Healthy blood is always alkaline. It tries to have a pH value of 7.4 - or as close to this as it can. The brain does all it can to maintain this level - pulling water from various cells to dilute the acidity but also bringing with it your stores of calcium, because it is your body's largest and most easily transported store of alkaline mineral.

That might sound like a good idea then, but the trouble is - you have a lot of calcium in you for a reason - because your organs and need it. But they get stripped of calcium if your body calls your calcium stores into action to fight excess acidity. That means that the organs now deficient in calcium will struggle to stay alive - and so will you: at least - you won't feel too well.

You should therefore maintain your body's stores of water with the right balance of calcium and sodium, and a ph value of 8.5-9.5 to keep yourself in peak condition, functioning well and able to fight of illness and disease.

A minimum of six to eight glasses of slightly alkaline water is what you need each day to maintain proper hydration. These shouldn't be mixed with other things like tea and coffee which are diuretics and actually strip your body of more water than you put back in.

You'll need to drink more when you're exercising as as little as an hour's exercise can rid you of a liter of water. That sounds like a lot, doesn't it, but not only do you lose this water through sweating - which most people will be aware of; during exercise, you breath harder, maybe even pant. This helps you to lose further fluid through evaporation. Drink before, during and after exercising to help put back the fluid you lost.

When you're ill, you lose water in various ways: diarrhea, sweating and coughing, etc. Great - now I've left you with that beautiful image, leave yourself a jug of water conveniently so that you don't have to make the effort to go get a drink - because you just won't do it. You might even be able to sweet-talk a loved one into bringing you the water.

As you get older, your thirst decreases, but not your need for water. Your body has just got so used to you ignoring your thirst that it just doesn't even bother telling you anymore. That doesn't mean you need to take in any less water.

So space out your water around your meals and your activities, but drink, drink, drink- it's good for you!