You've heard that drinking water is important for you, right? But have you heard WHY?

I'll paraphrase an article from Healthline here: 

1. Helps maximize physical performance

2. Significantly affects energy levels and brain function

3. May help prevent and treat headaches

5. May help treat kidney stones

6. Helps prevent hangovers

7. Can aid weight loss

I highly recommend reading the sourced article for information on why these statements make sense, and links to the studies from which the information was extrapolated. 

That said, please know there is no compelling evidence for oxygenated water or alkaline water. Water water is just fine. If you don't like water, there's nothing wrong with a little flavor taste, as a treat. Juices are fine unless you have to watch your sugar or acid intake (as in cases of diabetes or GERD.) You can get your water in tea or coffee if you must, but remember that caffeine is a diuretic, so most healthcare providers caution that you potentially lose more hydration than you gain. 

How much water? TO THIRST. I will say this til the cows come home, and I haven't seen cows in years, so... 

Your body is working that homeostasis, like we discussed, and there are biochemical alarm systems in place to tell you when you need to make external adjustments: like when you start panting to tell you that you are running low on oxygen, or your digestive system engages (stomach growling) to let you know to put something in there, you're running low on fuel. Next time you get really thirsty, see if your lips are dry. Because your cells will suck the moisture from anywhere they can when the stock runs low. 

If your thirst meter is off, or for some other reason you don't trust it, I've mentioned checking the color of your pee. Say you've been drinking coffee and you think "I'm not thirsty, and I'm peeing fine. I'm hydrated." hold the phone, freind. What color is your pee? If it's darker than the "straw colored pee" you googled from our previous health tip, pour a tall one, Tex. You are not hydrated enough. If it's clear, well it's fine. You do not need to drink enough water to have clear pee. You can put down the flask. 

To summarize: just water is fine. Unless you live somewhere that you know has contaminated tap water, that's fine. Don't waste your money on oxygenated or alkaline water. Your body will balance those out before you can say "Is it working? Am I immortal?"

Enjoy.

Healthline can often be a good resource for easily accessible health information in layman's terms. Here's a page on water:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-health-benefits-of-water