First things first...

One area that a lot of people lack in (especially including myself) is water consumption. It has even been said that many people spend their days in a mild state of dehydration! Water is the beginning and sustainer of all life. Life, as we know it, would cease to exist without the presence of this simple compound. If you're ever asked what two items you would take with you to a deserted island, drinking water should be one of them.

Our skin is comprised of a whopping 90% water!! Water hydrates, detoxifies, and oxygenates our skin. It encourages and stimulates blood circulation and regulates our skin's natural balance (known as the acid mantle). Stands to reason we should be drinking it like our lives depend on it (wait a minute, our lives do depend on it!).

Something that many people don't realize is that water is the purest form of moisture. It is, in itself, moisture. This is what makes skin supple and soft. But since water evaporates, keeping it (and getting it, for that matter) in our skin is no easy task. Just think about when you ease into a warm bath at the end of your work day. You soak for hours (ok, maybe that's just me) and when you get out you finger tips are all wrinkly! See, our skin has a protective substance on it called sebum. This oily substance helps protect nasty things from penetrating our skin. But sebum takes his job as security guard a little too serious sometimes and keeps the good things out too, like our boo, water.

But after awhile, even sebum gets tired and (hopefully) washed away, then water makes its way into our skin. Good, right? Well, water evaporates over time and eventually all of that goodness is no longer sitting in our epidermis (the layer of skin that you can see). So the key is to put that water on lockdown and keep it in our skin. This is where oils, creams, and butters come into play. By mimicking the sebum on your skin (so to speak) the oils, creams, and butters "lock" or "seal" moisture (water) into your skin and attempt to prevent it from escaping. And since water evaporates, this is a process that must be repeated regularly.

This is the process that a "moisturizer" attempts to achieve with every application. See, "moisturizers" typically contain water (or another moisture heavy ingredient such as aloe vera) as a top ingredient, followed by emollients (oily substances). The idea is to introduce both the water and the sealent into the skin to effectively keep the water there. And this does help out, IF the correct emollients are used. And by that, I mean emollients that are skin friendly, and hopefully chocked full of vitamins and skin-loving nutrients like Vitamins A & E and other antioxidants.

However, in my opinion, the best way to get the water that your skin needs is to actually consume it (as is with all vital nutrients). Therefore, starting tomorrow we're going to make sure we consume enough water. To figure out the right amount for you, take your body weight and divide by 2. Take that number and divide by 8. That's how many 8 oz glasses of water you should be aiming for.

Drink up! Expect to make a few extra bathroom runs tomorrow! Lol!

P.S. To help tackle this astronomical number of ounces, think of it like this: one bottle of water (16.9 oz) is two glasses. If you can drink one bottle of water before you walk out of the house in the morning, you've probably consumed 20% - 30% of your water for the day. Then when you get to your destination, drink another bottle of water. Now you have 50% - half - of your water consumed for the day. Drink another bottle at lunch, one before you leave work for the day, and maybe one more with dinner. Voila!! You've gotten your water for the day!! 

You go girl!!! (in my best Martin voice)!