More than half of your body is water. You need to be hydrated for your body to function efficiently. Things like oxygen and nutrients being delivered throughout your body, etc... Water is used for all functions including digestion, absorption, circulation, saliva, body temperature as well as transportation of nutrients as mentioned before. Now think about what your body is doing when you are eating the right nutrients, exercising, etc... Those functions are what makes use of the nutrients, makes you able to work out and gives you the energy to workout. Without water you are basically doing all the right things in the fast lane, but your highway is jammed up. Water makes what you do to be healthy possible. Basically your body is constantly working for you. Keep it hydrated and it works more efficiently. That is the actual need. For others...
- Can help with appetite. What most people assume means hunger (grumbles, etc...) simply means the body needs. Needs what? Drink water first and then eat. Personally I have an amount that I drink in a day and fairly regular food plan so I don't ever get said grumbles.
- Your body has to process water just as with digesting food. If you were to drink water throughout the day your body is working more and can burn off an additional few hundred calories a day by doing so. In short your metabolism will be increased.
- Hydrate throughout the day, but make sure that you hydrate immediately before a workout and every 20-30 minutes during. You don't ever want your body wanting water. You being thirsty is like waiting for the light to come on in your car to tell you something is wrong with the engine.
- Keeping hydrated with water keeps you away from the soda machine because you are thirsty.
I've read that the right amount of water and potassium helps to counter the stupid amount of sodium that we put in our bodies. It was on the internet so take that with a grain of salt (pun intended)
