If you are deprived of air, you will die within minutes. If you are deprived of water, you will die within days. Therefore, water is the second most important thing the body needs in order to survive. However, most of us simply do not drink enough water, and thus many of us are suffering from the symptoms of chronic semi-dehydration. You do not have to get dizzy and pass out in order to be dehydrated. Many of the symptoms are things you would never even associate with being “thirsty,” symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain (adequate water intake regulates your metabolism, plus you tend to eat more when your body craves water, as thirst is often mistaken for hunger), sluggishness (water helps flush toxins from your colon, liver, and kidneys), skin problems (healthy skin is moisturized skin), joint pain (just like the moving parts in your car need to be lubricated with oil, your body’s joints need to be lubricated, too!), and mental fogginess (a “dried-out” brain does not function as well as a properly hydrated brain!). Have I convinced you yet to drink more water? It’s really not that difficult -- just buy two of those sports bottles that athletes carry around, fill them up every morning with bottled or filtered water, and sip on them throughout the day. (Note: Drinking other liquids does not count. Your body processes other beverages differently than water -- and some beverages may dehydrate your body even further by leaching water from your system. Coffee and soda, for example, will do you more harm than good.)