The Importance of Drinking Water

How many of you, when you go to a restaurant and the waiter/waitress asks you what you want to drink ask for water? How many you would select a glass of water out a fridge filled with soda, fruit juices, or beer? My guess is probably not very many you actually choose water over the other options. I used to be the same way.

I used to never drink water, and would always choose another beverage if I had the option. However, after I began to hear about the importance of water in our lives, I began to choose water whenever I needed something to drink. I am not saying I never have anything other than water when I am thirsty, but the majority of the time I choose water over any other beverage. Today, I plan to hopefully convince you that water is the smartest choice of beverage and I hope to persuade you to begin incorporating more water in your daily lives. Now, for those of you who do drink water; do you actually get enough water that your body needs on a daily basis? Well according to mayoclinic, everyone should strive to drink at least eight 8 ounce glasses of water a day. There are different regulations that some sources provided which depended on age, sex, physical activities and health status; but as long as you drink the eight 8 ounce glasses a day it will greatly improve your body’s functions. This may seem like a lot of water, but when you think about how much of your body is made up of water it does not seem as bad. Water makes up approximately 60% of your body weight.

So if you weight around 150 pounds, which means water makes up 90 pounds of your weight. I bet the eight 8 ounce glasses of water a day don’t really seem like that much anymore. There are so many benefits from drinking the adequate amount of water on a daily basis. Drinking water increases energy and relieves fatigue.

This is due to the fact that your brain is mostly water (approximately 70%). Drinking water helps you think, focus, and concentrate better while being more alert. Drinking water also promotes weight loss.

How many feel relatively full after drinking a bottle of water? Well drinking eight 8 ounce glasses of water a day will help you feel full longer during the day and cause you to eat less calories on a daily basis. Drinking water is actually a natural appetite suppressant while having zero calories. Drinking water and refraining from drinking other types of beverages will also cut down on calories during the day. If you choose a glass of water over a soda for example, you would remove at least 100 calories from your diet for the day, and also you would not consume all the unnecessary sugar in soda. Water is essential for people who are trying to watch their weight or lose weight. Drinking proper amounts of water also will improve your immune systems function. Drinking water will help you refrain from getting sick throughout the year. Also, according to study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, drinking water can reduce your likelihood of having a heart attack. Drinking at least 5 glasses of water a day reduced the chance of dying from a heart attack by 41%. For people who exercise regularly, water consumption is extremely important. Drinking water helps energize your muscles.

When muscles don’t have adequate amounts of fluids, they don’t work as well and performance can suffer. Water also helps remove harmful toxins from the water. Drinking enough water on a daily basis will cause you to urinate regularly and perspire which removes toxins from the body. Also, drinking enough water ensues that one will have proper bowel movements. If a person does not have proper bowel movements, wastes in the body can become poisonous, so it is important to drink enough water and excrete wastes from the body. The last great benefit of water that I will talk about is the importance it plays in transporting nutrients to the body. Blood is made up of 92% water.

This water in the blood helps carry oxygen and other nutrients through the body. Some nutrients are only water soluble, meaning they are only dissolved in water. So water is needed to dissolve these nutrients and be carried throughout the body. As you can see, water plays a major role in many factors of your body. Water even can help produce benefits outside of your body as well, such as your wallet. For example, when you go to a restaurant and order a soda, that is usually at least $2. You could instead choose water, which is free.

If you would also choose water when you go out to eat and save the $2, you would save a decent amount of money in a year. Also, a 24 pack of bottled water is much cheaper than even a 12 pack of soda. Therefore, buying a pack of bottled water would save you money as well. Another way that you could save money is by investing in a filter of some sort, and drinking water from the facet. This would definitely decrease your spending on beverages during the year and save you a lot of money. As you can see, there are many benefits to drinking water.

I hope you know see how crucial water is to your body and why you should consume it on a regular basis. You can only survive several days without water, so make sure you drink up. And by drinking water to ensure you stay living well, you will have some extra money to spend on things in your life that you can enjoy.

Darren McGlaughlin
Public Speaking
Barbara Warnick
Persuasive Speech 1
February 13, 2013

Speech Topic: Drink More Water

Introduction
1. Who chooses water at restaurant or home?
2. Personally never drank water
a. After learning benefits began drinking water
3. Hope to inform you of water’s importance
b. Persuade you all to drink more water during the day

Background
1. Drink at least eight 8 ounce glasses of water (mayoclinic) a.
Some people demand more
i. Activity level, Age, Sex, Health Status
b. Seems like a lot
2. Body made up of 60% water
c. Example: weight 150, 90 pounds from water
3. Now eight 8 ounce glasses may not seem like as much
d. Drinking this much water produces many benefits

Benefits
1. Improves energy, focus, relieves fatigue
a. Due to Brain being 70% water
2. Promotes Weight loss
b. Natural Appetite Suppressant (feel full)
c. Contains 0 calories
i. Causes less intake of calories from other drinks (soda)
3. Improves immune system functions
d. Reduce chance of being sick
e. Reduces change of heart attack according to study in Academic Journal of Epidemiology ii. Reduce by 41% if drink at least 5 glasses of water a day
4. Improves athletic performance

f. Muscles don’t work well with inadequate amount of water g. Feel Fatigued
5. Removes harmful toxins from body
h. Causes urination and perspiration which released toxins i. Causes regular bowel movement
iii. Waste can be poisonous of not excreted
6. Important in transport of nutrients through the body
j. Blood made up of 92% water
k. Many water soluble nutrients
iv. Only dissolve in water
1. Need water to get these nutrients to parts of body 7. Not body related, but save money
l. Water free at restaurants
m. Packs of water cheaper than packs of soda or juices n. Filter
to enable the consumption of water from facet

Conclusion
1. Many reasons to drink water
2. Easy to carry a bottle around in backpack or any bag
3. Convenient (water in most places such as water fountain and vending machines)
4. Many benefits to body
5. Save money
6. Needed for survival