Most people have no idea how much water they should be drinking, and most Americans live from day to day in a dehydrated state. They don't drink enough water. Without water, we would be poisoned to death by our own waste products and toxins resulting from metabolism. Water is vital to digestion and metabolism, acting as a medium for various enzymatic and chemical reactions in the body. It carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells through the blood, regulates body temperature and lubricates our joints (which is particularly important if you're arthritic, have chronic muscular-skeletal problems or are athletically active). We need water to breathe; we lose approximately one pint of liquid every day just by exhaling. If you are not in "fluid balance" you can impair every aspect of your body's physiological functioning. "As a result of not drinking enough water, many women encounter such problems as excess body fat, poor muscle tone and size, decreased digestive efficiency and organ function, increased toxicity in the body, joint and muscle soreness (particularly after exercise) and water retention. “Proper water intake is the key to weight loss," says Dr. Walters. "If women who are trying to lose weight don't drink enough water, the body can't metabolize the fat, they retain fluid, which keep their weight up, and the body fat loss we're trying to obtain is greatly hindered." "The minimum amount of water a healthy woman should drink is 10 -12 eight-ounce a day," he continues, "and you need to drink more if you are over weight, exercising on the Slender Lady body Sculpting Circuit, or live in a hot climate. Overweight women should drink an extra eight ounces to ten ounces of water for each 25 pounds that exceeds their ideal weight." Your water intake should be spread judiciously throughout the day, including the evening. You may ask, "If I drink this much water won't I constantly be running to the bathroom?" Initially, yes, because of the hyper-sensitivity of the bladder to increased fluids. But after a week or so, your bladder calms down, and you urinate larger amounts. There is a difference between pure water and other beverages that contain water. Water is water. Obviously you can get it by consuming fruit juice, soft drinks, beer, coffee or tea. Unfortunately, while such drinks contain water, they also may contain substances that are not healthy and actually contradict some of the positive effects of the added water.

Beverages that contain caffeine, such as coffee, stimulate the adrenal glands; fruit juices contain a lot of sugar and stimulate the pancreas. Such drinks may tax the body more than cleanse it." Another problem with these beverages is that you lose your taste for water. The way to interpret all of this, therefore, is that the recommended daily water intake means just that--WATER! PAINLESS WAYS TO CUT CALORIES Eat a cup of nonfat yogurt instead of 1 cup of custard-style. Eat 2 poached eggs instead of 2 fried eggs. Spread 1 tablespoon of all-fruit jam on your toast rather than 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Use 2 tablespoons of light pancake syrup instead of 2 tablespoons of regular syrup. Replace 1 cup of whole milk with 1/2 cup of nonfat milk. Replace 1/2 cup of granola with 2 cups of Cheerios. l Snack on an orange and a banana instead of a candy bar. Munch on 35 pretzel sticks instead of 1 ounce of dry-roasted peanuts. Replace a 12-ounce can of cola with a 12-ounce can of diet cola. For a chewy snack, have 1/2 cup of dried fruit rather than 9 caramels.