Proper hydration is paramount to losing weight and keeping it off. And the harsh reality is that most people are not properly hydrated. Most people walk around unaware that so many of their problems ? low energy, mood swings, trouble thinking, focusing, and concentrating, frequent illness, and excess weight ? are caused by the fact that they're in a perpetually dehydrated state. Put plain and simple: most people do not drink enough water.

Water is responsible for helping rid our body of the toxins that our metabolic processes produce. Besides helping rid our systems of waste, water is also an integral part of digestion in providing a medium for the necessary chemical and enzymatic processes to take place. Water carries oxygen and vital nutrients through our blood to all the cells in our body. Water regulates our body's temperature. And if you've ever noticed a problem with stiff, or gone so far as to have been diagnosed with arthritis, water also lubricates the joints, increasing flexibility, and reducing pain and stiffness.

All this and we each lose about a pint of water each day in the mere act of breathing. How much water are we using up in all the other activities we perform throughout each day?

Oftentimes we think we're hungry when actually we're just thirsty. The next time you feel hungry try drinking a glass or two of water first. Wait 5-20 minutes. If you're still hungry, then eat. But there's a good chance the water might have satisfied your body's actual craving. Likewise, drink a glass of water before every meal. This well help you feel full faster and cause you to eat less overall.

When the subject of drinking water and having the body adequately hydrated comes up, many people worry about water weight gain. If you're one of them, here's an ironic bit of information for you: drinking water steadily throughout your day, and consistently this way over time, will get your body conditioned into a new habit of storing less. Bloating is caused by the body being so used to a state of feeling dehydrated that it stores up all the extra water it can so it can get its needs met when it starts getting dehydrated again. As contradictory as it sounds, the way to reduce bloating is to drink enough water.

Now another myth regarding proper hydration is that juices and sodas and milk hydrate the body just as much as water does. This is simply not true. The body has to exert a great deal of energy to digest and process the sugars in juices and sodas and the calcium in milk; in these cases, the liquids are more transportation methods for the sugars and calcium. Even those hydrating sports drinks are packed with ingredients developed in a laboratory that the body needs to find a way to process. This takes energy. Water is the body's only source of pure, unadulterated hydration.

Inadequate hydration can lead to impaired neurological dysfunction (that's: mind and emotions), digestive difficulties, deficient muscle tone and mass, problematic organ functioning, and of course the gaining of weight in the form of excess fat.

As a general rule, all people should drink a minimum of 10 8 oz. (1 cup) servings of water per day. For every 25 pounds that someone is over their ideal healthy weight range, drink an extra 8 oz. serving.