If someone were to ask, "Is water important to your health?" you would most likely answer, "Of course" and add, "I know we’re supposed to drink 8-10 glasses a day." Knowing water is important is one thing – getting enough of it on a daily basis is another.

We typically minimize the real importance of water. Maybe water is not flashy enough, yet water deserves top billing where health is concerned. According to Rudolph Ballantine, M.D. "It is a significant advancement in biological science that we are beginning to see water as not merely an inert medicine in which compounds float but as something alive with complex molecules, changing and charged with information. The more we learn about water, the more obvious it will become that a good quantity and quality of water is a cornerstone of sound health.

How important is water? Consider this:

•  We are composed of about 70% water (some sources say closer to 80%)

•  Brain cells are 75-85% water. The right kind of water improves the mind and brain. Our adaptive mechanism keeps the brain hydrated first, sacrificing other areas if necessary.

•  The water volume that is stored in the vertebral disc cores (especially the 5th lumbar disc) supports 75% of the weight of our upper body

•  50% of cartilage in joints and discs is made of water

•  Blood is composed of about 50% water. Every 90 days we build a brand new bloodstream.

•  Our total body water is replaced about every 15 days

As the weather warms take action and drink enough water. Experts suggest you should drink water every 15 minutes when active outdoors. It seems like a lot, but remember, when you feel thirsty your body is already signaling you that you are "low on fluids".