The Importance Of Clean Water To Your Health
If you are a stylish man about town who cares about your appearance, it is crucial to look after yourself, especially when it comes to what you put inside your body. Water is one of the most essential elements for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. In my latest article, I will delve into why clean water is so important to your health.
Constant access to clean and filtered water is indispensable for everything on our planet—plants, animals, and humans. Water makes up 60% of our bodies and is responsible for cleansing, nourishing, and rebuilding our entire being. In the following guide, I will share information on why water is vital to health, along with water contaminants to watch out for and how to ensure you are getting enough water regularly.
The Importance Of Clean Water
Every person across the globe should have access to clean water, but unfortunately, that is not always the case. Polluted, contaminated, and generally unsafe water has always been a problem, even throughout history.
Even in the infamous ancient poem Gilgamesh (circa 2100–1200 BC), many of the characters criticise Enki for drinking water ‘like a beast’—this is telling in that it highlights that even thousands of years ago, people avoided drinking water directly due to its dangers.
It was universally accepted that you would drink a low-alcohol content beer or wine that had been boiled, fermented, and cleaned, as this would have removed many of the dangerous microbes and contaminants, making it safer to drink.
In the modern world, advanced countries have access to more sophisticated methods to access filtered water (although, even now, this can vary from country to country).
How To Define Clean Water
Even stating that water is clean does not always guarantee a perfect drink for your body. This label ensures that it is technically safe to drink but is still likely to contain unwanted minerals or chemicals in the water. Overall, clean water is typically defined as sufficiently contaminant-free enough to be generally safe to drink and pose no significant health risks to the average person.
If you want more detailed information (for example, on how the USA defines clean water), check out the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 (along with the various updates and revisions), in which you can observe and read what standards in water must be met to count as safe to drink and shower in.
Health Benefits Of Clean Water
It is common knowledge that water is crucial to our bodies for building and maintenance all the way down to the cellular level (it is basically responsible for life as we know it on our planet). Water helps us digest food easily and absorb its vital nutrients, thanks to its powerful solvent abilities. It breaks things down into basic, digestible parts.
If you are a fitness and gym buff, you will likely know that water helps replenish depleted muscle (and one of the reasons bodybuilders sip water during their workouts). It also helps with organ growth and development, driving cells across their natural life cycle steps from formation to apoptosis (which is healthy and normal cell death).
As humans, we can survive for only around three days without water, as every one of our physical systems and parts relies on it.
Hydration And Bodily Functions
As a straight-up simple fact, your body cannot function without a steady supply of healthy and clean water. For example, you may have started playing a sport, entered a race, or engaged in a similar physical activity and almost instantly realised you have not drank enough water (and you know it will be game-ended).
Once it gets to the point of feeling dehydrated (even during a summer day in the office), you can feel the effects, and it is difficult to maintain focus and think straight (in severe cases). Our mental ability relies on the fantastic powers of water to restore brain function. With this in mind, always take a bottle of water with you, ensuring you are fully hydrated no matter the activity.
Skin Health
If you are into fashion (very likely if you are reading my blog!), you will take pride in your appearance, and that includes your skin. Water is fantastic at defending your face against many issues, including dryness, cracking, and oily skin (which can often cause breakouts or acne).
It is important to use premium grooming products such as washes and moisturisers on your face, but without the complementary effects of water, they will be largely ineffective. So, be sure to use nature’s own lotion as a starting point for soft, supple, and clean skin.
Digestive Health
Water is essential to keeping your system regular, breaking down unwanted products and expelling them as waste. H20 is an incredible solvent for breaking down even the toughest foods and processing nutrients. Additionally, if you suffer from any gut-related health issues or digestive problems, clean water can help you manage the symptoms more effectively.
Detoxification
If you drink water regularly, you will help your body detoxify and remove any buildup of bad entities. If you indulge in foods with a lot of sugar, alcohol from partying, greasy fast food, or even an increase of lactic acid from running on the treadmill, water can help set things straight (rather than drinking fizzy pop!), removing the bad from your system.
Practical Steps To Ensure Clean Water At Home
If you live in a large city area such as the UK or the US, you likely have access to clean running water (for drinking and bathing). However, you can go one step further and request the latest government water report to determine the current quality. If you are really concerned, you could even take a sample from your tap and get it checked out at a lab (although this may be slightly excessive!).
However, no matter how good your water is, it very likely can be improved. This moves neatly into the next section—water filtration.
Water Filters And Purifiers
There is a vast amount of choice when it comes to home water filtration systems—starting with common models that include sediment filters to remove physical particles, activated carbon filters to strip out chlorine and dissolve chemicals, and reverse osmosis systems that effectively push the water through tiny pores to remove all dissolved solids.
Some of these tech items can be added to your existing tap, allowing you to bottle the filtered water from the source. If you are unsure, check in at a local retailer and speak to an expert in this field.
Regular Maintenance Of Plumbing Systems
Always check the pipes and water fixtures in your home (or hire a plumber for expert advice). If you have an older pipe system, metal can leach into the water, causing contamination. Also, unwanted minerals can cause a blockage over time, reducing the water pressure in your home.
Safe Water Storage Practices
When storing water, it is advisable to store it in cool and dark places (such as inside cupboards or pantries) and choose glass containers rather than plastic containers (which can potentially cause microplastics to enter the liquid over time).
Additionally, if you plan to store water long-term, consider ways to sterilise, such as chlorination.
Ways To Purify Water
Boiling water is one of the most popular (and easy) ways to purify your water, killing off bacteria, viruses and parasites (and all you need is a kettle!).
However, this process will not prevent the influx of minerals, chemicals and heavy metals (in fact, after boiling, they will be much more concentrated). Instead, you will need to use distillation.
Risks Of Contaminated Water
Contaminated water can contain a variety of dangers, including toxic metals (such as lead and chromium), parasites and helminths (which like to feed on your organs!), and even small particles of plastic, chloramines, and animal tissue (not pleasant!).
Water is the universal solvent, which unfortunately means it is also filled with the world’s waste! As such, people choose to use water filters to protect themselves from the unseen dangers found in rivers, streams, and even straight out of the tap!
Global Thoughts On Clean Water
According to the World Health Organization, a staggering 25% of the world’s population lacks access to safe and clean water. In many parts of the world, illness and death from bacterial infections in water are rife. Many global charities and initiatives aim to reverse this problem, but it will take time and is no easy task.
Clean Water And Public Health
It is crucial that governments around the world focus on providing clean water to everyone. As populations rise, it is critical that we combat pollutants and contaminants in the water systems. It is also imperative that we focus on conservation and are not wasteful with water usage (such as leaving taps running endlessly).
Conclusion
In summary, water gives life to everything and everyone around the world. If we are fortunate to have access to clean water, we should not take it for granted, and we need to appreciate the effort humankind has made to reach this current status.
Additionally, we must remember the benefits of clean H20 for our health and appearance; after all, fashionable guys want to look the best they can in the latest outfits! Try to drink water regularly (instead of constant coffees and fizzy drinks), as it will only help and benefit your internal systems.
Do you want to add anything to my latest health-based article? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section.
