Happy Friday! For this last weekend challenge of September, we are bringing things back to basics. Of course, we all know that drinking 6-8 glasses of water per day is vital for a healthy body, but how many of us actually do it? I will be the first to admit that consuming this much water on a daily basis is difficult for me. But, when I do, I feel more energized, my skin is clearer, and my tummy feels less tight.

Water is vital for all animals on Earth. It is the only liquid that can actually decrease the fat build-up in our bodies and keeps fat off by increasing our metabolic rate over time. Drinking water can also help moisturize the cells of the skin, diminishing the signs of fine lines and wrinkles. New research is also showing that water can reduce pain from headache and reduce the risks of heart disease in men. That's right, drinking 5-8 glasses of water a day can reduce your risk of heart attack by up to 54%!

Drinking 8 glasses of water per day will also dilute and flush out toxins in our blood stream and organs. This reduction of toxins can also help reduce our risks of getting certain cancers. Scientists and doctors now believe that drinking half our weight in ounces of water per day can reduce our risk of colon and bladder cancer since (in super simple terms) the key environment for cancer production is just not there.

Since all of these side effects of consuming water are good, let's try to bring them out more this weekend. For this last weekend challenge, I challenge all of us to drink more water- 8 cups more to be precise. I also challenge us to keep this going past the weekend. How many days can you go drinking 8 cups of water a day? Let's find out!

If you want to read more about the importance of water, this research article by The Oxford Journal is pretty interesting!