Ok, so as you may know I set a little challenge for myself to drink more water this past month. And even though I technically “failed” that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop drinking water or stop trying to drink enough.

We all know being hydrated is important. It’s just one of those things that we know we should be doing a better job at.

So, today I thought I would share some of the wonderful benefits that come along with being adequately hydrated enough.

Not sure how much water you should be drinking? Take your weight (in pounds), multiply it by .67 and that’s the minimum number of ounces you should be drinking. You’ll also want to take into account activity level. For every 30 minutes of exercise you do you’ll want to add 18 ounces to that total.

So, for example I’m around 120 pounds, which means I should be drinking at least 80 ounces of water per day. And then in a perfect world I would be drinking closer to 100 -120 ounces a day.

Long story short I’m still working towards that goal. But like I said before let’s go over some of the benefits of drinking enough water. Take a few gulps of water as you read each of these.

+ Increased energy — water is another type of fuel your body needs alongside getting enough nutrients and such. Your brain is something like 73% water.

+ Increased metabolism — not only that but sometimes when you feel hungry you’re really just thirsty.

+ Helps build and repair muscle, as well as protect joints — water acts as a natural lubricant for your muscles and joints

+ Great for skin — I think this is a benefit a lot of people want to drink more water for, myself included. I feel like my skin is just tight, dry and uneven when I’m not drinking enough.

+ Boosts immune system — drinking enough water is directly related to having a stronger immune system. Help yourself avoid cold and flu season this year.

+ Flush out toxins — drink the water, urinate out the waste. Plus it helps prevent against kidney stones and UTIs.

+Regular bowel movements and digestion — keeps everything moving.

+ Improves Heart Health — there's a link between coronary heart disease and water consumption.

+ Prevents bad breath

+ Maintains pH balance

And the list goes on and on. There has never been something I’ve seen that I’m like no I don’t want any of that when it comes to the benefits of being properly hydrated.

Well, this isn’t because of being hydrated but I have heard of people dying from drinking too much water too fast. But you would have to drink 2.5-5.6 gallons (10-20 liters) of water in just a few hours. Which I know I couldn’t do even if I tried.

So, you have nothing to loose from drinking more water.

What are some of your tricks to making sure you’re remembering to drink enough each day?