digest food in the gastrointestinal tract. Insufficient drinking water will slow the process, resulting in constipation and other medical concerns.

6. Eye and Mouth Protection. Water keeps your eyes and mouth moist. It washes dirt and dust away from your eyes.

7. Joints. Drinking water is like oiling your body's joints. Water lubricates the joints, keeping them flexible, and ensuring smooth motion.

The human body is anywhere from 55% to 78% water depending on body size. A rule of thumb, 2/3 of body is consists of water, and it is the main component of human body. Did you know that your tissues and organs are mainly made up of water? Here are the percentages:

• Muscle is 75% water.
• The brain is 90% water.
• Bone is 22% water.
• Blood is 83% water.

And now. Just some interesting facts about water. Sorry this is probably boring. But, it's interesting to me because I am drinking my weight in water (or so it feels).

1. A healthy person can drink about three gallons (48 cups) of water per day.
2. Drinking too much water too quickly can lead to water intoxication. Water intoxication occurs when water dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes an imbalance of water in the brain.
3. Much more fresh water is stored under the ground in aquifers than on the earth’s surface.
4. The total amount of water on the earth is about 326 million cubic miles of water.
5. Of all the water on the earth, humans can used only about three tenths of a percent of this water. Such usable water is found in groundwater aquifers, rivers, and freshwater lakes.
6. The United States uses about 346,000 million gallons of fresh water every day.
7. The average person in the United States uses anywhere from 80-100 gallons of water per day. Flushing the toilet actually takes up the largest amount of this water.
8. By the time a person feels thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water amount.
9. The weight a person loses directly after intense physical activity is weight from water, not fat.
10. I love water! ;) http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm That is the link for those of you who want to find out how much they should be drinking!