Water: It makes up two-thirds of our body weight, so it must be very important to our health, right?

"Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day."
Have you ever wondered why eight? Can eight glasses be too much for you, but not enough for me?
Even nutritionists do not know where this rule of health comes from. A cynic might say "from the bottled water companies."
So what is the correct number of glasses per day?
Here's my take: Obviously we have to replace the water that we lose daily through perspiration, etc.
Water performs various functions in the body: it carries nutrients through the system, lubricates joints, transports waste, and keeps the skin supple. And that's just the short list. For example, the brain is about 85% water, so it follows that our clear-headed thinking requires a daily supply of fresh water.
But how much water? To begin to answer this question, let's look at the two extremes.
What happens if we do not drink enough water? Our bodies react quickly to dehydration. Generally, our heart rates go up, as well as our breathing rates, our body temperature rises as we perspire less, muscle cramps and headaches set in, then we get nauseous. These are not the only effects of dehydration, these are simply the most common.
But what happens if we drink too much water? Drinking too much water may lead to a condition in which the body's electrolyte balance is profoundly disturbed. Electrolytes in our bodies consist of various elements such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Our bodies require a subtle and complex balance between the various electrolytes found within our cells and outside of our cells. This balance is critical for nerve and muscle function.
Now it is easy to understand why water is so important to maintaining our good health. But the question remains: How can we each make sure that we are getting all the water that we need every day, but not too much?
Fortunately, I have an answer for you: It is your thirst mechanism. All healthy people get thirsty when they begin to get dehydrated. Quench your thirst and you can be sure that you are helping your body stay out of trouble. Instead of counting the glasses that you drink or forcing yourself to drink when you are not even thirsty, allow your thirst to inform you when to drink water and you can be certain that you will be drinking just the right amount of water for your individual needs each and every day.

Are you having trouble losing weight?

Last week the the European Association for the Study of Obesity reported that over-eating, not a lack of exercise, is to blame for the American obesity epidemic. They warned that physical activity could not fully compensate for excess calories. The increase in energy intake virtually explained all of the weight gain. Separately, The World Health Organisation estimates that in 2006, about 1.6 billion adults were overweight, of which at least 400 million were obese.
So what does this new study mean to you and me? Are we doomed to be overweight even if we exercise? Have we no control over our weight?
Here's my take: It is your lifestyle that ultimately creates the set-point for your body weight. This set-point is based on only three factors: your genetic predisposition, the calories you consume, and, the calories you burn.
Let's examine one factor at a time.
We are each born with a genetic predisposition that makes it easier for some of us and harder for others to gain or lose weight. This is the hand we are dealt at birth. Ever notice how hard it is to lose weight and then to keep it off? That's because your body will do what it must to return you to your set-point body weight. Now while we can't do anything about our genes (not yet, anyway), I do have good news if you want to lose (or gain) weight: If you change your lifestyle, your body weight will change, naturally. What do I mean?
To answer this question, let's look at the second factor and the main result of the study that I mentioned. What kinds of food do you eat, generally? Does your lifestyle foster fast food at lunch, rich desserts after dinner, or snacks before bedtime even if you are not really hungry? If you change these habits, you will, without fail, lose weight. Naturally. How can I claim this? Because your body will determine a new set-point body weight for you based on your new lifestyle of eliminating fast food and rich desserts or by snacking on fruit instead of chips.
The last factor takes into account how you expend energy. What sports or other physical activities do you enjoy? If you take a walk or play tennis once a week and you increase that to four or five times a week, you will, without fail, lose weight. Again, your body will seek a new set-point body weight for you. Naturally. But has your lifestyle really changed? The answer to this important question is "that depends," and is the subject of a future article.
The study I quoted is simply telling us that, on average, we are consuming more calories than we used to, but we haven't increased our physical activities correspondingly. We each have within us the power to eat better quality food and exercise a little more often. Do this and you will lose weight and keep it off forever. I guarantee it.