Water is life, it is not a luxury.

One of the most commonly-asked questions heard by a fitness trainer is, "how much water should I drink?"

One might ask you, "Are you thirsty?" Did you know that if you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water? When a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off. There is more than thirst that meets the need.

If you eat a large amount of protein in your diet, which is the case for many athletes, drinking at least 8 glasses a day is important just to keep the intestines running normally. People who are often constipated should, therefore, drink more water. By drinking one to two extra glasses a day, research has shown that you will lose as much as 5 pounds per year without making changes to your diet, per se. Why is that? Because when you drink more water, you eat less and water will help you release water-retention weight as well.

For people who travel regularly, drinking more water is essential. It is very easy to forget to drink water when we are busy or traveling. Flights are notorious for causing dehydration, because we don’t want to get up too often and disturb our neighbor or take the risk that the seat belt light might be on during the flight. When you drink more water, you stand more often, which will help your blood circulation and help prevent tight muscles. Flying normally elevates your blood pressure and diuretics are often used to lower blood pressure; drinking water = lower water retention, which will, therefore, lower your blood pressure.

Any more reasons to drink water? Well, yes!

Water is life; it is not a luxury. People can lose consciousness or even die from dehydration. Your skin will look more youthful and healthy. Water will help to balance your blood sugar level. We can pass on food but not water. That’s why when you fast for a cleanse, you never do just food, no water. On the contrary, you skip food and drink tons of liquid. And lastly, drinking water after eating reduces the acid in your mouth by 61 percent. Less acid in your mouth will result to less acid in your stomach – and healthier teeth.

To be on the safe side, whatever amount of water you drink now, double it and you will feel better, have better digestion, prettier skin. Drink less of everything else you drink containing calories or caffeine!

More water, Everyone! "It’s water month" to off set the summer heat and the hydration required for a healthy body.