The earth’s surface is comprised of 71 percent water, and only 2.5 percent of that water is freshwater. This water is home to numerous species throughout the globe, and its ingestion is a requirement of life for countless other land-dwelling species–including humans.

The human body is comprised of 60 percent water, and human blood is made of 90 percent water. But why so much water? Water is essential to a variety of human bodily functions: it protects your tissues, joints, and spinal cord; it aids in digestion; it regulates your body’s temperature; it assists in excretion of waste; and it improves mood and cognitive function. Simply put, your body needs high quality water to function at peak efficiency and prevent illness.

Now that we’ve established why water is so important for your body, let’s talk about staying hydrated. Benefits of staying hydrated include the following: it can reduce joint pain, provide for better digestion, improve skin health, regulate body temperature, assist with your body’s waste disposal, maintain blood pressure, prevent kidney damage, boost performance during exercise, assist in weight loss, and reduce chances of getting a hangover after consuming alcohol. Staying hydrated by drinking high quality water has also been shown to prevent kidney stones, exercise-induced asthma, urinary tract infections, and hypertension. It’s clear that staying hydrated is very important if you want to stay healthy.