The body is composed of nearly 90% water. Your heart, lungs, and brain can’t function without it. Neither can your muscles, or your skin, or your joints.

Adequate hydration is important to keep your muscles functioning without cramps and pain. It’s also critical if you’re trying to build muscle. In order to flex or contract muscles, water is the key to keeping nutrients flowing into the muscle and waste products flowing out.

A mere two percent drop in body water can cause changes in coordination, concentration and it’s one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue.

The average person loses 16 ounces of water just by breathing, another 16 ounces if you are visibly sweating, and another 48 ounces through elimination.

Healthy hydration means drinking approximately 8 ounces of water for every hour that you’re awake. For people who exercise, your needs may be greater. In warm weather, everyone may need to replace lost electrolytes, the potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium that create the electrical charge that keep your muscles working properly. A pinch of good ocean sea salt dissolved in your water a few times a day should do the trick.